Today's question come straight from the search engine hits. "Why do you dredge chicken in flour before cooking."

That's a very interesting question, and one that needs a little clarification. If you are dredging chicken in flour before cooking, we need to ask if you are then going to drench it in egg or if you are going to take it straight to the hot oil. The most obvious answer to this question is that you dredge chicken in flour to create a coating or a crust.

If you dredge chicken in flour, you can take it straight to the skillet and cook it. Depending on the level of oil, you can make a nice chicken-fried crust on it without having to drench it in egg first. If you are deep frying or chicken-frying it may need a double drench-dredge or else the oil will wash it off before a crust forms.

When frying with a egg drench and some sort of crust, we coat the chicken with flour first for two reasons: (1). As protection. The flour coating protects the chicken from the blast furnace of the hot oil. (2). As a binder. The flour coating helps bind the egg drench and coating to the chicken. If it wasn't there, the egg would slide right off the chicken when you performed the drench.

Related Post: Food Dictionary: Drench and Dredge

I'm introducing a new series now called "Ask MIA." Since combing through the search engine keyword referrals, I've noticed a trend this month of people wanting to know how to make a burger and how long to cook pork chops and boston butt. So let's give the folks what they want and give you a chance to ask MIA a question if you have one.

How to Make a Basic Burger
I've written quite a lot on this topic in the past, but maybe I should break it down in to one bit-sized chunk. There are three main factors that go into making a good hamburger: meat, seasoning, and heat. Do not use ultra lean meat for burgers. Most people want juicy burgers and fat equals juice. Use minor seasonings when making the patties, don't add a bunch of crap. You'll just end up with heartburn. Make the fire hot, preferably over charcoals.

Related Posts: Making a Better BurgerQuick Tip

Pork Cooking Times
So what is the cooking time for a Boston Butt Pork shoulder? Or how long do you grill a pork chop? Well those answers vary on the size and weight of each and how done you like them. I've seen people actually order pork with a slight bit of pink in the middle, but I would never do it. I'm just that way. These times are based on grilling over coals at about 350 degrees.

Pork roasts, loins, or shoulders: About 20 minutes per pound
Pork Chops, thick: 12-16 minutes
Pork Chops, thin: 8-10 minutes

Related: All About PorkLearning Doneness

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