**The Art of Southern Fried Squash and Okra**

When it comes to traditional Southern cuisine, few dishes are as beloved as fried squash and okra. In this article, we'll delve into the world of these two staple ingredients and explore the techniques and tips that make them truly special.

One of the key elements of a great fried squash or okra dish is the use of a proper breading mixture. According to our host, "I like to keep them separate so you have different sizes of product." This approach allows for a more even cooking process and ensures that each piece is cooked to perfection. For those who prefer to fry multiple items at once, our host recommends using a skillet with just a little bitty coating of oil to achieve the best results.

For fried squash, a light breading on the outside is all that's needed to bring out its natural flavor. "I like to taste the squash it's just a light breading on it," says our host. This approach ensures that the delicate flavor of the squash is preserved while still providing a satisfying crunch on the outside. In contrast, okra benefits from a slightly heavier coating, which helps to balance out its naturally slimy texture.

In terms of specific ingredients, our host recommends using Red River Ranch original seasoning as a base for the breading mixture. "You don't have to use it if you can't find it," notes our host, but it's worth noting that this particular seasoning adds a unique depth of flavor to the dish. For those who prefer not to use store-bought seasonings, our host suggests using salt and pepper as a substitute.

Of course, no discussion of fried squash or okra would be complete without mentioning the role of bacon. In this recipe, we use cornstarch instead of actual bacon to create a crispy exterior that's both crunchy and flavorful. "Let's put these little ins in there first," advises our host, ensuring that each piece is evenly coated before being submerged in hot oil.

As with any fried dish, it's essential to handle the ingredients carefully to achieve the best results. Our host recommends sifting the squash or okra to remove excess moisture and prevent sticking. This simple step can make all the difference in the end result of a dish that might otherwise be soggy or unappetizing.

One final note on fried squash and okra is their versatility as a side dish. While they're often paired with traditional Southern staples like collard greens or black-eyed peas, our host suggests experimenting with different seasonings and toppings to create a truly unique flavor profile. For example, trying dipping the squash in buttermilk before breading it can add a tangy twist to this classic recipe.

As we wrap up our exploration of fried squash and okra, it's clear that these two ingredients offer endless possibilities for creativity and experimentation. Whether you're a seasoned Southern cook or just looking to try something new, these recipes are sure to become staples in your kitchen. And remember, as always, "a good neighbor shares like and subscribes to the videos."

