We’re Sharing What Makes Ours Special (and One of Our Recipes!)
Why Our Grits Are So Great
The short answer is: because they come from Anson Mills. For the uninitiated, Anson Mills grows and mills heirloom grains, like Carolina Gold rice and our house grits here at the Roadhouse. As Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig says,
…the Anson Mills grits are a textbook example of what we’ve been working to do for nearly 40 years now at Zingerman’s. Find amazing sources—or make our own at the same level of excellence—keep it simple, and end up with something so good that once you eat it, it sets the standard. The grits cover all the bases beautifully.
Most folks think of grits as a classic Southern food, and as Anson Mills shares on their website, “the geographic ‘grits line’ runs across the top of Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia.” Though they also acknowledge that corn culture existed “for thousands of years in the Americas before Columbus touched the shore of Hispaniola in 1492.” A hundred years after that, corn was growing in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Fast forward eight more years, and:
In a letter to relatives in England, a resident of Charleston’s new settlement described her first taste of corn prepared by local native Kiawah women as a “most agreeable porridge.” Thus did Europeans come to experience Southern grits in Carolina—as a gift from local Native Americans. Essentially unchanged today, corn grits represent the strength and appeal of the South’s most defining traditional food.
(Food history lovers, make a mental note to visit Anson Mills’ website for far more on the topic of corn. They delve into the distinction between grits and polenta, white and yellow corn, and so much more.)
Heirloom Varietals
The grits we get from Anson Mills are made primarily of Carolina Gourdseed, an heirloom variety that’s exceptionally flavorful and bred to ripen in the field on the stalk, unlike modern strains that are often picked early and ripen in a silo. (You’ll also occasionally spot their Jimmy Red grits featured on our menu in a special. Another heirloom varietal, the name comes from James Island, South Carolina, where it was first grown, and from the deep red color of the kernels.) As Ari has shared, “The old varieties like this one yield about a quarter to a third of modern strains—the cost of producing this kind of corn is about 4 to 12 times that of commercial corn for grinding!”
Cold Milling
As Ari has explained, a big part of what makes Anson Mills products so exceptional is their cold milling process:
Everything is designed to keep temperatures down and, in the process, protect the flavor of the corn (or the rice). The corn during the milling stays very cool—never gets above 58°F. By contrast, mass-market milling basically “cooks” the corn during the milling, killing all the live enzymes and most all of the flavor. Anson Mills pumps carbon dioxide into the mill in order to keep oxygen off of the corn, preventing oxidation and protecting flavor (this is much the same as is done with wine by using nitrogen).
The freshly milled corn is then sifted into four different-sized particles and then re-blended. Anson Mills says the diversity of texture creates a more interesting eating experience. And, much like freshly milled flour at the Bakehouse, the corn’s natural germ is left in when it’s milled, radically enhancing the flavor.
Roadhouse Dishes Featuring Grits
We serve these delicious grits from sunup to sundown, so you’ll find them on nearly every single one of our menus. (Hmm… we might need to get to work on a dessert featuring grits!)
Breakfast & Brunch
Grits & Eggs
Rise and shine with Anson Mills grits topped with two fried eggs, Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon, and Cabot cheddar cheese, all garnished with scallions and served with a biscuit.
Georgia Grits & Bits Waffle
This Southern version of classic Dutch waffles is filled with bits of stone-ground organic grits, cheddar cheese, and applewood smoked bacon. Want to add a fried egg on top? We like the way you roll.
Carolina Gold Rice Grits & Bits Waffle
This gluten-free waffle is a Carolina version of the Dutch classic. We fill it with bits of Anson Mills organic rice grits, rice flour, cheddar, and applewood smoked bacon. All of our waffles are served with Vermont Creamery cultured butter and real Michigan maple syrup.
Lunch
Creole Pot Likker Fish Stew
Creole-seasoned fresh fish and mussels sautéed with pot likker (made with lots of bacon). This naturally gluten-free dish is served atop Anson Mills grits and bacon-braised greens.
Smothered Grits
Fresh corn, roasted red peppers, and caramelized onions are sautéed in our cider vinaigrette and served on a bed of grits. We top this hearty vegetarian dish with Cabot cheddar and garnish it with scallions, but if you’d like to make this gluten-free meal even more substantial, we can also add a grilled or blackened chicken breast on top, too.
Dinner
For suppertime, enjoy either of our grit-laden lunch dishes, plus a few more options:
Mac & Three
A quartet of comfort! Our Macaroni & Cheese, made with a housemade béchamel sauce and lots of Cabot cheddar caramelized with Mancini pasta, is accompanied by roasted local vegetables, Anson Mills grits and cheese, and sautéed spinach. A vegetarian favorite that’s beloved by omnivores, too.
Half Pit-Smoked Chicken
Sundays through Thursdays you can enjoy half of an Amish-raised chicken rubbed with Tellicherry black pepper and salt, then smoked over oak, and served with Anson Mills grits, bacon-braised greens, and sautéed spinach.
