Eastern Carolina Golden Hush Puppies
Chapter 3 — The Sides
There is no Eastern Carolina whole-hog barbecue without a basket of golden, onion-laced hush puppies. While the coast drops them into little round balls to eat with fried flounder, the old-school inland stick-burner joints pipe them into logs or fingers. This shape isn't just for looks; it maximizes the crispy surface area, ensuring the crunch holds up even when you use the hush puppy to sop up the peppery vinegar left on your plate. Uncompromising on flavor, this batter relies on the tang of real buttermilk and the savory depth of rendered bacon fat, fried hot in a cast-iron Dutch oven on your kitchen stove—or better yet, outside on your kettle grill while the pork rests.
Before you start
Prepare a landing zone.
Set up a wire cooling rack set over a paper-towel-lined sheet pan.
Prepare the piping bag.
Transfer the batter into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip, or a heavy-duty gallon zip-top bag with one bottom corner snipped off to create a 3/4-inch wide hole.
Ingredients
- yellow cornmeal1 1/2 cup
- all-purpose flour3/4 cup
- granulated sugar1 tbsp
- baking powder1 1/2 tsp
- baking soda1/2 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- cayenne pepper1/4 tsp
- whole buttermilk1 cup
- egg1 large
- rendered bacon fat2 tbsp
- sweet yellow onion1/2 cup
- peanut oil2 qt
Method
- 01
Heat the peanut oil in a heavy cast-iron Dutch oven to 350°F.
Do this over medium-high heat on your stovetop, or take it outside and set the pot directly on the grates of your charcoal kettle over remaining coals to keep the frying smells out of the house.
- 02
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cayenne pepper.
- 03
Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Thoroughly mix the buttermilk, beaten egg, melted bacon fat, and minced sweet yellow onion.
- 04
Fold the wet mixture into the dry matrix and let it rest.
Use a spatula to gently fold the ingredients just until the dry spots disappear, then leave the thick, lumpy batter undisturbed for 10 minutes to hydrate the cornmeal and activate the leavening.
- 05
Pipe the batter directly into the shimmering oil.
Working in batches of 6 to 8 to prevent the oil temperature from dropping drastically, squeeze 2-inch long strips into the oil, using a butter knife or your thumb to snip the batter from the bag.
- 06
Fry until a deep, even golden brown.
This should take 3 to 4 minutes total; use a spider skimmer to gently flip the hush puppies halfway through the cook.
- 07
Drain and serve immediately.
Transfer the hush puppies to the prepared wire rack to let excess oil drip away, and serve while the insides are still steaming hot.
Notes
Manage your oil temperature religiously.
If the oil drops below 350°F, the batter absorbs grease; if it exceeds 375°F, the outside burns before the center cooks.
Do not overmix the batter.
Overworking the flour develops gluten, resulting in dense, chewy fritters rather than light, airy ones.
The freeze and reheat.
Hush puppies freeze exceptionally well. Fry all your leftover batter, freeze them flat on a baking sheet, and reheat later in a 375°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes to restore their crunch.
From Cook BBQ at Home.