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enWolffe folks I found one in today's episode we gather and stuff from the garden squash and okra cornmeal flour crust you ain't gonna want to miss this I'm getting the grease hot come on I thank y'all for stopping by the garden today for another episode of cowboy cooking yep I'm Kent Rollins and ain't this garden looking good the good Lord has blessed us with some rain now for all you new viewers that are out there just joining us for the first time hey we're gonna get to that wagon but you don't want to miss any of this stuff so be sure you hit that subscribe button right off at the top and you won't miss none of these great recipes I'm gonna pick us up some squash and some okra then we're gonna head out to the wagon I'm going to show you some tips and tricks how I think it fries up best on our version of a southern traditional style to cook squash and you know now okra is sort of like looking for Easter eggs you can tell this stuff is pretty green and you've got to look hard to find it don't you Duke so let me look down in here oh that in there it's about the right size I like to try to start eating you can get them a little bigger than that can you see moving down there and just take your knife and just cut him off right there below the stem that is what I call a tender piece of okra well you can see them are pretty well uniform inside except this inner here is a little bigger than the rest now he'll still eat but he's getting a little tougher I want to just see when you cut him he still cuts pretty good so I'm gonna go ahead and use this feller and there's different types of okra you can plant I like to cook the spineless they don't get hardly as tough as the other what goes good with fried okra besides a fork some good old yellow squash how many y'all got some squash plants now I'm going to tell you I thought you know me and Sam loves some squash but you can see squash has took over the whole place squash multiplies faster than rabbits it does I'm fitting to find me some of them good tender yellow crookneck in here and we gonna from up we hit the jackpot shin let me put him in here with them okras now this is sort of pushing the limit on how big I like to let them get these are different than zucchinis I sort of like them about this size but I'm gonna find me one little more tender one in here there we go that's about the size I really like to eat they tender they really good well we got our squash and our okra pick let's get them washed up and I'll meet y'all at the wagon don't be some of that you I washed all this ogre really well and I let it dry really well now when you get them little pods of okra I want you to go ahead and see this little stem of this here that's on here then these little here make sure when you pull that up there to cut it that you get them behind what you cutting and you get rid of them and then I want you to cut just a little off this tip now when you cut them I like to try to keep them about a quarter of an inch pretty close to that now you can see them slice all so tender and we're gonna leave them sitting right out here because when you go to frying okra or cutting it up pardon me you need to cut it ahead of time I like to let it sweat just a little and then let it sit for about maybe two to three minutes because I think you can see this one when Shannon zooms in here they'll have some slime did you see that sort of slimy stuff in there we need to let that sort of dry out a little we've got us about four cups of this cut okra and we got it all the same size barely close because you get a better frying time more even that away so go ahead and put your cut-up okra in a little mixing bowl you'll see what I'm talking about it's got a little that sticky adhesive to it and holds up their crust and all let flavor better and we have a break in the action because Kent has got to get the butter melted what is it cow juice made into buttermilk now a lot of people gonna be doing this with eggs and buttermilk can you dip it all in there and let it soak and put it out and run it through there that's not the way we sort of done her at home most of the time we would just take a drizzling of buttermilk which is probably for about four cups of okra a little less than fourth of a cup it don't take much we're just going to make sure that everybody gets some of that buttermilk on them you ain't drowned in a minute you about 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour go ahead and run her in there we're gonna mix it all up again now that you get to this point that flier and that buttermilk will be sticking to each other really well but you want to make sure that okra gets some of that coating on it to about 3/4 cup of cornmeal now when I used to cook this on some ranches I would use that cornmeal mix that had a little baking powder and salt and everything already in it but this is just plain cornmeal we're gonna mix it right in it'll sort of dry this stuff out to where everybody is on their own and not sticking together so much we want to give it a little more pop so I like to do it this away 2 tablespoon go ahead and give it a little shake around there it's better than just pouring it all in there and that way somebody don't get some this way you're making sure everybody gets some of this well we got them all ready to go we got our finest Dutch oven got about 3 inches deep of what are we using today all peanut all good final now if you ain't got no peanut oil or you have one of them allergies to peanuts or get you any good fry all that's gonna have a great temperature to it that ain't gonna smoke because we're gonna run about 350 most of the time takes about 2 or 3 minutes for this to fry up you got to remember we're not putting big batches in there at a time that way you get a more even fry everything comes out Krissi just right you got one of these you're gonna need one because I be telling you this little trick right here will help but grease last longer without anything getting all burned up give it a good shaking and you can see how many I got in there about a half a strainer fool just dump them right in there and let the frying commence while we do