Stone-Ground Grits with Caramelized Fried Bologna
The Southern Morning: Quick Starts to Weekend Lingering
If you want to know what a Southern grandmother’s kitchen actually smells like on a Saturday morning, this is it. Long before brunch spots gentrified the dish, fried bologna—affectionately known as poor man's steak—was the savory, salty hero of the working-class table and Johnny Cash's absolute favorite breakfast. The true secret here isn't just scoring the meat so it fries perfectly flat in its own fat; it is the grits. By soaking coarse, stone-ground corn overnight, you bypass the chalky tragedy of instant grits and cut the cooking time in half, yielding a profoundly rich porridge that serves as the perfect bed for crispy, caramelized pork.
Before you start
Hydrate the grits overnight.
The evening before cooking, combine the grits and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir, skim off any woody chaff that floats to the surface, and leave covered at room temperature overnight.
Ingredients
- stone-ground yellow or white grits1 cup
- water3 cup
- whole milk1 cup
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- thick-cut deli bologna8 oz
- eggs4 large
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- sharp cheddar cheese1/2 cup
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- hot sauce1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Bring the soaked grits to a boil.
Add the milk and salt directly to the saucepan with the overnight soaking liquid, place over medium-high heat, and whisk constantly as it comes up to a boil to prevent lumps.
- 02
Drop the heat and simmer.
The second it boils, reduce the heat to the absolute lowest setting, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, vigorously scraping the bottom every five minutes to prevent scorching.
- 03
Score the bologna.
To prevent the meat from doming up and cooking unevenly, use a paring knife to cut four small 1-inch slits around the outer perimeter of each bologna slice.
- 04
Sear the meat in a dry cast-iron skillet.
Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and drop the scored bologna in, letting it aggressively sizzle for two to three minutes per side until the edges are dark, crispy, and slightly blistered, then remove to a paper towel.
- 05
Fry the eggs in the rendered pork fat.
Crack the eggs directly into the hot, salty bologna drippings left in the skillet and fry them sunny-side-up or to your preference.
- 06
Finish the grits and plate.
Remove the grits from the heat, vigorously stir in the butter and cheddar, taste for seasoning, and serve hot beneath a slice of crispy bologna and a fried egg.
Notes
Never use instant grits.
Instant or quick-cooking grits have the germ and hull removed and cannot replicate the robust corn flavor or creamy texture required for this dish.
Pre-salting is non-negotiable.
Properly salted cooking liquid means properly seasoned grits; you cannot add enough salt at the table to fix an under-seasoned pot.
From Cook Southern Food.