Creamy Grits Recipe: 4 Tips for Making Southern-Style Grits

Grits are a type of porridge made from cornmeal, first eaten by Native Americans and later popularized in the Southern United States. The term “grits” describes both the uncooked ground corn and the well-known porridge made from grits combined with water or milk.

Both grits and polenta are types of stone-ground cornmeal. However, they differ based on the type of corn used and the fineness of the grind.

• Type of corn: Grits and polenta come from different types of corn. Grits traditionally feature dent corn, while polenta uses a variety of Italian flint corn known as otto file. Flint corn is harder than dent corn and holds its shape better.
• Texture: Traditional polenta undergoes a repeated milling process that yields a uniform size and texture. Coarse grits are made with a single-pass milling process that yields variation in the size of corn particles.
• Color: Italian corn polenta is almost always yellow. Grits are often white but can also be yellow, red, or blue.

These are the primary types of grits you’ll encounter at the grocery store. You can use any variety to make a creamy porridge, but stone-ground grits will have the most complex flavor.

1. 1. Hominy grits: Hominy is a corn variety with large, round kernels. Native Americans were the first to make grits, and they ate a porridge made from ground nixtamalized hominy. (Nixtamalized ground corn is also known as masa and is the base for corn tortillas, tamales, and pupusas.)
2. 2. Instant grits: Instant grits are refined grits that have been precooked and then dehydrated.
3. 3. Quick grits: Quick-cooking grits have had the germ and hull of the corn kernel removed and have a finer texture that requires less time to cook than whole-kernel grits.
4. 4. Southern-style grits: Traditionally, Southern grits feature dent corn, a variety of corn that has a dent in the top of the kernel. It's relatively soft, which makes it easy to grind. Dent corn comes in various colors, but yellow corn and white corn are the most common.
5. 5. Stone-ground grits: Stone-ground grits are typically coarser than quick grits, and they may be whole-grain, meaning that they are more flavorful, take longer to cook, and have a shorter shelf life.

Whether you eat them for brunch or dinner, the best grits are homemade. Here’s what to know about cooking grits on the stovetop:

1. 1. Use stone-ground grits. Grits made from coarsely ground dried corn kernels have a more inviting mouthfeel than their instant grit counterparts.
2. 2. Swap the water for chicken broth. For an even more flavorful, savory pot of creamy grits, use an equal amount of stock or broth instead of plain water. Chicken stock is saltier than plain water: Adjust the amount of salt as needed.
3. 3. Cook low and slow. For the creamiest result, cook the grits on low heat while whisking them often. Constant stirring will remove or prevent lumps from forming and help you achieve a silky texture with a luxurious mouthfeel.
4. 4. Add cheese. For easy cheese grits, simply stir shredded Parmesan or cheddar cheese into the grits just before removing them from the heat.