the frying hopping around song but let's talk about this you see that okra sometimes you get in them restaurants you buy it it's got that big old thick coating that little piece of oak tree becomes about this big around and so when you bite into it you lost all the taste of the okra you're just getting the bready you don't have to give them a little stir in here there and yonder we're gonna pull them out we're gonna put them in something that is warm and that is a Dutch oven today but guess what the Beagle didn't bring the breed briegel the Beagle didn't bring no paper towels so we're gonna run them back through here get most of the grease off of them dump them in this and then we're gonna see this is some fine dining see how that crust is on there so many times when you go to them stores and they got all that it's just cover it all up you just got a gummy mess now you see me when I drug that out of their screen that grease off of it just a little dump her in there season right then don't wait no longer and season to your seating Sunni yes suiting that way you get it to what you want try you about after you season it mix it up a little if you don't like it needs a little more seasoning put some more on it but listen to this crunch see me pick that we're fixing to cook up to some fried squash so let's get it done while that okra is cooling off it won't take that squash alone to fry and then we're gonna have those a smorgasbord smorgasbord smorgasbord that's when you eat bored smorgasbord no not smorgy bord well folks we go we're gonna have it we're gonna have a smorgasbord for shannon we're gonna cut up that table over it where she can eat out and lookee here at this little crook neck cut that off of him right there because we don't be needing that going right out younger now you don't want to get these too thick I like to go a little less than a quarter of an inch maybe are pretty close to that these here are our crook neck on them so you have different sizes of product you do I like to keep them separate and that way they fry up at the same now these little ins will fry in one box these will fry and probably two batches cuz they're bigger we're going to start off with a cup of flour there is no cornmeal in this fellers we were going to put about maybe nearly a tablespoon of Red River Ranch original now if you don't have it you can get them Channel have your link but if you need to fry this up today just use your some salt and pepper it will work where again we're gonna go right with the two tablespoons of bacon that ain't bacon that is cornstarch and let's put these little ins in there first make sure they're all spread out you don't want them to stick together in that way nobody gets in coding so get you some in there make sure everybody is really coded well we're gonna get the old hot and we gonna fry them I like to do these the same way we dig that okra because it's gonna make your grease last longer you don't be burning that flower and the bottom so let's put them over in that sifter so this is all the little ones that we had we'll give them a little shaking get the excess off of them in the grease they go and say fry that is what I'd call a good piece of squash fried up now sure you could coat it in that buttermilk like a deed you could even dip it in milk and egg or anything like that and get you some of this right here but I like to taste the squash it's just a light breading on it that's why we made it this way it's not gonna be that great crunch you get with that okra but mmm you're gonna taste the squash we'll have to eat another one so you can see that's not got that crunch I don't like to over fry a squash so much I just want it to where it's good and tender because to me that's the flavor of that squash and just don't get no better with that combine it with the okra hey I might being really vegetarian today my hair slicked back because this is the squash and okra dance you got to be smooth but you got to have a look crispness to it right at the end cuz that's what it's about that's how I really like my squash they got the flavor of that coating on them but they still got that great texture that just right cook the squash Dez I'm not gonna eat this one cuz it's hot just like the okra when we took the squash out be sure you season too you're suiting I have fried a lot of them together you seen us do it separate over there but so many times these little oak trees might get done before these little squashes but if you want to do them together I recommend you pan fry them in a skillet with just a little bitty coating of oil and they'll get done about the same time you stir them all up together and mix them we thank y'all so much for stopping by camping whoo we are so glad we over that six hundred thousand mark and that's due to y'all y'all got that possible not me and Shan it was y'all but done it and we appreciate it hey I been a little slow in the comments but when you're getting forty five hundred of them on a video it takes me a while I want to thank y'all for keeping it positive for reinforcements but also for reaching out to each other and carrying on conversation because that's what this is about and if you got a negative comment you won't be on there long and remember what mr. Rogers said be a good neighbor share like and subscribe to the videos and share the food with everybody as usual I tip my hat the servicemen and women and all the veterans who have kept this country so safe and free and that flag flies over camp wherever I'm at I appreciate y'all and god bless you each and every one so remember it is a great day above the grass especially if it is in the garden and you're getting eat these so I'm gonna see you down the fried okra and squash trails so long sight of stargazers killing people that we was given away just recently this is one it was John Henderson the third OOP you gonna love that skillet my friend and y'all get all y'all been asking where did Marmaduke find a home well guess what folks we woke up one morning to get wrote me and Shannon letter said I will live with y'all so I guess he's stuck with us the big is a little unsure but we're gonna break them in right you'll see them in a lot of videos to come