Southern Comfort Grits

Southern Comfort Grits is a bit of a misnomer because it doesn’t, of course, contain Southern Comfort, but rather is the most tradition dish of comfort food from the South that you’ll ever encounter! This dish combines grits, cheese, sausage & a secret ingredient at the right time to create the most perfect creamy (lump-free) grits you’ll ever eat.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not originally from the South. I’m from the Northeast and I am a BIG texture person. That is, if it doesn’t “Feel good” in my mouth, I’m not going to Put it in my mouth! I don’t slimy substances, gritty substances, or overly dry, etc. I just don’t deal well with it, but I am the kind of person that feels like you should always try something at least twice, even if you hated it the first time. I’ve tried grits a number of times, and quite frankly, they always felt “Gritty”- which I guess is about right, considering the name.

Boy was I Wrong! Grits, when cooked properly are not gritty or crunchy at all, but smooth, creamy and complete Lump Free- and Oh My, are they ever GOOD!

Like any decent recipe, there is a technique for getting them that way.. as I learned from my neighbor, Miss Deb (who, by the way, IS a True Southern Lady!).

You’ll Need:
1 c. Quick Cooking Grits (the 5-minute kind)
4 c. water (plus 1/4 c. later on)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 c. cooked diced hot sausage (or mild)
1 can Rotel-Style diced tomatoes (that is tomatoes that are mixed with green chili peppers)
4 oz of cheese (shredded cheddar or velveeta)

Put 4 cups of water and the salt in a large saucepan over medium heat and bring it to just under a boil. Now, when I say just under, you want little bubbles to be forming in the very bottom of the pan and along the sides, but I caution you, do NOT let it come to a boil BEFORE you add the grits- or they WILL be lumpy.

See- this is what it looks like just before you dump in your grits:

NOW Dump in your grits and stir. Put a cover on it, let it come to a light boil, reduce the heat to med-low and stir every 2-3 minutes. Cook for 10 minutes this way, sprinkle with the black pepper, if it’s boiling to rapidly, reduce the heat a little bit.

Cook for another 10 minutes Be sure that you are stirring every 2 minutes or so. Remove the cover and add the undrained Rotel-style diced tomatoes, and cheese, stirring well. Put the cover back on and simmer 4-5 minutes over low heat. Again, stirring every 2 minutes. Grits stick easily if they aren’t attended to.

Add up to 1/4 cup of water if you like it a little more runny and a little less thick. We like them to be creamy but easier to eat in a cup or bowl than on a plate, if that makes sense to you.

Just prior to serving sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top and serve!

Other Tips:

Do NOT Omit the salt from the water- grits will not “absorb” salt once they’re added to the water so you could potentially add 3 Tablespoons at the end and not accomplish the same flavor as you would if you added it to the water FIRST.