Garden & Gun recently posted a “Southern Chefs in the Hot Seat” video, asking a few of the South’s big names about their personal food preferences and habits. It ends with a lightning round of difficult decisions, making the chefs choose between bourbon and beer, BBQ and fried chicken, and lastly, biscuits and cornbread.
Biscuits or cornbread? Damn. That’s a tough one. Pit Master Sam Jones sums up my sentiments, likening the decision to “choosing between your wife and your mama.”
Today* I’m picking cornbread. Loaded cornbread. What makes this particular cornbread a winner? Beer and bacon fat. Bacon Cheddar Beer Cornbread is full of shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, green onions, and beer (India Pale Ale, to be exact). It’s not traditional Southern cornbread, but it’s irresistible nonetheless.
Bacon Cheddar Beer Cornbread doesn’t even require chili, BBQ, or Thanksgiving dinner (although it would perfectly accompany such meals). It’s a meal in itself. Slather some butter on top and dive right in.
*Put a plate of fresh buttermilk biscuits in front of me, and I’ll immediately recant. Please don’t ever make me choose between cornbread and biscuits. It’s torture.
- 12 slices bacon
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup India Pale Ale (or beer of your choice)
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup reserved bacon fat
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
- Cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Place the cooked bacon on a paper-towel lined plate or wire rack to cool. Once cool, crumble the bacon. Reserve the rendered fat.
- Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, beer, and buttermilk. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients along with the bacon fat, and stir to combine. Add the crumbled bacon, cheese, and green onions, mixing just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The cornbread is best if served warm.
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