Marmaduke the wonder dogWolffe folks I found one in today's episode we gather and stuff from the garden squash and okra cornmeal flour crust you ain't gonna want to miss this I'm getting the grease hot come on I thank y'all for stopping by the garden today for another episode of cowboy cooking yep I'm Kent Rollins and ain't this garden looking good the good Lord has blessed us with some rain now for all you new viewers that are out there just joining us for the first time hey we're gonna get to that wagon but you don't want to miss any of this stuff so be sure you hit that subscribe button right off at the top and you won't miss none of these great recipes I'm gonna pick us up some squash and some okra then we're gonna head out to the wagon I'm going to show you some tips and tricks how I think it fries up best on our version of a southern traditional style to cook squash and you know now okra is sort of like looking for Easter eggs you can tell this stuff is pretty green and you've got to look hard to find it don't you Duke so let me look down in here oh that in there it's about the right size I like to try to start eating you can get them a little bigger than that can you see moving down there and just take your knife and just cut him off right there below the stem that is what I call a tender piece of okra well you can see them are pretty well uniform inside except this inner here is a little bigger than the rest now he'll still eat but he's getting a little tougher I want to just see when you cut him he still cuts pretty good so I'm gonna go ahead and use this feller and there's different types of okra you can plant I like to cook the spineless they don't get hardly as tough as the other what goes good with fried okra besides a fork some good old yellow squash how many y'all got some squash plants now I'm going to tell you I thought you know me and Sam loves some squash but you can see squash has took over the whole place squash multiplies faster than rabbits it does I'm fitting to find me some of them good tender yellow crookneck in here and we gonna from up we hit the jackpot shin let me put him in here with them okras now this is sort of pushing the limit on how big I like to let them get these are different than zucchinis I sort of like them about this size but I'm gonna find me one little more tender one in here there we go that's about the size I really like to eat they tender they really good well we got our squash and our okra pick let's get them washed up and I'll meet y'all at the wagon don't be some of that you I washed all this ogre really well and I let it dry really well now when you get them little pods of okra I want you to go ahead and see this little stem of this here that's on here then these little here make sure when you pull that up there to cut it that you get them behind what you cutting and you get rid of them and then I want you to cut just a little off this tip now when you cut them I like to try to keep them about a quarter of an inch pretty close to that now you can see them slice all so tender and we're gonna leave them sitting right out here because when you go to frying okra or cutting it up pardon me you need to cut it ahead of time I like to let it sweat just a little and then let it sit for about maybe two to three minutes because I think you can see this one when Shannon zooms in here they'll have some slime did you see that sort of slimy stuff in there we need to let that sort of dry out a little we've got us about four cups of this cut okra and we got it all the same size barely close because you get a better frying time more even that away so go ahead and put your cut-up okra in a little mixing bowl you'll see what I'm talking about it's got a little that sticky adhesive to it and holds up their crust and all let flavor better and we have a break in the action because Kent has got to get the butter melted what is it cow juice made into buttermilk now a lot of people gonna be doing this with eggs and buttermilk can you dip it all in there and let it soak and put it out and run it through there that's not the way we sort of done her at home most of the time we would just take a drizzling of buttermilk which is probably for about four cups of okra a little less than fourth of a cup it don't take much we're just going to make sure that everybody gets some of that buttermilk on them you ain't drowned in a minute you about 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour go ahead and run her in there we're gonna mix it all up again now that you get to this point that flier and that buttermilk will be sticking to each other really well but you want to make sure that okra gets some of that coating on it to about 3/4 cup of cornmeal now when I used to cook this on some ranches I would use that cornmeal mix that had a little baking powder and salt and everything already in it but this is just plain cornmeal we're gonna mix it right in it'll sort of dry this stuff out to where everybody is on their own and not sticking together so much we want to give it a little more pop so I like to do it this away 2 tablespoon go ahead and give it a little shake around there it's better than just pouring it all in there and that way somebody don't get some this way you're making sure everybody gets some of this well we got them all ready to go we got our finest Dutch oven got about 3 inches deep of what are we using today all peanut all good final now if you ain't got no peanut oil or you have one of them allergies to peanuts or get you any good fry all that's gonna have a great temperature to it that ain't gonna smoke because we're gonna run about 350 most of the time takes about 2 or 3 minutes for this to fry up you got to remember we're not putting big batches in there at a time that way you get a more even fry everything comes out Krissi just right you got one of these you're gonna need one because I be telling you this little trick right here will help but grease last longer without anything getting all burned up give it a good shaking and you can see how many I got in there about a half a strainer fool just dump them right in there and let the frying commence while we do the frying hopping around song