Ask the Chef: How to Elevate Grits for Any Meal

Ask the chef

Question

Dear chef, as a Lowcountry resident, I love grits. I sometimes do instant grits for breakfast, but I would love to elevate them and even make them for dinner sometimes. How do you make grits for different meals?

Answer

“We use stone-ground grits, filtered water and a pinch of salt for breakfast grits. Boil the water first, then add the grits. We use about four cups of water to one cup of grits. Stir, stir, stir and simmer for about 20 minutes. (No true grits lover likes instant grits!) You do not want them to be runny. This is a good time if you want to add anything (cream, cheese, chicken base, etc.). Those things make really nice dinner grits. Grits are obviously good with breakfast, but they make a great side dish for dinner with a little cheese and chicken base. They go great with shrimp and pork chops. Add a little country ham and some fresh thyme on the side, and you have an amazing treat.” 

– Leslie Stewart, Palmetto Bay Sunrise Café

The truth about grits (and the legend of the grit tree) 

Where do grits come from, anyway? Stewart explains: “Grits are made from hominy. Yellow grits come from yellow corn. People eat all types of things on their grits … butter, sugar, salt, pepper – I’ve seen syrup and jelly and even ketchup (yuck!). When someone comes in and asks where grits come from, before I tell them the truth, I tell them what Phil Henry used to say (God rest his soul). He would say they are the little white fruit that grows on a grit tree. When the season peaks, you wrap a burlap sack around the tree’s base and shake all the fruit off. People actually believe that!”