Making Grits - A Southern Staple By: Valerie Blair and Dr. Frank Flanders Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office July 2004

Objectives Students should be able to: Discuss the history of grits. Describe the process of making corn flour, cornmeal and grits. Prepare recipes. Solve mathematical calculations. Design a creative label for packaged grits. * There is a lesson plan to accompany this power point on Disc 1 under Food Products Processing.

What are Grits? Grits are small pieces of dried ground corn. Grits are made from grinding whole corn kernels with a stone or mechanical grinder.

The History of Grits Grits were first produced by Native Americans and quickly became an important part of early Southern agriculture. The word “grits” comes from the Old English term “grytt” meaning “bran” and the term “greot” meaning “something ground.”

Hominy Grits Hominy is a variety of grits made from dent corn, the hard corn kernels found at the top of an ear of corn. The dent corn is soaked in lye water for one to two days until the entire shell, also known as the bran, separates from the rest of the kernel. The kernel itself swells to twice its original size. The kernels are then ground to make hominy. Hominy grits have a creamier texture than ordinary grits.

Let’s Make Grits !

Assemble the grain grinder according to instructions.

Clean the corn by sifting it to remove trash, particles, and foreign materials. A blow dryer can be used to further clean the corn if necessary. Remove all broken corn kernels by hand. The corn used to make grits should be free of dust and broken kernels.

The moisture content of the corn should be less than 15%. The moisture content can be measured using a grain moisture meter.

Fill the funnel top of the grain grinder with whole kernel corn.

Grind the corn according to directions.

Grinding corn will not only produce grits, but will also produce cornmeal and corn flour. The ground corn must be passed through different sieves to separate cornmeal, corn flour, large grits, and small grits.

Corn Meal Sieve Grits Sieve

Packaging and Labeling Grits Students can package and label their grits. The label should include: Name Cooking Instructions Ingredients Weight

Ideas for Using Grits Cook and Eat (add butter, salt, and cheese)! Package and sell as a fundraiser! Serve breakfast to faculty! Be creative!

Recipes

Basic Grits 1 cup grits 2 cups water ½ teaspoon salt Place grits in a bowl, cover with water and stir. Skim off the chaff that rises to the top. Stir and skim again. Pour off water and light bran. Add water and salt to a heavy-bottom saucepan and bring to boil. Stir in grits. Reduce heat to low and cook covered for minutes, stirring occasionally, until grits are thick and creamy. If too thick, add either water, milk or whipping cream. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, if desired, and serve. Serves 6 Southerners -- and 500 Northerners!

Easy Breakfast Bake 1/2 pound pork sausage 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 cups water 3/4 cup quick grits 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup milk 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese -- grated 4 eggs Preheat oven to 325°. Brown and crumble sausage. Drain off excess fat and set aside. Bring salted water to a boil and stir in grits. Cover and reduce heat to low. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Melt butter or margarine and stir in flour, black pepper and milk. Cook, stirring to thicken. Add cheese, stirring until blended. Add sausage and 1/2 cheese sauce to cooked grits. Pour into lightly greased casserole. Make 4 indentions into grits mixture with the back of a large spoon. Break one egg into each indention. Bake at 325° for 13 to 18 minutes, depending on desired doneness of eggs. Serve with remaining heated sauce. Serves 4.

Syrup and Bacon Grits 3-1/4 cups water 1cup Quaker or Aunt Jemima Enriched Hominy Quick Grits, uncooked ½ teaspoon salt (optional) ¾ cup Aunt Jemima Syrup or Lite Syrup 4 eggs, slightly beaten 2 tablespoons bacon drippings, margarine or butter 28-oz. pkg. sliced bacon, cooked crisp, crumbled Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 1- 1/2-qt. Casserole. Bring water to a boil; slowly stir in grits and salt. Reduce heat; simmer 2 to 4 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; add syrup, eggs and drippings, mixing well. Pour into prepared casserole; bake 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Top with bacon; let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional syrup, if desired. 6 to 8 SERVINGS

Hush Puppies 1 & ½ cups Quaker® or Aunt Jemima® Corn Meal ½ cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ¾ cup milk 1 egg, beaten 1 small onion, finely chopped vegetable oil Combine corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk, egg and onion; mix well. In a large skillet, drop corn meal batter by rounded teaspoonfuls into deep hot oil (375°F). Fry until golden brown. Turn once with slotted spoon for best browning. Remove from oil; drain well. Yield: ABOUT 2 DOZEN

Mathematical Calculations If 1 pound of corn yields 1 &1/2 pounds of grits and grits cost around $1.50 a pound, how much profit will 1 pound of corn yield? If one acre yields 75 bushels of corn, how many pounds of grits can be made from one acre of corn? (Hint: 1 bushel = 56 lbs)

Solutions 1 lb = $1.50 ½ lb = $0.75 $ $0.75 = $ ½ lb corn = $ acre yields 75 bushels of corn 1 bushel = 56 lbs 75 bushels X 56 lbs = acre of corn will yield 4170 lbs of grits