Grits 101

This was sent to me by my friend Jane Bruce who is a Southerner to her heart's core. She didn't know the original source of this piece, but I knew that it had to be shared with readers of Bear Cuisine.

What Are Grits?
      

      

Nobody  knows.  Some folks believe grits are grown on bushes and are harvested by midgets by shaking the bushes after spreading sheets around  them.  Many people feel that grits are made from ground up bits of 
white corn.

 These  are obviously lies spread by communists and terrorists.  Nothing as  good as Grits can be made from corn.  The most recent research suggests that the mysterious manna that God rained down upon the Israelites during their time in the Sinai Desert was most likely  Grits.  Critics disagree, stating that there is no record of biscuits, butter, salt, and red eye gravy raining down from the sky, and that God would not punish his people by forcing them to eat Grits without  these key ingredients. 

How Grits are Formed 

Grits are formed deep underground under intense heat and pressure.  It takes over 1,000 years to form a single Grit.  Most of the world's grit mines are in South Carolina, and are guarded day and night by armed guards and pit bull dogs.  Harvesting the Grit is a dangerous occupation, and many Grit miners lose their lives each year so that Grits can continue to be served morning after morning for breakfast (not that having Grits for lunch and dinner is out of the question). 
      

Yankees have attempted to  create synthetic Grits.  They call it Cream of Wheat.  As far as we can tell, the key ingredients of Cream of Wheat are Elmer's Glue and shredded Styrofoam.  These synthetic grits have also  been shown to cause nausea.

Historical  Grits 

As we mentioned earlier, the  first known mention of Grits was by the Ancient Israelites in the Sinai Desert.  After that, Grits were not heard from for another 1000 years. Experts feel that Grits were used during this time only  during secret religious ceremonies, and were kept from the public due to their rarity.

The next mention of Grits was found amidst the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii in a woman's personal diary.  The woman's name was  Herculaneum Jemimaneus (Aunt Jemima to her friends.) 
      

The  10 Commandments of Grits 
I.      Thou shalt not put syrup on thy Grits. 
II.     Thou shalt not eat thy Grits with a spoon or knife. 
III.    Thou shalt not eat Cream of Wheat and call it Grits, for this is blasphemy .
IV.     Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's Grits. 
V.     Thou shalt use only salt, butter, and red-eye gravy as toppings for thy Grits.
VI    Thou shalt not eat Instant Grits. 
VII.  Thou shalt not put ketchup on thy Grits.
VIII.  Thou shalt not put margarine on thy Grits. 
IX.    Thou shalt not eat toast with thy Grits, only biscuits made from scratch. 
X.    Thou shalt eat grits on the Sabbath for this is manna from heaven. 
      

How  to Cook Grits 
For one serving of Grits: 
Boil 1.5 cups of water with salt and a little butter. [Use milk and they are creamier!)
Add 5 TBsp of Grits. 
Reduce to a  simmer and allow the Grits to soak up all the water. 
When a pencil stuck into the grits stands alone, it is done.  That's all there is to cooking grits.
 

How to make red eye gravy 
Fry salt cured country ham in cast iron pan.  Remove the ham when done and add coffee to the gravy and simmer for several minutes.  Great on grits and biscuits.

How  to Eat Grits 
Immediately after removing your grits from the stove top, add a generous portion of 
butter or red eye gravy. (WARNING:  Do NOT use low-fat butter.) The butter should cause the Grits to turn a wondrous shade of yellow.   (Hold a banana or a yellow rain slicker next to your Grits; if the colors match, you have the correct amount of butter.)

In lieu of butter, pour a generous helping of red eye gravy on your grits.   Be sure to pour enough to have some left for sopping up with your biscuits.  Never, ever substitute canned or store bought biscuits for the real thing because they cause cancer, rotten teeth ----

Next, add salt.  (NOTICE:  The correct ration of Grit to Salt is 10:1  Therefore for every 10 grits, you should have 1 grain of salt.) 
      

Now begin eating your grits.  Always use a fork, never a spoon, to eat Grits.  Your grits should be thick enough so they do not run through the tines of the fork.

The  correct beverage to serve with Grits is black coffee.   DO NOT use cream or, heaven forbid, Skim Milk.)

Your  grits should never be eaten in a bowl because Yankees will think its Cream 
of Wheat. 

Ways to Eat Leftover Grits 
      
(Leftover grits are extremely rare.)   Spread them in the bottom of  a casserole dish, 
Cover and place them in the refrigerator overnight. 
      
The Grits will congeal into a gelatinous mass.
Next morning, slice the Grits into squares and fry them in 1/2" of cooking oil and butter until they turn a golden brown.   Many people are tempted to pour syrup onto Grits served this way.  This is, of course,  unacceptable.

(Note:  Slices can also be dipped into beaten egg and fried.)

IRISH BLESSING BEFORE EATING  GRITS: 
      

May the lord bless these grits, 
      
May no Yankee ever get the recipe, 
      
May I eat grits every day while living, 
      
And may I die while eating grits.  
AMEN

 

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