I grew up in Charleston, SC, so grits have always been a key part of my diet. If you are looking for a healthy recipe, exit this post immediately. These have a ton of heavy cream, cheese, and butter! I make these all the time, but it's taken me so long to post the recipe because this recipe is basically muscle memory. I had to actually take the time to write down the recipe! Shrimp & Grits is my favorite thing to make. Similar to my problem with this recipe, the making Shrimp & Grits is basically muscle memory. One of these days I will remember to write everything down!
Gullah Geechee food was also a staple of my upbringing. Southern food as we know it would not exist without Gullah Geechee roots. The cookbook Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett is not only a cookbook, but also has an entire chapter dedicated to the history of the Gullah Geechee people.
Fundamentals of Grits
What are grits, even? They're basically just ground corn!
Grits should be thick. Can you eat them with a fork? No? They're too thin/watery.
Cooking Liquids for Grits
Grits cook with a 4:1 liquid:grits ratio. You can use water, chicken or vegetable stock, heavy cream, milk, or combinations thereof. My go-to is 50% chicken or vegetable stock and 50% heavy cream. I only use 100% water as a last resort because it does not produce grits that are as flavorful or creamy as the other options.
Types of Grits
I have ranked these in order from my favorite to least favorite.
Stone-ground grits: Stone-ground grits are are coarse and, as a result, tend to make nice creamy grits. Stone-ground grits are the least processed of the various types of grits, meaning they also retain more nutritional value and flavor. These are what I usually refer to as "real" grits or "legit" grits. Two downsides of stone-ground grits is that they can be hard to find in certain geographic locations and they take the longest to cook (but I think the long cooking time is worth it!)
Quick grits: Quick grits are in between a stone-ground and instant. I use these when I don't have stone-ground on-hand because they are easy to find in the grocery store in most areas. They are not as course as stone-ground, but they do cook faster.
Instant grits: These are a no for me. The format is usually a "just add hot water" situation, which isn't compatible with how I usually cook grits. A lot of these just end up too runny and flavorless.
A common question is the difference between grits and polenta. Food Network explains that here.
Storing and Reheating Grits
I make grits often as part of lunch I take to work. I'll usually make a batch to last four days. They keep well in the fridge and generally reheat well in the microwave.
Cover when microwaving because they will splatter a good bit. Microwave and stir in 1 minute increments until they're sufficiently warm.
Creamy Cheddar Grits
Equipment
- Medium-large pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup grits stone-ground or quick (no instant)
- 2 cups heavy cream OK to sub with milk (2% or whole recommended)
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock OK to sub water in a pinch
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Combine heavy cream, stock, salt, and pepper in a medium-large pot on the stove. Bring to a boil. (Watch closely because you don't want the cream to burn.)2 cups heavy cream, 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock, 1½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Whisk in grits.1 cup grits
- Reduce heat to low. Grits should reduce to a light simmer.
- Continue cooking, whisking often, until grits thicken. This will take anywhere from 20-60 minutes depending on the type of grits and size of the pot
- Remove grits from heat. Whisk in butter and cheddar cheese.2 tablespoon butter, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Notes