but let's talk about this you see that okra sometimes you get in them restaurants you buy it it's got that big old thick coating that little piece of oak tree becomes about this big around and so when you bite into it you lost all the taste of the okra you're just getting the bready you don't have to give them a little stir in here there and yonder we're gonna pull them out we're gonna put them in something that is warm and that is a Dutch oven today but guess what the Beagle didn't bring the breed briegel the Beagle didn't bring no paper towels so we're gonna run them back through here get most of the grease off of them dump them in this and then we're gonna see this is some fine dining see how that crust is on there so many times when you go to them stores and they got all that it's just cover it all up you just got a gummy mess now you see me when I drug that out of their screen that grease off of it just a little dump her in there season right then don't wait no longer and season to your seating Sunni yes suiting that way you get it to what you want try you about after you season it mix it up a little if you don't like it needs a little more seasoning put some more on it but listen to this crunch see me pick that we're fixing to cook up to some fried squash so let's get it done while that okra is cooling off it won't take that squash alone to fry and then we're gonna have those a smorgasbord smorgasbord smorgasbord that's when you eat bored smorgasbord no not smorgy bord well folks we go we're gonna have it we're gonna have a smorgasbord for shannon we're gonna cut up that table over it where she can eat out and lookee here at this little crook neck cut that off of him right there because we don't be needing that going right out younger now you don't want to get these too thick I like to go a little less than a quarter of an inch maybe are pretty close to that these here are our crook neck on them so you have different sizes of product you do I like to keep them separate and that way they fry up at the same now these little ins will fry in one box these will fry and probably two batches cuz they're bigger we're going to start off with a cup of flour there is no cornmeal in this fellers we were going to put about maybe nearly a tablespoon of Red River Ranch original now if you don't have it you can get them Channel have your link but if you need to fry this up today just use your some salt and pepper it will work where again we're gonna go right with the two tablespoons of bacon that ain't bacon that is cornstarch and let's put these little ins in there first make sure they're all spread out you don't want them to stick together in that way nobody gets in coding so get you some in there make sure everybody is really coded well we're gonna get the old hot and we gonna fry them I like to do these the same way we dig that okra because it's gonna make your grease last longer you don't be burning that flower and the bottom so let's put them over in that sifter so this is all the little ones that we had we'll give them a little shaking get the excess off of them in the grease they go and say fry that is what I'd call a good piece of squash fried up now sure you could coat it in that buttermilk like a deed you could even dip it in milk and egg or anything like that and get you some of this right here but I like to taste the squash it's just a light breading on it that's why we made it this way it's not gonna be that great crunch you get with that okra but mmm you're gonna taste the squash we'll have to eat another one so you can see that's not got that crunch I don't like to over fry a squash so much I just want it to where it's good and tender because to me that's the flavor of that squash and just don't get no better with that combine it with the okra hey I might being really vegetarian today my hair slicked back because this is the squash and okra dance you got to be smooth but you got to have a look crispness to it right at the end cuz that's what it's about that's how I really like my squash they got the flavor of that coating on them but they still got that great texture that just right cook the squash Dez I'm not gonna eat this one cuz it's hot just like the okra when we took the squash out be sure you season too you're suiting I have fried a lot of them together you seen us do it separate over there but so many times these little oak trees might get done before these little squashes but if you want to do them together I recommend you pan fry them in a skillet with just a little bitty coating of oil and they'll get done about the same time you stir them all up together and mix them we thank y'all so much for stopping by camping whoo we are so glad we over that six hundred thousand mark and that's due to y'all y'all got that possible not me and Shan it was y'all but done it and we appreciate it hey I been a little slow in the comments but when you're getting forty five hundred of them on a video it takes me a while I want to thank y'all for keeping it positive for reinforcements but also for reaching out to each other and carrying on conversation because that's what this is about and if you got a negative comment you won't be on there long and remember what mr. Rogers said be a good neighbor share like and subscribe to the videos and share the food with everybody as usual I tip my hat the servicemen and women and all the veterans who have kept this country so safe and free and that flag flies over camp wherever I'm at I appreciate y'all and god bless you each and every one so remember it is a great day above the grass especially if it is in the garden and you're getting eat these so I'm gonna see you down the fried okra and squash trails so long sight of stargazers killing people that we was given away just recently this is one it was John Henderson the third OOP you gonna love that skillet my friend and y'all get all y'all been asking where did Marmaduke find a home well guess what folks we woke up one morning to get wrote me and Shannon letter said I will live with y'all so I guess he's stuck with us the big is a little unsure but we're gonna break them in right you'll see them in a lot of videos to come Marmaduke the wonder dog\n"