Marinade & Sauce:

• 1½ C water
• ½ C hoisin sauce
• ¼ C white vinegar
• 3 TBS soy sauce
• 3 TBS sugar
• 2 TBS cornstarch
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~1½ pounds) (cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 1 TBS vegetable oil
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 TBS grated fresh ginger
• ½ TSP crushed red pepper flakes

Batter & Frying:

• 3 egg whites
• 1½ C cornstarch
• ½ C all-purpose flour
• ½ TSP baking soda
• 1 TSP salt
• 4 C vegetable oil

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes – Cook Time: ~10 minutes

1. To make the marinade, whisk the hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, and water in a bowl. Of this mixture, place 6 TBS into a ziplock bag and add the chicken. Seal and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Set aside the remaining marinade in the bowl.
2. While the chicken is chilling in the marinade, heat the 1 TBS of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Sauté the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes until fragrant. Add 2 C of the marinade to the skillet and simmer, whisking constantly, until the mixture is dark brown and thickened. Remove from heat, cover and keep the sauce warm.
3. To prepare the chicken for coating and frying, whisk the egg whites in a shallow dish until foamy, set aside. Combine the cornstarch, flour, salt and baking soda in a ziplock bag and combine well. Drizzle the remaining marinade mix in, seal the bag, and rub into the dry components until it is fully combined and resembles coarse meal.
4. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and from the marinade. Pat the marinated chicken dry with paper towels. Toss half the chicken into the foamy egg whites until well coated, then dredge the chicken in the cornstarch mixture, shaking the bag to coat thoroughly. Transfer the coated chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.
5. Heat the oil to 350° in a 5 QT dutch oven over high heat. Fry the chicken in thirds until golden brown, ~3½ minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken onto a rack to drain. Return the oil to 350 degrees before frying again. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
6. Warm the sauce over medium heat until simmering. Turn off the heat and add the fried chicken pieces. Toss to coat and serve.
7. If so desired, garnish with 1 – 2 green onions, thinly sliced.

Yields 4 servings.

Calories: 621kcal, Carbohydrates: 86g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 1696mg, Potassium: 778mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 155IU, Vitamin C: 3.5mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2.3mg

https://www.browneyedbaker.com/general-tsos-chicken-recipe

Hot Tamale Filling (makes ~65)
3 LB ground beef
2 8 OZ cans tomato sauce
½ C water
1½ TSP cumin
2 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS onion powder
1 TSP cayenne pepper
1½ TSP black pepper
1 TBS chili powder
1½ TBS salt
4 TBS sugar
½ C corn meal

Mix all of the dry and wet ingredients together. Add the raw meat and mix well. Refrigerate sufficiently until needed.

Hot Tamale Sauce (prepare ahead of time!)
You will need ~3 C of sauce for traditional wrapped tamales, ~4C for tamale balls.

Time provided, it is recommended to use the chili sauce (just the sauce part!) from the following recipe – Chili (Beef), ½ Alarm — Lutz. It is powerfully flavorful, and worth the extra prep time. That recipe will yield ~3¼ C of sauce, so scale accordingly.

For a quicker option, you can use the following recipe:

3 8 OZ cans tomato sauce
1½ TBS onion powder
1 TBS garlic powder
3 TBS chili powder
1 TSP cayenne
½ TSP salt
1 TBS sugar
2 C water

Mix ingredients well.

You can either follow the traditional wrapping method outlined further down or you can simply make ‘hot tamale balls’.

Option 1 – Hot Tamale Balls
Corn meal
Greased baking dish or lined sheet pan

Oven: 350°

Roll the meat into balls (~2 TBS each or a ‘T40’ scoop — a standard coffee scoop is also 2 TBS), roll in corn meal, place on a greased dish or on pan, bake for 20 minutes. Place into a pot, cover with sauce and water (approximate ratio of 2 parts sauce to 1 part water), and simmer for an hour.  If possible, allow to rest 30-60 minutes before consuming.

Optionally you can roll the meat into balls, roll in cornmeal and place on a parchment lined pan or dish and freeze. Once frozen the tamale balls can be moved into a Ziplock bag or other tightly covered container until needed. Place on a greased dish or pan and bake for 40 minutes. Place into a pot, cover with sauce and water (approximate ratio of 2 parts sauce to 1 part water), and simmer for an hour.  If possible, allow to rest 30-60 minutes before consuming.

Option 2 – Hot Tamale Wrapping
Corn meal
65+ 5″x5″ sheets of kitchen parchment paper (you can order tamale papers online, but standard kitchen parchment works just fine)

Prepare your work space. You should have the following within reach:

• A bowl with water to submerge the papers in and allow to soak for a minute or two. This will allow the papers to “relax” to make wrapping easier.
• A wide, flat bottom cooking pot, deep enough to contain all of the tamales and be able to just cover them with liquid.
• A shallow baking or casserole dish (2″-3″ deep) to dredge the tamales before wrapping. Fill ¼ of the way with corn meal, add a pinch of salt and pepper and combine.
• A plate or other flat surface to roll the tamales on.

Take one sheet of paper from the water bowl and place it on your rolling surface. Scoop slightly more than 2 TBS of the filling from the bowl (a slightly rounded coffee scoop) and form it into a tube ~3½” long. Roll it in the corn meal dredge then place it on the paper, the top end of the tamale lined up with the top edge of the paper (you will be leaving one end of the tamale open to allow the sauce to enter). Fold the bottom edge of the paper over the bottom end of the tamale. Roll the tamale firmly, eliminating as much air as possible (which will cause the tamale to float), but without squeezing it out of the paper. Place it in the pot on its side (not standing up!). Build a layer of tamales a row at a time in the pot, placing the next layer at a cross angle to the one below.

