One thing to know about Southern cooking is you can tell where someone is from by how they eat their grits. I don't know all the variations or exactly which areas are what, but there's butter & salt, cheese (usually cheddar), red eye gravy (the pan drippings have you cooked your ham, maybe with some coffee cooked in), whole hominy added, and if you're from Kentucky or the North... well, they like it sweet with sugar.
What are grits? Well, the word comes from the Scottish "groats", pronounced the same way as "grits" with a Scottish accent, and is a porridge of ground corn (maize) or "corn meal mush", usually but not always hominy. Hominy is nixtamalized dent, flint, or "Indian" corn, which is the harder, starchy predecessor of the grilling companion sweet corn. Nixtamalization, mixing with limewater, lye, or soda ash to remove the hard outer layer, is necessary for nutritional development. I could try to link other sources, but the WikiPedia article is actually pretty good.
The grits my grandparents always got while I was growing up were coarse ground white grits from Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. They're not milled there anymore, as I understand it, though they sell grits milled for them. There are sources for the same style available to order from mills across the US. I recommend coarse ground white grits, and for any recipe involving grits where they are the star of the dish. This isn't just for nostalgia reasons, but because it has a better texture, and a toothier bite. There are a variety of grits, though, such as popcorn grits (ground popcorn - it won't pop when you cook it), yellow grits, quick grits, and instant grits. Read the directions on the package for the latter 2 options.
Grits may also be cooked ahead of time to be used later. They will be mushier the second time around, but no less good taste-wise, and reheat in the microwave with no need to add more water.
HOW TO COOK GRITS
4:1 ratio by volume of water and grits (e.g. 4 cups water to 1 cup grits uncooked)
Salt to taste
In an adequate size saucepan combine water, grits, and some salt (careful not to over salt) and bring to a gentle boil. Quickly turn down the heat and simmer until grains are tender, about 1 hour. Add more salt if needed to taste. May be cooked longer if a thicker mush is desired. May be served in a bowl if thin or medium thickness, or on a plate if it will mostly hold its shape.
While regional topping and mix-in methods are listed above, you can add to it whatever you like. I have gotten a butter:salt:grits ratio right before that tasted like popcorn, though a much different texture. Butter, salt, and sharp cheddar were how my grandparents ate it for breakfast, and I tend to when I cook them. My grandmother's Garlic Grits recipe is on here, and they're fantastic. Even if you're a Yankee who puts sugar on them, well, I guess that's okay, too. ;) Use grits like polenta or rice for a different texture and slightly different flavor. For a good side with lunch or dinner, mix in some cream cheese. I had them that way once at a café in Louisville, KY that I can't seem to find anymore. Delicious.
This blog is documentation of my late grandmother's handwritten recipes, as well as recipes I've come across or made up. There are no photos or images as my grandmother's recipe book didn't have any, except for ones she clipped from magazines, for example.
These recipes are free for all to use. Please enjoy them by yourself, with friends, with family, feeding the hungry, or in whatever way you wish.
God bless you all.
