Can we talk about grits?

[trof]

I posted a fairly serious thread over in GD-P yesterday where I made a passing, tongue-in-cheek comment about grits.

I got a lot of responses to the thread that were on topic, but I also got several about grits.

So maybe we need a grits thread.
Like 'em?
Hate 'em?
Indifferent?
Blah?
What accoutrements do you like on/in/with 'em?
Grits casseroles.
Have YOU accepted grits as your personal savior?

If you have questions, I'll try to answer them

Tell me about you and grits.

[lizziegrace]

1. I lived in the south over 20 years

I've tried grits with bacon and cheese, milk and sugar, with butter, plain and any other way you can imagine. I just don't like them.

:shrug:

[htuttle]

5. I've tried to like grits too -- just can't

:shrug:

[trof]

10. The raison d'etre for grits is as a 'vehicle'.

It's something you put something on.
I wouldn't like a bowl of just plain unadorned grits.

[benny05]

39. I like them with Grilled Shrimp

Just like the Low Country folks do.

[havocmom]

2. cooked sand

x(

[trof]

4. Well...not QUITE that gritty.

My teeth just blanched.

[NewWaveChick1981]

3. I like grits, but only with sugar and butter on them.

:hi:

[trof]

6. You're not allowed to do that south of the Mason-Dixon line.

It's the law.

[Jamastiene]

45. Well, then, I must be an outlaw.

I've always put butter and sugar on mine and I'm from the south, born and raised.

[NewWaveChick1981]

69. That's what my mother tells me.

:P Actually, SHE is the one who started me on that. When I was a small child, the only way I would eat grits was with sugar and butter. I really liked them that way then, and I still do. Blame Mom. :rofl: And Mom is from South Carolina.

[NightWatcher]

7. Grits with fried catfish and some sweet tea

ooooooooooooooo, yummmmmm

[GenDem]

8. I lived in the South for 4 years

Grits were one thing I just couldn't wrap my mouth around. Oh, I tried them. They grow in your mouth as you chew them -- I didn't like that. Maybe I didn't cook the right. :shrug:

That was a really great post you had over in GD.

[trof]

11. Thanks. I've never had them 'grow' in my mouth.

Maybe they were too al dente?

[Maddy McCall]

15. I've never chewed them.

They just kinda slide on down...never had to chew grits.

[GenDem]

29. It was a good 25 years ago

...so my memory may be a little fuzzy. I just remember that one of my experiences was that the grits were expanding in my mouth before I swallowed. :shrug: I'm a yankee -- the only hot cereal I ever ate was oatmeal. Grits had a totally different texture for me. I would like to try them again.

I did, however, become accustomed to Okra, and tried greens and other southern fair. Loved the hush puppies! :hi:

[Shell Beau]

66. Yeah, they just kinda go down!

I prefer mine with salt, pepper, and butter!! :9

[Arkansas Granny]

26. If you have to chew grits, they've been prepared wrong. They

should be smooth, without lumps.

[Bunny]

9. I love grits - I could eat them three times/day. I eat them with butter and salt, maybe a little

jelly if I'm having a sweet tooth. I've only had them during my vacations at various southern beaches, though, so I'm not sure if I had 'authentic' grits.

[trof]

12. Grits and red-eye gravy is my favorite 'simple' recipe.

Fry up some slices of ham.
Mix a little water and coffee in the 'leavins'.
Reduce.
Pour over grits.

ham n eggs n grits n red-eye gravy n biscuits.
And some gravy on the biscuits too.

[southerncrone]

38. trof, you MUST be a true Southerner!

:hi:

[chieftain]

80. I use to have a Saturday morning class when I was in law school.

But there was a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant blocking my path to school. Many a morning, I cut class to savor a big breakfast of country ham, redeye gravy with eggs, over easy. Plus, of course, a big helping of grits to sop up the gravy. I barely got through the course but it was worth the "c" to experience authentic Southern cooking.

