Southern Cornbread

Southern cornbread is very easy to make, but there is one ingredient that is absolutely essential. A seasoned iron skillet. And seasoned means just that. If it isn't black, it isn't seasoned and your cornbread will taste horrid. If you don't have a seasoned one, and can't beg, borrow or steal one, you'll have to season it yourself. Which involves coating the inside with some sort of lard, preferably bacon grease, and baking it repeatedly until it is black.

Okay, now that you have your seasoned iron skillet we can move on.


2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 egg
1 can creamed corn
1/4 cup of shortening

Preheat your oven to about 425 degrees. Put the shortening in the iron skillet and place in the oven. It will heat while you're combining the rest of the ingredients.

Mix the cornmeal and flour together. Add the egg and creamed corn. Run your hot water faucet until the water is very hot. Now, add just enough water to moisten the cornmeal mix. Don't add cold water, it must be hot. And you want it ... not as thick as bisquits but thicker than pancake batter.

Then take the iron skillet out of the oven and pour the cornmeal mix in. Pour into the center of the skillet and let the mix spread naturally. The shortening should sizzle when the mix hits it. Don't freak out. That's what you want.

Place back in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. You might have to broil it for a sec to finish browning. Invert cornbread on plate and cut.

Wipe out iron skillet with towel or paper towel. Never ever ever wash your iron skillet. That ruins the seasoning. When seasoned correctly an iron skillet is more non-stick than that stuff you buy in the store for a gazillion dollars.

If you want, you can mince some onions and add to the cornmeal mix before pouring. Add onions and jalopaneos for Mexican cornbread.

K. There ya go.

Nice tips on seasoning... I do the same for my woks, but on the hob instead of in the oven. You wouldn't believe the amount of people who don't know what seasoning is, and ask why I don't scour all the black off with wire wool when they see it hung up on the pan rack.

OMG!

Scour your seasoning off?

Peasants... bunch of peasants...