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[Bentley]

So we Sous Vide the Legs for 2, 4 & 6 hours @ 147°.  They were very, very close in weight. Then Deep Fried for 7 Minutes at about 330°.  They are cooling as I type, will eat right after I finish this 1st post.  Red is 2 hours, Blue is 4 hours and Yellow is 6 hours.  6 hour Leg never went in fridge and also felt like it was the tenderness I was looking for when toothpicks went in.  The Dredge was 1/2 cup AP flour, salt n pepper and Jalapeño powder.

[Bentley]

I am very good at having contempt before investigation, and I believed that this was manifested in this experiment.

The 2&4 hour seemed to have very little difference in texture.  Tender, but I am not sure the "shredded" texture I was looking for.  Very moist.  The 6 hour was a tad more tender, but I am almost wondering if that is a mere illusion, that I simply want it to be. Either way the difference in tenderness between the 2&4 and the 6 is all most negligible. 

Now 2&4 seemed to fry about the same for outer skin.  6 hour seemed to get crispier & browner, no idea how that could be.  They should have been fried at least 10 minutes, maybe even the full 13 minutes like I do wings.  I realize they are dark meat, but they were no where near being dry, so more time in the oil to render skin I do not believe will impact moistness!  Very moist, but when you don't fry something long enough you are deep frying, you do it a huge disservice!

Next session will be 8 hours and 13 minutes in the oil!

[Bar-B-Lew]

That MIT degree is coming in handy 

[BigDave83]

Just my observations. But I think you kind of did it backwards to me. In that one piece of chicken would probably not effect the water temps that much. I would have put one in then 2 hours later another and then 2 hours later the last. That way they would have all come out at the same time. I have found for me the cooling down does change the texture somewhat. I usually either ice or cold water and then finish or after the water they go in the fridge until the next day or when I want to make it, So the ones that sat in the fridge for a few hours were similar, because you were bringing them back up to temp, unlike the one that just came out and you fried it was probably over temp. That is if finish temp was important. Ideally you would not want to cook to a finish temp much if any higher than the SV temp. The 6 hour one from my thinking probably was more crisp as it was still warm when fried, so the skin was soft and open, when you refrigerated the others you cooled the skin and the fats and liquids that were in the bag were trapped or redrawn into the pores and would have needed to be cooked back out.

I know that from experience that a piece of chicken right out of the oven or off the grill has a different texture to to than the one right beside it that didn't get eaten and was in the fridge until I reheated it the next day, whether it was reheated via grill, or microwave.

[Bentley]

Never thought of putting them in in the order you describe.  There was so little difference between the 3 textures not sure the fridge mattered with that.  You might be correct on the difference in skin crispness, but I think I also pulled them out of the oil to soon on that one.  The finished temperature did not matter to me.  I was so afraid that keeping them in the oil to long might have made them real dry, but I do not think there is any chance of that happening!

[BigDave83]

I see tat you fried at 330, I am usually a much hotter fry person. If I do turkeys I run that oil up to about 400 before I put the bird in, then try to00 maintain 350 to  375 area. Even when doing smaller things like the egg rolls the GF likes I go to 365 or so before dropping any. I don't have a deep fryer, just use the stove and turn the hood on.

Is there a reason you like to fry at lower temps?

For the chicken right out of the Sv I think you may be better off hotter, if you don't chill first it is still warm inside, so you are really just doing a quick fry to get your outside to your liking. So for my thinking it 360 or so and maybe 5 or 6 minutes would do it. But then you are the fry guy and trust me have far more experience at it than I do. I like the results just hate messing with the oil cleanup.

[okie smokie]

Why would sous vide take longer than 2-3 hrs at 147*? Esp. for drumsticks. Might be a little pink around the joint, but well done.

[BigDave83]

Why would sous vide take longer than 2-3 hrs at 147*? Esp. for drumsticks. Might be a little pink around the joint, but well done.

For SV my understanding is Temp=Doneness and Time=Tenderness. So yes it would be cooked through but the time will help with texture. It is kind of like smoking, you can smoke a butt or brisket to 145 in a few hours, technically it would be cooked, but not the best of eats when it comes to eating it.

[Bentley]

It goes in at about 360°, after about 5 minutes it is about 330° and rising.  I just said 330° cuz that was the last number it was at when I checked.  I did not pull the Deep Fryer out for this, I just used the gas range and the oil is hard to keep at a stable temperature once items are added.  it usually come back, but not till the end.  I should have cooked them just like the wings, but as stated, I was worried about it drying out if I left it to long.  I no longer have those concerns when they have 1st been sous vide.

Is there a reason you like to fry at lower temps?

[Bentley]

8 hours @ 151°.  Dredged and fried for 11 minutes.  Kristin though they were dry, they were Spectacular for me!  If I just knew the 11 herbs & spices I would be set.

[Bentley]

Forgot to mention, I broke out the Meat Glu and made sure the skin stayed up around the top of the leg.  Worked great, skin gight where it is supposed to be.

[BigDave83]

So all you did was dredge in flour and fry? No flour, egg, flour?

They look really good, you may have convinced me to try this.

How were they compared to the shorter SV time? Did you just out of the bag while warm, dredge and fry or did you cool off first?

[Bentley]

I got away from flour, egg wash, dredge.  It is now simply toss in seasoned flour and into oil. They come out of the sous vide real ready to take on the dredge! These were right out of the sous vide, into the dredge and into oil.  They were exactly what I wanted, Kristin found the one I gave her dry.  Did make sure the oil was 360° this time, did not turn it down when I put legs in and fried it for about 5 minutes longer.  I do not make fried chicken very often, out side of wings.  And when I do it is always legs, but this will be the only way I fry chicken anymore.

[Bar-B-Lew]

do you think the recipe in this article could be the 11 spices you are searching for

https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/ct-kfc-recipe-revealed-20160818-story.html

[Bentley]

Always worth a try next time out!