[Jade Fox]

13. I only want to know one thing....

What are they?

Hell, I've eaten grits and I still don't know what they are! :crazy:

On edit: I mean are they animal, mineral, or vegetable? Where do they come from?

[Shakespeare]

18. Ground-up hominy (a kind of corn). n/t

[blondeatlast]

20. Hominy; corn treated with limewater (not the fruit, the mineral).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hominy

[trof]

74. Here's how grits are made:

Hominy grits, or just plain grits, are an institution here in the South, though they can be hard to find in northern states. Hominy is made from flint or dent corn, varieties with hard kernels that are dried on the cob then removed and soaked in a solution of baking soda, lime, or wood ash. This process causes the hulls to soften and swell. The kernels are then hulled and degermed using friction, then dried. Grits, coarse whitish grains, are ground from hominy, as is masa harina, the flour used to make corn tortillas. If you really want to start from scratch, Mountain Laurel has instructions for the whole process, including making the lye solution with wood ashes.

It's interesting that the alkaline soaking process also unbinds necessary niacin in the corn, and has an effect on the protein balance.

Though the overall available protein is decreased, the relative availability of the lysine and tryptophan are increased. The alkaline process has been used for centuries where corn was a native food, but in areas where corn was introduced as a new staple, the process was not. Pellagra, a niacin and tryptophan deficiency, became common disease in areas where corn was the main source of food, as in the early South. One has to wonder how ancient civilizations discovered the process which made corn a more balanced source of nutrition.
http://southernfood.about.com/cs/gritsrecipes/a/grits_recipes.htm

[Jade Fox]

91. mmmm....tryptophan....

Thanks. That was quite interesting. I haven't had grits in years. Maybe I'll go track some down! :)

[Maddy McCall]

14. CAN'T. LIVE. WITHOUT. THEM!

Grits with butter, salt, and pepper. Two sunnyside-up eggs on the side. Cut the eggs to bust the yolk, then mix the egg with the grits.

We have grits and eggs every weekend morning. MMMMMmmmmmmm. I think that's what we'll have for dinner tonight.

[trof]

83. We call it a 'Lob-lolly' when you mix your grits in your eggs.

And the bacon or sausage too.
Chop it all up and combine.

[NightWatcher]

16. G.R.I.T.S.= Girls Raised In The South

I like mine with butter :)

[trof]

84. G.R.I.T.S. author, Deborah Ford, is speaking to our group on 4/15.

Friends of the Foley Library.
She lives nearby, in Fairhope.
Her new book is "Bless His Heart...Loving (and Living With) a Southern Man".
http://www.gritsinc.com/

[blondeatlast]

17. Love 'em! Grandparents were Southerners and they were a staple.

Little salt, little butter, fried catfish with tomato and butter sauce-mmm, mm, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[xmas74]

19. I like 'em.

I eat them for breakfast sometimes, have been known to use them as a side at mealtimes and have made casseroles w/ them.

[KG]

21. yuuu-uum yum!

that be some good eatin'

[hippywife]

22. I was raised

north of the MD line so I eat mine northern - with butter and sugar. The husband, raised in OK, likes his with butter, salt, and pepper.

In a similar vein, the one thing I've tried since moving south that I really abhor is hominy. Yuck!!

[southerncrone]

40. Grits are ground hominy.

;)

[hippywife]

70. I do know that

but I'm talking about full blown hominy that looks like a big ol' fluffy kernel of corn but tastes like, tastes like...gack!

[Jamastiene]

44. I was raised

south of the MD line and I eat mine with butter and sugar too. My whole family is from the south and that's how we like ours. I had never heard you couldn't put sugar on them in the south before. ;shrug:

[hippywife]

71. I take no end of

ribbing and some condescension down here for "eating them northern."

[KamaAina]

23. We actually had a grits scare in Hawai'i a few months ago

there was something wrong with the packaged grits at one of the Safeways. Maybe they were just old. Not a whole lot of call for those 'way out here.

