Gizzards Recipe for Southern Fryup

Chicken gizzards, which are sold more frequently than duck gizzards, are dirt cheap and totally delicious. Roscoe's, a California-based chicken-and-waffle restaurant chain, is where I was first exposed to the glory that is Southern-style fried chicken gizzards. Roscoe's is a sophisticated hangout. Waffles and everything else on the menu come with complimentary whipped butter, and you'll never have to worry about running out. They serve grits with pats of butter on top and a platter of gizzards that have been deep-fried until the batter is thin and crisp.

I don't know how we devolved to a point in culinary history where "fried" automatically connotes "unhealthy" or "low-class." Perhaps this is because of the widespread use of fats and oils by fast food restaurants as their sole cooking medium, or because of the views of the medical community regarding the carcinogenic effects of high and dry heat. Consider, though, that some words will inherently carry positive or negative connotations regardless of our intentions when we use them, even if we are not evaluating anything in particular.

We get hungry when we see "grilled," "seared," and "poached" on restaurant menus because those words sound delicious. By contrast, "fried" is used much less often. Health-conscious customers may avoid fried foods because they fear for their weight, but they often don't realize that most restaurants keep a deep-fryer running at all times. Fast frying is so efficient that it may have been used at some point in the preparation of dishes labeled as slow-cooked or braised. Oils and fats heated above the boiling point of water speed up the cooking process while adding flavor and texture by browning and crisping the food.

Some foods have managed to avoid the negative connotations of frying, and these are interesting to observe. Even though tempura and calamari are both deep-fried, they are not generally considered to be unhealthy. However, fried chicken is typically considered a fast food or, at best, a guilty pleasure. This is a shame, especially in light of the widespread availability of flavorless and dry breast meat. Perfect fried chicken has a crackling, crispy exterior and a juicy, tender interior. When I deep fry a chicken, I save the gizzards for myself while offering the breast and dark meat to my friends who are more concerned with their waistlines. Once the meal is prepared, the chef is rewarded with gizzards, which are a nubby, chewy treat with a slightly wild flavor.

There are two types of people who enjoy fried gizzards. Those who prefer their food tender enough to cut with a fork fall into the first category; these diners favor gizzards that have been slow-cooked in sauce for several hours before being deep-fried. The second group consists of "masticators," people who prefer their food to have more of a chew to it. These gizzards, which tend to be chewier than others, are prepared without stewing, but rather by brining in buttermilk, which softens the muscle's sinewy composition.

It's hard for me to decide which side I support. One surefire method of ensuring an exceptionally tender meaty interior is to stew the gizzards for an extended period of time; the cooking process also yields a flavorful chicken stock as a significant by-product. Raw gizzards that have been marinated in buttermilk are a favorite of mine because they are chewier and have a slightly gamey flavor that appeals to my offal-loving palate. Buttermilk's acidity infuses the gizzards with a pleasant tanginess that remains even after frying. Because I can never make up my mind, I usually prepare these Southern fried gizzards in two different ways. You can never have too many gizzards around you, so this works out just fine.