The Joy of Grits

Some things we never grow out of.

That’s far too true for me, a 43-year-old dude who still watches cartoons (sometimes with his kids!), reads fiction aimed at teens, and tries very hard not to wear ties any more than absolutely necessary. In the words of the orthodontist who straightened my teeth thirty years ago, “You can only be young once, but you can be immature all your life.”

My tastes have matured, at least a little. Check out my story from the most recent “Food Issue” about tasting menu restaurants or any of the numerous reviews and articles I’ve written about local restaurants in my surprisingly prolific career for proof. And yet there’s one very childish dish I cannot let go of and I doubt I ever will.

Off The Hook in Oklahoma City serves shrimp, catfish, and grits smothered in a lobster cream sauce. Photo by Greg Elwell

Grits.

When I was a wee lad, my mother used to prepare a bowl of grits with a fried egg stirred in every morning and I would cry, wail, and gnash teeth when she slowed down to scrape up the last bite.

Four decades later, it’s still one of my go-to comfort foods.

Before you fire off an email telling me how gross grits are, let me assure you, I have already heard from the grit haters and I don’t blame them. If my only experience with grits came from diners, the place most likely to serve them, I probably wouldn’t care for them either. But when they’re done right, oh my, there’s simply nothing I love more.

Bramble in Tulsa makes shrimp and grits with big chunks of smoky bacon to boost the savory flavor. Photo by Greg Elwell

The perfect bowl of grits are creamy and hearty. Some people like them with sugar, but all the sweetness I need comes from cooking the chunky bits of ground corn in milk and finishing it off with generous pats of butter. I like to use freshly cracked black pepper, big ol’ chunks of it, and a dash of hot sauce to increase the heat. Stir in some shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for a salty, nutty kick and then top it all with an over-medium egg where the yolk has the consistency of lava and I’m in heaven.

Diners do so many things right, but grits aren’t one of them. They’re usually overcooked and blown out with a taste and texture that is far too watery to enjoy. And because grits are prepared en masse cooks often underseason them in order to appease those on sodium-restricted diets—a demographic old enough that they still order grits, thus driving the grit market in their direction.

Far be it from me to deprive a grit-lover who happens to have hypertension from their breakfast of choice, but it’s not for me. Luckily, grits have worked their way into some fancier dishes as well, made by chefs who are happy to season them well before serving. Most often, that’s shrimp and grits, which are a brunch staple in Oklahoma.

One of my all-time favorite restaurants is Off the Hook Seafood & More in Oklahoma City and a quick look at the menu will explain why. A fancy grilled cheese like The Melted Lobster or a breakfast burger with a dollop of strawberry jam are hard to beat, but my go-to is almost always catfish, shrimp, and grits. Not only does Off the Hook use milk in their grits, which lends the dish a richer texture, but they smother the seafood and grits with lobster cream sauce.

For grits with heat, Oklahoma City's Rococo packs in andouille sausage and covers it in a sizzling sauce. Photo by Greg Elwell

Not too far away is Rococo, where Chef Bruce Rinehart is fearless with seafood. His version of shrimp and grits are studded with seared chunks of andouille sausage and covered in spicy sauce. I love that he uses cheddar grits, but increases the amount of cooking liquid to keep them from being gluey.

It’s a side dish at the Classen Grill in Oklahoma City, but the cheese grits are served as a baked square, almost like a creamy block of cornbread. The consistency is close to a quiche, but the flavor is pure corny sweetness.

This is a job that requires a fair amount of travel across the state and you better believe I’m getting grits every chance I get. If I’m within fifty miles of Broken Bow around breakfast time, you can find me at Abendigo’s Grill & Patio. The jalapeno-cheddar grits are so, so tasty and creamy, but it’s the smoked mushroom and bacon that give the whole dish a big smoky boost.

And in Tulsa, Bramble is a must-stop for me. A khachapuri for the table—because no one is mad at breakfast bread-and-cheese-and-egg fondue—but for myself, it’s the shrimp and grits with a roasted tomato sauce and big pieces of bacon. It’s the kind of breakfast you eat before you do something big, like pulling potatoes or building the Great Wall of China or taking a very long nap. (I took the nap.)

Are any of you grits fans? Let us hear about your favorite recipes or restaurants with grits by emailing greg.elwell@TravelOK.com.

Written By

Greg Elwell

Greg Elwell served as research editor and web editor of Oklahoma Today from 2018-2023. He also has worked for newspapers, medical research organizations, and government institutions.