I did, however, sample some at the hotel breakfast buffet in New Orleans in Jan., for the first time in quite some time. Mmmm, good, but not by themselves a sufficient reason to come back (as if I needed one!).

edit: I typed '1' for '!'. This is HUGH!!!1111!!!11!

[Orsino]

24. Love 'em.

Y'all Yankee punks who can't handle grits? More for me.

[Arkansas Granny]

25. I had never eaten grits until I moved to Arkansas. I love them.

I like mine with a little butter, salt and pepper along with fried eggs.

[NC_Nurse]

27. Love grits.

Butter, salt and pepper. Bacon and eggs.

Sugar on grits is sacrilege.

On edit: and cheese grits with cornmeal fried trout or catfish. Yum.

[Okiojira]

30. Ahhh, bullshit!

Grits ain't nothin' but southern Cream Of Wheat! Of COURSE you eat them with sugar!!}( :hi: :P

[Shakespeare]

33. Nope, two totally different kinds of corn. n/t

[trof]

87. Um...Cream of WHEAT is wheat. Grits is corn.

[idgiehkt]

99. .

:rofl:

[dropkickpa]

28. I like 'em slighty sweet

Can't be instant though.

A dash of milk (and I hate milk, but it works here), a dash of cinnamon, and a dash of brown sugar. Only a dash though, that's all that's needed.

If you like polenta, you like grits - as Alton Brown loves to point out, they are the same thing. I like both, but like the flavor variations (more on the savory side) that come in polenta recipes more than the standard grit recipes.

[MAGICBULLET]

31. I take pride in my grits

eat 'em everyday!! with a little butter, black pepper sprinkle and melted cheddar. to make 'em a little creamier add a few drops of milk.

[JitterbugPerfume]

32. I like grits with

maple syrup

cheddar cheese

sunny side up eggs with salt and fresh ground pepper


yum yum

[Duncan Grant]

34. Grits without guilt.

Scrambled eggs, home-made biscuits, thick sliced bacon, spuds, and salted grits with plenty of butter.

And a little bit of grape jelly tucked in over by the biscuit. Mmmmmmmm.

[idgiehkt]

35. I can't eat them anymore

they make my stomach hurt. I don't know what happened, I grew up on them and now I can't tolerate them for some reason. :shrug:

I miss grits. :(

[Ptah]

36. This is one of those regional things, isn't it.

I don't know what grits look like, or taste like, or what
toppings or anything else about grits.

Is there a grits-for-dummies somewhere?

:shrug:

[Kali]

103. I THINK you can get them at the Ajo Cafe.

I know I've seen them on the menu at some breakfast joint in Tucson - just can't remember right now.

[mcscajun]

37. Haven't tried 'em yet. Had an online acquaintance once who tried turning me onto "Power Grits"

as she called 'em.

I remember her mentioning onions, bacon, cheese, and what-all. Don't know how far it went, but it sounded worth trying. Wish I could find that recipe she sent me. :shrug:

[mike_c]

41. I grew up on grits and I love them....

Hard to find them here in Norcal but I have family still in Georgia so I can get them whenever I run out. Personally, I like yellow grits best, and eat them with salt, pepper, and butter. For a real treat, I make them with cheddar cheese and top with fried eggs.

on edit- BTW, I once had a student with a ball cap that said "GRITS: Girls Raised in The South."

[u4ic]

42. I've tried it a couple of times

It didn't do anything for me. :shrug:

[Xipe Totec]

47. Try hominy

in Mexican menudo.

The only way to eat the stuff.

Trust me...

Well... at least, trust my avatar who symbolically represents hominy; the conrn seed after the skin has been removed...

[QMPMom]

52. I want some hominy now. Dang. It's either a trip home or

a Care Package from the parents. Seriously. I want home cooking. NOW.

