Cloudy, warm and a Southern Fried Chicken Recipe

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have generally cloudy skies with a high of 71 ºF. Winds are light and variable.

Tonight we’ll have clear skies and a low of 52 ºF with light and variable winds.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 91%, the Dew Point is 52.7ºF and the outdoor temp is 55.0ºF.

The wind direction is  West Southwest between 0.1 MPH and 0.2 MPH, with a heat index of 55ºF.

The Relative pressure is 29.85, the Absolute pressure is 29.65 and falling with a weather graphic indicating rainy conditions.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 5:59 a.m. Sunset is 7:18 P.M. Moon rise is 2:52 p.m., Moon set is xx:xx p.m., and the moon phase is in it’s first quarter being 61% illuminated.

The RAW METAR readings from Augusta’s airport are:

METAR KAUG 301053Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 12/11 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP164 T01170106

Visibility is 10.0 Miles / 16.1 kilometers with some pretty thick and low overcast..

We didn’t receive any rain here over the past 24 hours.

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 78, the solar wind speed is 353 Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

            The evenings are getting much cooler and we’re barely into September.  What you need is a meal that will stick to your ribs that tastes good. 

Southern Fried Chicken (This recipe is from the TV show: “Pioneer woman” She isn’t exactly a Southern girl, so if you want real Southern fried chicken, contact a real, genuine “southerner” and get the real deal directly from them. I have it on unquestionable authority that it’s well worth it. 

2 cut up fryer chickens in 16 pieces

4 1/4 cups buttermilk

5 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons seasoned salt, such as Lawry's

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground dried thyme

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more for seasoning

1/4 cup milk

Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Thoroughly rinse the chicken, then cover all the pieces with 4 cups buttermilk and soak in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours. When you're ready to fry the chicken, remove the bowl from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, just to take off the chill.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 360 degrees F and mix up the breading. Place the flour, seasoned salt, paprika, pepper, thyme and cayenne (extra cayenne if you like heat) in a very large bowl. Stir together well.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup buttermilk and the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and, with a fork, gradually mix until there are little lumps throughout. This will adhere to the chicken and make for a crispier breading. If necessary, add a little more flour or milk to the bowl in order to make it slightly lumpy.

Heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat until a thermometer reaches 365 degrees F. Lower the heat slightly, if necessary, to keep the oil from getting hotter.  Working in batches, thoroughly coat each chicken piece with the breading, pressing extra breading onto the chicken if necessary. Place the breaded

pieces on a plate. Add the chicken to the oil 3 or 4 pieces at a time. Make sure they aren't sticking together, then cover the pan and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken isn't getting too brown. Turn the pieces over, cover again, and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. All the while, monitor the temperature of the oil to make sure the chicken doesn't burn.

Place the chicken on a baking sheet and continue frying the rest of the chicken. When all the chicken has been fried, remove the wings and legs to a plate and keep covered. These should be cooked all the way through by now but always check, if any pink juice or meat is visible. If so, return to the hot oil for another minute or so until fully cooked. Leave the thighs and breasts on the baking sheet.

Bake the thighs and breasts for 15 minutes to finish the cooking process.  Sometimes I'll cut into the thicker part of one of the larger pieces, just to make sure the chicken is cooked through. If any pink juice or meat is visible, the chicken needs to continue cooking in the oven.