A bright red sign outlined in neon lights screams CHICKEN as you approach Ms P’s Electric Cock, a large silver trailer on a quieter part of South Congress Avenue. As you may have guessed from the attention-getting name, Ms P’s is not a place for subtlety. It is, however, a place for really good fried chicken. Or should I say fried CHICKEN!

Owner Perry Ray (a.k.a. Ms P) was inspired to open the trailer because she didn’t feel there was a place in Austin focused on putting out great fried chicken and southern comfort side dishes. Growing up in Tahoka, TX, Ray learned how to make fried chicken from her great grandmother, who she called “Big Mama.” (Awesome-sounding nicknames appear to run in the family).

Ray says her great grandmother “was a self-taught cook and a baker and was really good at both. Since I could stand on a stool to reach the cabinets she was teaching me how to cook.”

Big Mama made her fried chicken in a cast-iron skillet, but to make larger quantities to order, Ray had to learn how to make it taste just as good in a fryer. She developed a two-step brining process and amped up the spice level of the original recipe.

I stopped by Ms P’s on a Friday night to sample the goods. Funky music blasted from the trailer’s window. Official t-shirts featured a proud rooster sporting a hip pompadour and radiating electric sparks. Slogan on the back of the t-shirt: Good Cluck’n Chicken.

The chicken earned its star billing. Juicy meat was encased in a crispy coating that tasted just-the-right-amount of spicy. A three-piece platter was served with soft rolls and topped with big fresh jalapenos that just about dared you to bite into them. The fries, called Farm Frites, had an extra jolt of flavor from an unexpected sprinkling of thyme. (more…)

Tagged: austin, chicken, Corn, Food Trailers. Food Trucks, Fried Chicken, Ms P's Electric Cock, Trailer Thursday, Waffles

Our April “Home Plates” package included “Last Meals” from Jim Lehrer (“no dessert or coffee” – with good reason), Willie Nelson, Jason Moran (who takes up for mac-and-cheese as a vegetable), Charles Butt, Karen Hughes and Governor Rick Perry (bing-cherry congealed salad with cream cheese and pecan topping – you go, Anita!).

But we actually had a few more that got left out due to space/layout constraints. Apologies to Red McCombs, T. Boone Pickens and Nolan Ryan – but we’re delighted to present their final suppers here.

Red McCombs, businessman
A boneless ribeye, cooked medium-rare; my wife Charline’s scalloped potatoes and onions; fried okra; homemade biscuits with lots of butter and honey from Briscoe Ranch, in Uvalde; pecan pie from Levi Goode Company, in Houston (pictured, left); and apple crumb pie from Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, in San Antonio.

T. Boone Pickens, entrepreneur
Johnny’s baby back ribs. Johnny Alexander worked with me for many years when I lived in Amarillo and was CEO of Mesa Petroleum. To make them:

Remove from oven and foil, reserving juice to serve with ribs later. Brown ribs on medium-hot coals until dry to the touch. Turn often to prevent burning.

Nolan Ryan, Rangers owner and team president
Garden fresh tossed salad, a small medium-rare filet, a baked sweet potato, black-eyed peas, sliced beefsteak tomatoes, and pecan pie with vanilla ice cream.

Y’all know what comes next – what would be your perfect (and perfectly gluttonous) last meal?

- Jason Cohen

Tagged: Cook Like a Texan, Fried Chicken, Nolan Ryan, Pecan Pie, Red McCombs, Ribeye, Rick Perry, T. Boone Pickens, Willie Nelson