Mock Chicken Legs - Original...Amazing...Not Chicken (or Legs)

This recipe is from my dearly departed grandmother Florence (Nanny) Smerlinski. She was my mother's mother and she was very Polish. I could go an and on as to the wonderful human being she was, but for now, I will choose to honor her memory with one of my favorite homepun recipes; the Mock Chicken Leg. Now my brother Chuck Devereaux (Yes, that Chuck Devereaux of Moments in Time Pencil Portraits) just KILLS at this recipe! He makes the best Mock Chicken Legs this side of the Artic Circle. But I am a close second. Interestingly enough...these yummy "hand foods" taste nothing like chicken (and that's more than OK, trust me) so about the only thing I can think of, for them to earn their coveted moniker is the fact that you can pick them up somewhat like a chicken drumstick and gnaw on their goodness (ala Henry the VIII at a food orgy). And that reminds me...I once went out birding (as Birdstud) and looked high and low for the infamous and cagey "Mock Chicken" for an entire afternoon...but that's another story for another blog.

It must be stated that the Mock Chicken Leg is (for whatever reason) a midwestern favorite; particularly in Milwaukee where I live. Perhaps it is because chicken is such a rarity that we Wisconsinites have resorted to reasonable facsimile, in order to get our fix...I don't know for certain. Anyway, I digress...

Here's how to make these amazing goodies:

Food Ingredients:  

• 2 Lbs - Beef Stew meat (Chunked) 
  
• 2 Lbs - Pork (Chunked)  
  
• 1/2 cup - Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs  
  
• 1/2 cup - Regular Bread Crumbs  
  
• 3 - Eggs  
  
• 1 large yellow onion 
  
• Pepper  
  
• Bacon Salt  
  
• Water  
  
• Olive oil 

Tools of the Trade:  

• 8 - 1/8" X 6" pointed wooden skewers
• Le Creuset 6.75 Qt. Oval French Oven (or some other sub-standard baking dish you have in the cupboard...it just won't be as good as mine...)
• Large non-stick frying pan
• Low rectangular baking dish (for egg mixture)
• Wooden spoon
• Wooden tongs

Alternate the beef and pork on the wooden skewers

Here's a close-up of the suculent beef and pork on the skewer...is this creepin' you out?

In your oval baking pan; place the bread crumbs and Cornflake crumbs.

Yeah, why not...it's just gonna get dirty anyway, so why mess up another dish?

Mix the two together.

Crack three eggs into another low dish..

Whisk up three eggs (yeah, with a whisk)

Check out this Video of the Birdstud rolling the skewers into EGGS and CRUMBS!

Put in 1/4 cup of your favorite olive oil into your frying pan.

Turn on the heat to med-high

Take your large (sharp as hell) Pampered Chef Chef's knife

and cut the onions outer skin off.

Cut the onion into THICK slices.

Here's the 8 lovely Mock Chicken Legs all ready to be fryed up...let's watch...

That is totally amazing Birdstud...You Rock at frying stuff!

4 in the pan at once...say it ain't so Joe!

4 crispy Mock Chicken Legs.

Layer the onions first on the bottom.

One layer of MCLs on a bed of onions.

More onions...

Another layer of MCLs and top that off with MORE onions...YUM!

Here's a surprise...add 3 cups of water! (Hey, you'll need gravy won't you?)

Pop that Oval French Oven into the oven at 350 for 3 hours...can you say tender?

SIDES

Take a skinny zuchinni and use the fancy ripple cutter on them

Squeeze a whole lime onto the circlets of zuchinni and marinate (3-hours)

After marinating put the zuchinni into a pan with a little water and steam them until tender.