Catfish
Soak the fish in hot water to loosen skin. Using a large nail, hammer its head to a log, tree, or 4x4. Slice the skin around its head and pull off using pliers. Cut off the head and gut the fish. Depending upon the size of the catfish either filet or cook whole.
Trout
Using a sharp knife cut from the anus just to the pectoral fins beneath the gills. Then cut a slit in the lower jaw through both sides and out towards the mouth. Using your thumb inserted into the slit, pull the gills, pectoral fins and entrails from the fish. Further clean the guts from the fish using the back of your thumb scraped along its backbone. Lightly coat the fish, head and all, in flour and corn meal and fry. When served you should pull the head backwards removing head, backbone, most of the small bones, and tail. You may use this technique for panfish as well. Just remember to scale ‘em first!
Hogs
Hang and cut the hog’s jugular to drain blood. Scald hairs off in boiling water and scrape with knife. Gut the hog and cut off its head. Slice the sides for bacon, and chisel the ribs off the back bone using a hatchet and hammer. Cut the remainder into hams, shoulders, loins, and backbones (for chops). The head or "souse" is prepared after cutting off and saving the ears, jowls, snout, and tongue. First, cut out the eyes, then halve and quarter the head with an axe, removing the brain. Put the meat into a pot to soak overnight. After soaking, rinse and put the quartered pieces into a pot of salty water and cook slowly until the meat begins to fall off the bones. Season with sage and black pepper and fry on a skillet until runny. Place a plate on top and squeeze out the rest of the grease. Pour off the grease and put the meat on a plate and refrigerate. Slice and serve hot or cold. The jowls should be fried. For tongue, the hairs are removed with boiling water then scraped. Boil until tender, slice and serve hot. The snout is cleaned and roasted. The brains are "skinned" in boiling water, then seasoned with salt and pepper. Mash ‘em up and scramble with eggs. The ears are boiled in salt water and eaten alone or used in the souse. Chitlins are the intestines of the hog dipped into batter and fried. The feet can be roasted, boiled or pickled. Sausage is made from the lean meat of hams and shoulders. The meat is ground with salt, pepper, sage, and brown sugar and fried until browned. Pack the mixture into the intestines or a cloth sack and refrigerate or smoke.
Catfish Fry
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups of milk
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cups of cornmeal
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Mix egg and milk well in bowl. Shake dry ingredients into paper bag. Dip catfish filets in milk mixture then add to bag and shake well. Fry in hot grease until golden brown.
For just the right utensil click here: 12" cast iron skillet
Fried Country Ham
Country Ham
There are many ways to fry country salt-cured ham. Fry it up straight in its own fat or add a little grease, or a little water. What we like to do is fry up Clifty Farm center slices in a half and half mixture of water and 7Up in a Lodge 12" skillet, turning often, and leaving the drippings for red eye gravy.