[Xipe Totec]

57. Have you ever had Pozole?

pozolli is a traditional pre-Columbian soup or stew made from hominy, with pork (or other meat), chile, and other seasonings and garnish, such as cabbage, lettuce, oregano, cilantro, avocado, radish, lime juice, etc. There are a number of variations on pozole, including blanco (white or clear), verde (green), de frijol (with beans), and elopozole.

The story of pozole is obscure, but some believe that the stew originated with the natives of Tonalá, Jalisco. After the arrival of the conquistadores, Tonalá’s legendary queen Cihualpilli threw a banquet in their honor and pozole was served. After the priests found out the secret behind the recipe (human flesh), a decision was made to change the human flesh for pig's. Pozole spread throughout New Spain with variations in different regions according to local tastes.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pozole

[Kali]

104. that OTHER white meat

love pork based pozole, in New Mexico and on the Navajo rez it's all mutton:puke:

[u4ic]

94. Pierogies or holubchi ain't comfort food for ya?

:7

[QMPMom]

98. Pierogies, Holubchi and Nalyshnyky are wonderful

comfort foods! But I'd never eaten them until I was 28 years old! LOL! I mourned the arson burning down of the Pyrogy House.

[u4ic]

61. You want me to eat tripe???!?

:puke:

No offense - thanks, but no thanks.



I'm not much of a grain person, anyway. My system doesn't like them too much...

[Xipe Totec]

92. Wassamara, ain't got the stomach for it?

And here I thought you were a gutsy lady!

:rofl:

[u4ic]

96. I've got enough of my own guts

that I don't need to eat anyone else's! :P

[southerncrone]

43. Grits are definitely a Southern dish. I think the reason lots of people

don't like them is the "name" is just not an appetizing word. Sounds like sandpaper shavings. If perhaps they were call "grins" there would be a positive, psychological association made immediately.

For those who have not tried them yet, think of them as "grins" when you do try them. See what you think.

I love grits. Suppose you can put sugar on them, but in South generally they are enhanced w/some type of fat, like bacon, butter, cheese. (Y'all know we LOOOOVE our fat in the South! Cholesterol, be damned!)

Try 'em, you just might like 'em.
:9

[Jamastiene]

46. FOOD FIGHT!!!

I like grits. We always put butter and sugar on them and sometimes we add cheese and eggs as well. I don't like plain salted grits with no sugar in them. And guess what? I was born in the south, raised in the south, and still live in the south, so I don't know of any sacrilege of adding sugar to them. This is honestly the first I have ever heard of that.

[QMPMom]

48. I love grits. I wish I could find them easily here.

I think it's time for my parents to send a Care Package to me.

[CBHagman]

49. I once tried to explain grits to the nuns at school.

I was in the first grade and the nuns asked what we ate for breakfast. I said, "Grits." "Ritz crackers?" "No, grits." I finally had to bring the box in to show them (We used the Quaker Oats brand).

By the way, I am not a Southerner, and neither were my parents.

[MadMaddie]

50. My dad makes Salmon and Grits..

He's from Charleston..

Can of Salmon, an onion, fried bacon some water, salt and pepper and the majic southern ingredient just a touch of suger....

Ladle the Salmon over the grits and yummmy....he makes it special for me when go home to visit....

mmmmmm

[LSK]

51. I have never had grits and dont know what they are

[CBHagman]

53. Look here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grits

[LSK]

54. so its like some creamy something?

[QMPMom]

56. Yeah, it's kinda like a coarser white and creamy polenta. There *is* a

difference between grits and polenta but I really can't adequately explain it.

[trof]

88. Polenta is finer ground than grits.

Otherwise, sam 'ting.

[Cabcere]

55. Mmmm, grits.

:9 Love 'em - especially with butter or cheese. Sugar on grits weirds me out a little - that's what oatmeal's for, folks! ;) (I kid, I kid.) I also had stone-ground grit cakes at a nice restaurant once...those were quite good as well.