Note: It is advisable to devise a way to place something over the tamales that would prevent them from floating, but still allow you to cover the pot — I have used a flattened pie tin with a shallow glass bowl on top of it.

Gently pour your tamale sauce over the tamales, and add water to cover the tamales ~½” (approximate ratio of 2 parts sauce to 1 part water) . Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 1½ hours. If possible, allow to rest 30-60 minutes before consuming.

This recipe scales up nicely. The tamales freeze well, especially when frozen in the tamale sauce.

• 4-5 LB hen
• Poultry brine (optional)
• Poultry dry rub

Temperature: 225°

• If brining, brine the chicken for 1 hour per pound.
• Rinse and pat dry the chicken.
• Brush lightly with olive oil and apply the rub, both above and below the skin.
• Allow to sit at room temperature for no more than 30 minutes.
• Smoke, breast side down for 1½ – 2 hours, flip and finish (for an approximate total of 1 hour per pound of chicken, or until the breast is 165° and the thigh is 180°).
• If so desired, you can finish the chicken in the oven at 400° for 5 – 10 minutes to crisp up the skin.
• Optionally you can smoke at 275° for 1½ – 3 hours or until the breast is 165° and the thigh is 180°, starting with the breast side down and flipping at the 1 hour mark. This should also yield a crispy skin without the need to finish in an oven.
• Allow the chicken to rest for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

This rub and process is great for turkeys as well, just adjust the timing accordingly: smoke breast side down for 2 – 2½ hours, flip and finish (for an approximate total of 35 -45 minutes per pound of turkey).

1 large yellow onion (minced)
3 – 4 stalks celery (minced)
6 – 8 cloves garlic (minced or left whole)
½ C fresh parsley (chopped) (reserve some whole for garnish)
4 OZ unsalted butter
4 bay leaves
2 LB 80/20 ground beef
2/3 LB ground pork sausage
14 OZ Pepperidge Farms seasoned stuffing breadcrumbs
8 – 10 oysters packed in at least 8 OZ oyster water (retain the oyster water)
1 QT vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

Temperature 275

Bring the stock and bay leaves to a simmer in a small pot.

Chop the oysters finely (a food processor works well for this) and sauté until cooked through and set aside. Brown off the beef and pork and set aside. In the same pot sweat the onions, celery, garlic and chopped parsley in the butter and deglaze the bottom of the pan as you do. Once the onions are translucent, add the oysters, meat, breadcrumbs and oyster water and combine well. Add hot stock and combine until moist, but not wet. You may not use the entire quart.

Transfer to a 9×13″ casserole dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until top is slightly crispy. If the dressing is too wet after 30 minutes, stir and bake more moisture off at upwards of 350º. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 10.

• 4 QT hot water
• 2 QT cool water
• 5 LB ice
• 1 LB kosher salt
• 1 LB dark brown sugar

NOTE: This brine is a good amount for turkeys. For chickens use ⅓ of the volume for one chicken, ½ if doing two, in an appropriately sized container.

1. Combine the hot water (you don’t have to boil it, just get it hot enough to easily dissolve the salt and sugar – just before simmering), kosher salt and brown sugar and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely.
2. Add the cool water and stir.
3. Add the ice and stir until the ice is dissolved and the mixture is cool.
4. Pour into your brining vessel of choice.
5. Gently lower the poultry into the container.
6. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure that it is fully immersed in the brine. Cover and set in a cool dry place for approximately 1 hour per pound of poultry.
7. Remove the bird from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour prior to cooking.

Suggestions for brining vessels:

• A 5-gallon bucket placed in an ice-chest surrounded by ice, or in a large fridge works very well.
• Doubled-up disposable turkey oven bags (or 13 QT garbage bags) will fit the 5-gallon bucket perfectly and avoid the need to scrub and sanitize after. If you triple-up the garbage bags, it’s strong enough to put the whole thing in a cooler without the 5-gallon bucket and cover directly in ice.

• 1½ TBS Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ C olive oil
• ½ C apple cider vinegar
• ½ C apple cider
• 1½ TSP balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBS honey
• 1 TSP black pepper
• 1 TSP dried basil
• 1 TSP dried oregano
• 1 TSP dried rosemary
• 1 TSP dried thyme
• 1 TSP dried sage
• 1 TSP dried marjoram

NOTE: Prepare the day before.

1. Combine the dry spices and grind to a very fine texture (an el-cheapo coffee grinder works well for this).
2. Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Allow to cool then pour into a sealed container and store in the fridge overnight.
4. If using with a small injector needle, strain the mixture using several layers of cheesecloth.
5. Before using, re-mix the ingredients well, shaking vigorously or using an immersion blender to create a smooth emulsion.
6. If injecting into a turkey or chicken, use as few injection punctures as possible (6 – 8), instead moving the needle around within the meat to different zones during each puncture.
7. Be sure to at least inject the breast from below, aiming for the cavity between the breast tenderloin and the top of the breast itself.
8. If possible, inject 2-6 hours before cooking.

• 375 GR flour
• 2 TBS baking powder
• ⅜ TSP baking soda
• ½ TSP salt (1 TSP if using shortening)
• 3 TBS butter (cold)
• 3 TBS bacon fat or shortening (cold)
• 12 OZ buttermilk (chilled)

Oven: 450° F

1. Stack two sheet pans together to help slow down the browning of the biscuit bottoms. Line with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and bacon fat or shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt).
3. Make a well in the center and pour in ~6 OZ of the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky. Add more of the chilled buttermilk if it seems too dry.
4. Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times.
5. Press into a ¾” thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2½” hexagonal cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on stacked sheet pans so that they almost touch.
6. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting.
   • Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that’s life.
7. Brush tops lightly with buttermilk.
8. Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

Yields ~12 biscuits.