Cast Iron Cornbread
Southern-style cast iron cornbread with canned corn worked two ways: half blended into the batter for deep corn flavor throughout, half folded in whole for texture. Screaming hot cast iron gives a crispy fried bottom crust.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cupscoarse cornmeal
- 1/2 cupall-purpose flour
- 1 tbspbaking powder
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tbspsugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cupbuttermilk (or 1 cup regular milk plus 1 tbsp vinegar, let sit 5 minutes)
- 4 tbspbutter (melted, plus 1 extra tbsp for the hot pan)
- 1 cancorn kernels (drained — blend half smooth, keep half whole)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 200C / 400F with the cast iron skillet inside on the oven rack. The pan needs to get screaming hot before the batter goes in.
- 2
Drain the canned corn. Place half in a blender or use an immersion blender to blend it smooth. Set the other half aside whole.
- 3
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl: cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- 4
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and the blended corn until combined.
- 5
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Do not overwork it — lumps are fine.
- 6
Fold in the whole corn kernels gently.
- 7
Pull the screaming hot cast iron out of the oven. Add 1 tablespoon of butter — it should smoke and sizzle immediately. Swirl to coat the bottom and sides.
- 8
Pour the batter in fast. The edges should sizzle on contact. Place back in oven immediately.
- 9
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
25:00 - 10
Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes before cutting. The bottom crust will be crispy and almost fried from the hot cast iron. Cut into wedges and serve warm.
10:00
Notes
The hot cast iron entry is what makes this different from regular cornbread. The batter should sizzle audibly when it hits the pan. Do not overwork the batter; lumps are fine and overmixing makes it tough. Blending half the corn into the wet mix gives corn flavor in every bite of the crumb; don't skip this step.
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Backyard BBQ Spread
The pork leg is the long pole, so build everything around it. Thaw it 2–3 days ahead and rub it the night before. Start its low-and-slow oven cook in the morning so it's ready to finish over charcoal at dinnertime — light the coals about 45 minutes before you carve. While the pork roasts, get the Cowboy Beans going: skim the rendered fat and dark drippings from the pork pan and use them to start the beans, then let them simmer for hours on the back of the stove (or the cool side of the grill). Save the cornbread for last — mix the batter while the pork rests after its charcoal finish, and bake it in a screaming-hot cast iron so it lands on the table fresh and steaming just as you carve. The chipotle hot sauce and garlic honey are both make-ahead condiments for the sauce bar — the honey needs at least a week fermenting on the counter, so start it early.
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American Backyard Cookout
A three-fire cookout — the ribs need the longest lead time, so season and get them low-and-slow on the smoker or oven first (4+ hours). Simmer the tomato jam while they cook; it holds for days. Mix the cornbread batter and bake it about 30 minutes before serving, and form the burger patties last so they hit the plancha ice-cold. A jar of homemade Sauerkraut on the side needs at least a week to ferment, so start it well ahead of cookout day. The Chimichurri comes together in 10 minutes right before serving.
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