Dammit, now I want some grits! :mad: :rofl:

[stanwyck]

58. Here's the easy way to cook grits

get out your slow cooker before you go to bed. Pour in 4 cups of water, a teaspoon of salt, and one cup of grits. Cook overnight on the low setting. Ready when you get up. And, if you're decadent, you can add cheddar cheese, butter, and eggs and then bake. Perfect for a brunch.

[catzies]

60. Thank you very much! I am SO doing that tomorrow night! I LOVE grits!!!

:applause: Thank you very much!

[stanwyck]

65. A couple of tips

lightly grease the inside of your crock pot or cleanup will be difficult. And check the grits as soon as you wake up...crock pots cook differently. Your crock pot might only need 4-5 hrs. You can follow the recipe on the grits package for the cheese grits casserole after your grits are cooked. (I use Jim Dandy grits).

[izzybeans]

59. I'd rather inhale chalk dust.

The taste is the same, with or with out accoutrements.

I did however watch a Spike Lee produced mockmentary called the Confederate States of America about what would have happened had the south won the war. After the CSA colonized latin and south america they forced all "southern americans" to eat grits and sausage every morning at the boarding schools. The Confederate State of Mexico had it especially hard. The only thing worse then the grits were the force feeding of chitterlings to young Mexican boarding school students. The grits and the chitlins' caused many to run away to freedom. ;)

The mockumentary was pretty damn funny and inspiration for some good discussion.

[Redstone]

62. NOT the quick kind. The REAL kind. But with cheese, please.

Redstone

[Saphire]

63. some like em' sweet, I like mine salty.

[Scarlett17]

64. Love 'em

With butter and sugar or cheese grits fried into patties. Yum!

:9

[stuntcat]

67. I heart grits

they make me feel homey, remind me of my Gramma :)
I had them this morning actually, cheesy slow-cooked!

[NMDemDist2]

68. I love em with lots of black pepper, butter and cheese

my favorite hangover cure was a very soft fried egg cut into grits with the above ingredients

I think grits get a bad name cuz very few restaurants prepare them properly

now my hubby LOVES hominy and I'm indifferent to the point of avoidance of them (i did get a good "Taco Soup" recipe that uses them recently however) but he won't eat grits at all

[WilliamPitt]

72. Grits - my Alabama grandmother

Memaw we called her, who made astonishingly good fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, and was the only person I've personally known who could cook okra without having to deal with slime, and who didn't do the stew. Fried okra...mmmmm...

And grits, with butter melting in the middle, next to some eggs and biscuits with gravy and spiced ham and about a billion calories of love.

I adore grits. They are, to me, Decatur, Alabama, and Memaw.

We have grits in Boston, but up here, we call them "oatmeal" or something. I dunno.

[VelmaD]

79. I believe I once asked you to marry me...

on a thread about okra. :)

My momma makes the best fried okra in the whole wide world. *drooooooool*

Your memaw sounds like a neat person. I know I sure miss mine.

[trof]

85. Oh god. You had a 'Memaw'? Now THAT'S Southern!

Memaw and Pawpaw.

[BikeWriter]

73. Grits are a better religion than most!

:shrug:

[DrDan]

75. I just finished some grits

stone-ground

I like them with butter and fresh-ground pepper

[bamademo]

76. Shrimp and Grits

4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1 cup stone-ground grits
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 large clove garlic, minced

Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.
Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. In grease, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.

Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Add shrimp mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.

[BarenakedLady]

77. Never tried 'em.

I haven't had many opportunities in New England or WNY. :shrug:

[Lil Missy]

78. I saw your other thread, and I LOVE grits. but .....

I GOTTA have cream and sugar on mine!

[DinahMoeHum]

81. I like 'em sweet, with a little molasses or sorghum or honey. . .

when I travel to a Southern destination, I try to get 'em at breakfast.

:9 :9

[trof]

86. OK, 'lasses on grits IS allowed.

Some Southerners do that.

