Why It Works
- A higher 5:1 ratio by volume of water to grits ensures they cook through fully with no stubborn, hard bits.
- The recommended stone-ground grits offer the best flavor and texture, particularly when compared to grits made with commercial varieties with a more consistent grind.
- Covering the pot in between frequent stirrings keeps splattering contained and minimizes skin formation on the surface.
As a daughter raised in the South, I consider grits a much a part of my lifeblood as camouflage, dessert tea, and salt water. I ’ ve feed more than my weight in fudge cornmeal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as a side or chief. relatively cheap, quick, and accessible, grits are the perfect base for a meal that ‘ll stick to your ribs and keep you feeling full throughout the day. Most people are either ardent fans or they absolutely despise grits, but what that truly means to me is that many haven ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate had a adept batch .
Most people have only eaten quick-cooked box grits, possibly at a diner or a family member ‘s firm. Those grits were probably characterless and tasted a moment like cardboard, topped with a pat of butter that muddied the corn relish, which in any case was lost amid the heavy breakfast they were probably served aboard. very few people—including many Southerners who have consumed countless lawn bowling of it—have always had grits made from full quality corn, simmered broken and dense, stirred with love and retainer until they formed a satiny porridge ; sweet, nutty, and creamy, they take what seems like an stallion dawn to cook. These are the grits my grandma speaks so fondly of, and the ones I want to show you how to make here.
Reading: How to Make Grits Recipe
A brief History of Grits in America
Grits are one of the first true american foods. According to Deep South Magazine, the Muscogee autochthonal peoples were among the first-known makers of what we today call grits, pounding or grinding dried corn with stones to create a coarse cornmeal and then cooking it into a soup or porridge called safke. ( They besides added lye to the safke as it cooked, effectively nixtamalizing it like hominy, which removed the bran and improved the corn whiskey ‘s digestibility and nutritional value ; this is probably how the word “ hominy ” got attached to grits, even if most grits nowadays are not made from nixtamalized corn whiskey. )
When colonizers arrived in the 1600s, they were introduced to native corn and its many preparations, including grits. Grits would become a staple in the Southern colonies, forming what ’ mho now known as the “ grits swath, ” running from Texas to Washington, DC, where most of the country ’ sulfur grits are sold .
Like making a pot of perfectly cooked flannel rice, cooking grits that are grandmother-approved can seem like a daunting job. Common issues normally run the gamut, from the grits being excessively fluid and under-seasoned to the grits becoming excessively dry, compact, and/or wide of undercooked clumps. Too much, ailing made grits are hidden behind copious amounts of cream and cheese, and then smothered under sauces, spices, and other intensely flavorful toppings. To truly appreciate grits, all you in truth need are a few basic ingredients ( salt, butter, water system, and quality grits ) and some estimable technique .
Choosing the Best Grits
For a sincerely exceptional pot of grits, we recommend stone-ground grits like the ones from Southern Queen Foods. While we used stone-ground grits in some of our recipe screen, this recipe will work with the grits from most other mills and brands. The chief exceptions are instant and quick grits, which are quick-cooking appliance products that require less water ; those products should be made using the software directions .
Stone-ground grits are made from whole kernel corn that ’ south been pulverized in a stone mill to produce a more complex texture ranging from larger bits down to a fine powderize. They besides have a shorter ledge life sentence due to the inclusion of the corn ‘s bran, which contains oils that will go rancid over time. The ledge life of these grits can be extended by storing them in a cool, dry place, preferably the electric refrigerator or, for longer storage of more than a month, the deep-freeze .
Proper Grits Technique
Cooking grits is a lot like cooking polenta. You want to use a high adequate volume of urine relative to the quantity of grits to guarantee that even the largest bits of dried corn will in full hydrate and soften. At home, I ‘ll frequently start with a 4:1 proportion by volume of water to grits, and if the grits are n’t amply cooked through by the time they ‘ve thickened, I ‘ll add more water, bumping the ratio up to 5:1. In the adopt recipe, I ‘ve set the ratio from the startle at 5:1, since there ‘s no harm in starting with a little more water ( bad case, you have to cook it for a few more minutes to thicken up ). This will guarantee—even for a sum grits novice—a pot that cooks up satiny and creamy.
I besides like to cook my grits covered, lifting the lid every few minutes to thoroughly whisk and bustle and scratch to prevent lumps from forming and the bottom from scorching. The hat traps steamer, which reduces the chances a lump-causing skin will form on clear, and it will besides contain any pops of scalding grits from flying out of the potentiometer, which can happen as the porridge grows compact .
Deciding when your grits are done is a personal choice, and will determine your total cook prison term. Some people like their grits more on the fluid side with a little game texture hush remaining, others want them creamy and thick but flowing, while some want them so stiff they ‘re able to hold their shape when dolloped. Feel free to cook your grits to whichever point you want ( though note that once your grits are in full hydrated, you ‘ll be able to thicken them up more cursorily if you take the lid off to let steam escape ) .
Serving Grits
There are many ways to serve grits beyond this humiliate recipe. Shrimp and grits is a classic pair, and there are a million and one ways to change that recipe : add cancer, lobster, spiny lobster, oysters, or any early seafood you like. You can besides serve them with a smothering sauce with chicken or joker, or with a rich people crimson wine–braised slice of gripe .
Of course, they are the perfect side for your breakfast plate of eggs, bacon, and toast, but you can besides change it up by adding salmon or corned beef hashish ( my favorites ). You can let the grits cool and fry them into grit cakes, which make a great appetizer or meal. Adding cheese, bacon, green onion, sausage, and whatever else you may have in your kitchen cabinets or refrigerator is always a good means to go a well, as grits can complement most things. The one thing you will never find on the table with my grits, however, is carbohydrate. Please, leave that to oatmeal and early porridges .
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