If you can remember the show that made that line famous, then you are as well-seasoned as I am, sweetie! (God bless Flo and her hair.) If not, here’s a quick tutorial:
Grits and BBQ are like PB and J — just meant to go together. And, aside from some pretty constant stirring, they are easy to make. (Just sip a cocktail with the other hand and call it your workout for the day, like I do.) When I am cooking Italian (or eye-TOWEL-yun, as my grandma used to say,) I like to refer to it as polenta. Either way, there are only two things that make a big difference — your corn grits and your add-ins. Around here, we like to use Bob’s Red Mill Corn Grits-Polenta. For add-ins, I always start with cheese and go from there. While I make a really fancy version sometimes that has roasted butternut squash, thyme, and pine nuts, I figured we would start with a slight twist on Alton Brown’s recipe:
Adapted (very slightly) from
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces Applewood smoked goat cheddar, shredded
Directions
Place the milk, water, and salt into a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once the milk mixture comes to a boil, gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once all of the cornmeal has been incorporated, decrease the heat to low and cover. Remove lid and whisk frequently, every 3 to 4 minutes, to prevent grits from sticking or forming lumps; make sure to get into corners of pot when whisking. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is creamy.
You can use a whisk but I prefer an old-fashioned, wooden spoon
Remove from the heat, add the pepper and butter, and whisk to combine. Once the butter is melted, gradually whisk in the cheese a little at a time. Serve immediately.
The original recipe calls for shredded cheddar but feel free to experiment with all kinds of cheeses. The smoked goat cheddar my hubby picked up for this version pairs nicely with BBQ (smoky) and the goat’s milk cuts through with some bite. Plus, given how cheap the rest of the ingredients are, you can afford to splurge a little on some quality stuff.
We found this gem in the fancy cheese section at Whole Foods and it was worth every penny
And, after all of that stirring, you get to eat a plate of goodness that looks like this…
This was my “tasting plate” before dinner. I won’t tell you how much I ate but, in my defense, it was sinfully delicious.
So, tease up your hair a bit sometime soon, get some good gum-smacking going on, and make you some grits that folks would be proud to kiss.
Zen of BBQ 