South Carolina BBQ Ribs
Seriously tender, incredibly flavorful Niman Ranch St. Louis ribs, topped with South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce, served with grits and a side garnish of mustard coleslaw.
Anytime!
Anson Mills Grits & Cheese
Get your grits fix whenever, as a side dish in our dining room or from the Roadshow. Vegetarian and gluten-free friendly, we make our stone-ground organic grits with lots of butter and top them with Cabot cheddar cheese. (We can hold the cheese if you’d like to keep ’em pure and simple.)
Specials
Grillades & Grits
Every Sunday evening you can enjoy this Blue Plate Special. Grillades (pronounced GREE-ahds) are thin medallions of meat dredged in flour, browned, then pan-braised in crushed tomatoes and a delicious roux-thickened sauce. We serve this Creole-smothered steak over Anson Mills stone-ground grits topped with Cabot cheddar cheese and scallions. (Ordering a side of buttermilk biscuits to sop up that gravy is always a flavorfully good move!)
We love Anson Mills grits so much they’ll occasionally pop up in other specials from time to time, like shrimp and grits with a red eye gravy or fish and grits with Mississippi catfish filet dusted in cornmeal then pan-fried in bacon fat. So what we’re saying is: Don’t forget to check the current specials! You can also always ask your server about them when you’re in and sign up for our e-news to stay in the loop on the latest happenings.
The Number One Tip for Cooking Grits
The grits we serve are Anson Mills’ “quick grits”—they cook in 30 minutes or less (more on that in a minute). As they explain, “…quick grits have the whole corn richness and creaminess of our coarse grits but are milled somewhat finer. Particle size is relative, of course: the rest of the industry would call grits this size ‘coarse’ or ‘old-fashioned.’”
Relatively speaking, it’s not that much time for a whole lot of flavor, which is why Anson Mils sells these grits by the bag so you can make them at home whenever the urge strikes. The best grits just require a little planning ahead: for optimal results, soak your grits overnight. Your cooking time will be faster (15 minutes versus 30) and Anson Mills says the resulting texture is better too. For exact measurements, follow Anson Mills’ recipe for Simple Buttered Quick Grits.
Note that these grits are a fresh product—they should be stored in the refrigerator (or freezer for even longer storage).
Grit Cookin’ with a Roadhouse Recipe!
Recipe excerpted from Ari Weinzweig’s Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon:
Grits & Bits Waffles
This old Georgia dish has long been one of the most popular items on the Zingerman’s Roadhouse brunch menu. The story is that the Dutch brought waffle irons here with them and that as they moved south from Manhattan they began to blend the local leftover grits that were so common into their waffles to make breakfast the next morning.
The dish really isn’t very hard to make, but by bringing together the flavors of wheat, corn, bacon, and maple syrup you really get a great, unique way to start the day. As always I’ll recommend the Anson Mills grits, though other artisan offerings will also serve you well. The key is that the grits add flavor as well as texture to the dish. If you’re into sorghum or cane syrups, you could certainly use either one instead of the maple. When it comes to the bacon, I’d go with one of the dry-cured offerings—Broadbent’s, Edwards’, or Benton’s to stand up to all the other good flavors here.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups water
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup Anson Mills quick-cooking grits
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 4 eggs
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 pound sliced bacon (about 8 to 12 slices), cooked and coarsely chopped
- 6 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
- Maple syrup and butter to taste for serving
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder and set aside.
- In a saucepot, bring the water and butter to a simmer. Before the water comes to a boil start adding the grits, stirring steadily until incorporated. Add the salt and stir well. Reduce heat to low, cover, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water if needed.
- While the grits are cooking, separate the eggs. Set the yolks aside in a dish, and refrigerate the whites.
- When the grits are done (you can always cook them longer than half an hour—they’ll continue to get creamier the longer you cook them), remove them from the heat; transfer to a large mixing bowl and let cool to 110°F. Stir the egg yolks into the grits one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the milk and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Beat the cold egg whites in a mixer or with a hand beater to medium peaks. Gently fold the whites into the batter and mix gently. Chill for at least 1 hour before cooking. (Note: the batter can be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to start cooking.)
- When you’re ready to eat, pour the batter into a preheated and well-oiled Belgian-style waffle iron, and add a generous bit of chopped bacon and shredded cheddar. (We use 1 cup of batter with ¼ cup each of bacon and cheddar.) Close the waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Remove the waffles from the iron and place on warm plates. Sprinkle more chopped bacon and shredded cheddar over the top of the waffles. Serve with good butter and real maple syrup.
- Repeat until all the batter, chopped bacon, and grated cheddar have been used.
Whew! That was a lot of corny information—congrits on making it to the end. We’re done talkin’, now it’s time for you to get on into the Roadhouse lickety-split, so you can try ’em for yourself!