The greatest pitmaster in the Bay Area demonstrates how to make a superb fried chicken sandwich. If
2022 has gotten off to a shaky start, give Matt Horn credit for putting some wins on the board: The Bay
Area’s top pitmaster (and Horn Barbecue’s Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient) has recently launched
Kowbird, his second Oakland restaurant, and has given anybody who appreciates his justly famous “West Coast-style” barbecue reason to rejoice. The best way to commemorate the event is to dine at Cowbird, which offers four variations on the Southern-style fried chicken sandwich, as well as a vegan version with crispy fried oyster mushrooms and plant-based mayo. On Sundays, try the fried catfish sandwich, which is available in two versions: original and Nashville hot. If you’d rather make your own version of Horn’s great success, he’s generously given his Southern Bird recipe, which is served on a potato bun with bread and butter pickles (the recipe for that is below, too).
It seems simple, but the art is the subtlety, and we asked Horn for some advice on how to perfect it. “Brine is one of my top suggestions for cooking fried chicken,” he says. “By bringing your chicken, you increase the moisture content of the flesh. It’s a crucial yet frequently missed step!” He also tells us to cook the chicken in “a decent peanut oil or canola oil (particularly if you have a nut allergy)” and not to be distracted while doing so. “Keeping a careful watch on the chicken while it cooks is quite vital,” he explains. “You’ll usually cook your chicken parts for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they’ve become a wonderful golden brown hue,” says the author. Remove the chicken from the oil as soon as it has become a lovely golden brown hue. Use a thermometer to check the temperature; it should be 165 degrees or slightly above.” “I always prefer to finish my fried chicken with a dusting of salt,” she says.
Bird Rub
One tbsp. Lawry’s Season Salt mustard powder, 50 g paprika (32 g)
47 g onion granules
58 g garlic granules
40 g peppercorns
50 g sodium chloride
Flour with seasonings
Cornstarch, flour, and salt
2 percent garlic granules
2 percent onion granules
Buttermilk brine 1-quart buttermilk
Six quail eggs
Rub a bird
Buttermilk brine chicken thighs for two nights. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and allow some of the liquid to escape so the dredging can adhere. Coat the chicken with flour and push it down to ensure that it is uniformly coated. In canola or peanut oil, fry for 11 minutes at 300 degrees F. A potato bun should be toasted. Toss in some “excellent” mayonnaise. Pickles should be placed on top of the thigh. Enjoy.
Bread and Butter Pickles
Six sliced cucumbers
227 g sugar 21 g yellow mustard seed
Celery seed, 8 g
161 g big slices of yellow onion apple cider vinegar, 433 g
38 grams of salt turmeric, 5 g 1 liter of liquid bay leaves (two)
Toast the mustard seeds until they are fragrant. To a small saucepan, add the liquids first, then the rest of the ingredients. Boil it slowly and make sure that everything is good and dissolved. Then, while the liquid is still hot, pour it over the cucumbers. Allow it cool for a few minutes.