[lost-in-nj]

82. Well I like 'em

Throw on some of that heart clogging country gravey and I am set to go!



lost

[MilesColtrane]

89. Breakfast of Champions

Big bowl of grits
2 soft boiled eggs
generous dab of butter
pepper to taste

combine ingredients

serve with a slice of whole wheat toast and a glass of fresh orange juice

Mmmmmmmmmm

[Phentex]

95. ah yes!

My kind o' breakfast. This morning I just had the grits with butter and cheese. Mmmmmm....

:hi:

[Bzzzz]

90. Sorry...hate them

:puke: Was made to eat them when I was a child.

[ForrestGump]

93. Bleh...wallpaper paste

Admittedly, when I first visited the South I bought myself a bag of grits and just boiled the stuff up...I did not know that they take on the flavor of whatever you put in them (this, to me, seemed to make grits kind of a pointless food item) and the sparrows ended up finishing the bag for me. I found grits to be a total gustatory non-event. Later, when I lived in the South (for eight years -- I think it was the longest I've lived in one location my entire life) there were two food items I would not order, more than once raising eyebrows: grits and 'sweet tea.'

I did have a taste of grits and salmon at one of the nouvelle-southern restaurants in my town, and that was good, but I still see grits as a waste of chewing effort. Sure, it may provide bulk that's useful to stretch out a meal and a stomach, but stuff like oatmeal and other cereal does the same but actually has innate flavor.

Now, G.R.I.T.S are another matter entirely... :loveya:

[SPKrazy]

97. Cheezy grits are best

not a big fan at all, but that is the way i'd recommend them

don't like them sweet

:shrug:

[chaska]

100. Fried grits - AWESOME! More below...

Real easy to make too. Next time you have leftover grits, spread them out on a plate to cool (~3/8" thick). into the fridge till good and cold. Slice into conveniently shaped pieces. Then dredge in flour and fry over medium heat till brown and crunchy. Serve hot as a finger food. Topped with some good spaghetti sauce - can't beat it with a stick! Very fattening though.

[Swede]

107. That sounds tasty.

Thanks.

[flamingyouth]

101. We love them.

We had some this week with white cheddar and a spicy tomato sauce on top. Yum. :9

[Kali]

102. can't get past the fact that they look like cream of wheat and I associate that

with sweet breakfast cereal. I love whole hominy, either with a little bacon grease and lots of pepper or as posole stew (pork only - I don't do mutton)

[jmowreader]

105. I comPLETELY destroyed a Southern girl at Fort Devens

Her parents disowned her. She's in the Hall of Shame at her high school. None of her former friends will talk to her anymore.

How I did it: When I went to basic at Fort Dix, they served grits in the mess hall. It's Army Regulation--or if it's not it may as well be; I musta eaten in 300 mess halls worldwide and the only ones that didn't serve grits belonged to the Soviet Army. ( Very, very long story...)

I spent my entire life in the northwest. I don't know what the fuck grits are. I thought it was cream of wheat. I like cream of wheat, so I did the only logical thing an 18-year-old northwesterner would do: got a bowl of this food product, added half a glass of milk and put sugar on it. I have no idea why all these people with funny accents are staring at me so strangely.

After two months of Fort Dix' fine cuisine, I got sent to Fort Devens, Mass., to learn to tap phones. I continued to eat this unique food product that wasn't quite cream of wheat but since this is the east coast maybe it's ground coarser, y'know?

Anyway, the cute Southern girl that everyone liked decided to sit at my table at breakfast, when I was eating this eastern cream of wheat. "What did you do to your grits?" Oh...so THAT's what grits are. She tried it. She liked it. She shortly defected from the theory that grits must be eaten with salt, pepper and butter and started putting milk and sugar on them herself.

And now they won't let her back in the South. I shoulda married her and taken her up north where no one ever claimed to take pride in their cream of wheat.

[trof]

106. Ya bastid. Ya deflowered the flower of Southern Womanhood

and then ABANDONED her.
Ah'm callin' you OUT, suh.