Thanksgiving Appetizer

[merkaba93]

So Thanksgiving is a big deal in my family. We all love to cook and love good food. So some years the starter is upland bird pate. But some years when there are less people we just have fried gizzards.
We do a deep fried turkey anyway. So we just take our quail, pheasant, and hun gizzards and fry em up as we are cooking the big bird. My old man appreciates this more than any classy meal I ever cook. Go figure.

[Magnum_Willys]

Those aren't more Rocky Mt. Oysters ...... ?   
Edit - I see the description now.  - I'd try gizzards -  not in spaghetti though - had that once - eeeew

[RadSav]

Hard to find good gizzards anymore.  One of my favorites!  Best part of going to Winthrop is the Three Fingered Jacks gizzards.

[quadrafire]

Man I love gizzards. Hate to say, but my local Safeway will cook some up for me. Not the best, but not bad.
I've never killed enough wild birds to have feast, usually just get 1-2 at a time and eat them same night sauteed.

[Bigshooter]

Recipe please.

[merkaba93]

Recipe please.

So, butchering your own gizzards is a pretty easy task. If you have enough that you got from quail, pheasants and huns, just cut along it's axis and pull the inner membrane out. If not you can always buy chicken gizzards, most grocery stores have them and they will already be prepped.

Clean about 1 lb of gizzards. Place in pot with an onion, a garlic bulb, and bay leaf (don't waste your time getting the skins off the onion or garlic, just cut onion into quarters and cut garlic bulb horizontily). Simmer for 1 hr or until tender. So how tender you want it is really a personal touch. Gizzards are inherantly chewy if you like it just like that then don't braise it, however I find that a bit softer will make everyone enjoy the gizzards more. Braising for one hour will still have some chew to it so you'll know you're eating a gizzard. If you want to serve these to someone who doesn't like gizzards, go ahead and braise for 2 hours and they won't even know what they are eating. After the gizzards are braised, cool of quickly in some ice water. Then mix 1 cup butter milk and 2 tbs of your favorite hot sauce (Franks or CJ's {if you're lucky enough to have eaten at this Columbia MO resturant}) and soak gizzards for 4-8 hrs. Mix together 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup corn meal, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp white pepper, 2 TBS salt. Take directly from butter milk and dredge in flour mixture. Fry for 4 min at 350.

[dc]

Little ma and pa grocery store in Packwood has great gizzards.  I plan all of my trips east of the mountains around leaving early enough to get fresh out of the fryer gizzards for late breakfast early lunch.   

[merkaba93]

Little ma and pa grocery store in Packwood has great gizzards.  I plan all of my trips east of the mountains around leaving early enough to get fresh out of the fryer gizzards for late breakfast early lunch.

Maybe I'll have to get some when I go backpacking up there this summer.
I did have some gizzards just a few weeks ago. Went out to dinner at Olympia Provisions Northwest in Portland. They made it into a pretty amazing appetizer, over braised greens, made a really spicy breading and then cooled it off with an orange marmalade. Fanciest gizzards I had ever had.

[The scout]

Hard to find good gizzards anymore.  One of my favorites!  Best part of going to Winthrop is the Three Fingered Jacks gizzards.

  that's the first place I had gizzards and it ruined me since, home made sounds fantastic though