We love our Southern Grits. Creamy, hot, soothing, and delicious with cheese, bacon, or a simple stirring in of butter and sugar, Grits have been and continue to be the south’s ultimate comfort food.
Apparently many Southerners also see it as a dish which can actually bring out world peace! The Post and Courier, the oldest newspaper in the south, once declared “An inexpensive, simple, and thoroughly digestible food, grits should be made popular throughout the world. Given enough of it, the inhabitants of planet Earth would have nothing to fight about. A man full of grits is a man of peace.”
I consider myself fortunate to be able to get real stone ground grits where I live. Real stone ground grits are truly Southern Grits at their finest!
These are ground at Fall’s Mill in Tennessee (Pictured at right). Its a lovely place to visit! I love taking the kids there to watch the water wheel and see the grinding taking place. There are also beautiful picnic areas if you are ever near Belvidere, Tennessee!
Measure desired amount of grits into bowl.
Add some water and stir.
This causes the light bran to float to the top.
Once that happens, pour off the water, allowing the bran to go with it.
Note: sometimes I skip this step. I’m a rebel that way!
Place grits in saucepot.
Add water.
The secret to ultimately creamy Southern grits is to add more water than your directions call for and don’t try to cook them too fast.
For these, my directions called for 2 cups water but I added 2 1/2 – 2 3/4 of a cup.
Add salt
And butter or margarine
Bring to a boil and then lower heat.
Simmer on low heat, covered, until grits are done, about twenty five to thirty minutes.
Serve however you like them best! Some folks like to stir in cheese, others crumble up bacon in them. I like mine with butter and splenda!
Servings: 4
Calories: 240kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Grits
- 2 1/2 Cups water
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
Instructions
- If using stone ground grits, place them in a bowl and cover with water, stir.
- Pour off water and light bran which has floated to the top.
- Place grits in sauce pot. Add water, salt, and margarine.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
- Cook, covered, for twenty to thirty minutes or until done.
Nutrition
Calories: 240kcal
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Thank you for reading Southern Plate!
Gratefully,
Christy
My father learned a different way to cook grits from a native American. You take your dry stone ground grits and put them in a skillet (cast iron best) and toast them over low/med. low heat. It takes a few minutes before you start to see the browning take place on the bottom of the skillet but once it start stir them frequently, 10-20 minutes, until you see browned grits throughout. Don’t overdo it! You’ll smell toasted corn/popcorn. I do a whole bag and then put in a container after they cool for later use. Cook them like normal. They’ll look, smell and taste amazing, so much so you may never go back to “plain” grits! Much more flavor and more corn-like.
Oh my goodness, I am going to have to give that a try and soon!! Thank you for sharing that with us David!!!
I do love me some grits. My Daddy would cook them for us sometimes when we were kids. Thanks for “stirring” up some fond memories for me this morning.
I’m a northern boy with a southern heart – and grits have always been on my table. 50 some years ago my Iowa gramma taught me to cook grits in a way similar to yours. I stir my grits into lots of cold water until loose, then put them on the stove at a simmer. Sometimes I add a little milk at the end, and always lots of butter. We use them with milk, butter and sugar for breakfast. And leftovers are turned into cheesy grits, as a side for dinner.
🙂 I love that, northern boy with a southern heart!!! It sounds like your grandmother was a wonderful woman!!