Secret Ingredient: Sorghum Syrup

Long before corn syrup lined grocery shelves, sorghum syrup sweetened Southern kitchens. Made by crushing the stalks of the sorghum cane and boiling the juice down into a rich, amber syrup, it was once as common as molasses in pantries across the South. Farmers grew sorghum for both livestock and people, and syrup-making days often turned into community gatherings, with neighbors taking turns at the mill.Its flavor is earthy and complex; sweet like honey but with a grassy, slightly tangy edge. In vintage recipes, sorghum syrup shows up in gingerbread, cookies and pies, and it was often drizzled over biscuits or cornbread as an everyday treat. Unlike refined sugar, it carries a depth that makes even simple recipes sing.Though it faded from mainstream use in the mid-20th century, sorghum syrup is making its way back, thanks to chefs and bakers rediscovering its character. A spoonful can elevate marinades, balance barbecue sauces or replace maple syrup on pancakes. For a true vintage taste of the South, sorghum syrup is the sweetener that connects today’s kitchens to the ones that came before.

Best of the Batch: Muddy Pond Pure Sorghum Syrup

This syrup from a family-run Tennessee mill has won multiple awards from the National Sweet Sorghum Producers and Processors Association. It consistently gets rave reviews from users online for its flavor, consistency and authenticity. Purchase a pint for $28 at muddypondsorghum.com

Ways to use it

Pancakes & waffles: Use it instead of maple syrup for a deeper, earthy sweetness.

Biscuits & cornbread: Drizzle over warm buttermilk biscuits or cornbread instead of honey.

Barbecue glaze: Mix into a sauce for pork, ribs or chicken to add richness and shine.

Baked beans: Stir into beans while they simmer for a smoky-sweet kick.

Marinades & dressings: Whisk with vinegar, mustard or soy sauce for a bold balance of sweet and tangy

Roasted veggies: Brush onto carrots, sweet potatoes or Brussels sprouts before roasting.

Granola & baked goods: Use it like molasses in cookies, gingerbread or granola clusters.

Pies & cobblers: Fold into fillings for pecan pie, apple cobbler or sweet potato pie.

Ice cream topping: Drizzle over vanilla ice cream or churn into homemade batches

Candies: Use in old-fashioned pulls, brittles or pralines.

Cocktails: Shake into bourbon or rum cocktails. 

Sweet tea: Stir in for a deeper Southern sweetness.

Hot drinks: Add a spoonful to coffee, hot toddies or mulled cider.

Peanut butter sandwiches: Spread with peanut butter in place of jelly.

Yogurt or oatmeal: Drizzle on top with nuts or fruit.

Meatloaf & glazes: Brush over meatloaf or ham before baking