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Bacon Corn Sticks

Source of Recipe

From "Pig: King of the Southern Table" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"In the South, bacon, lean salt pork, fatback, and country ham are regularly used to flavor all sorts of breads, and none is so beloved as these crusty corn sticks served with soups, stews, and fried fish. Genuine corn sticks must be baked in special seven-stick cast-iron molds (available in most cookware shops and home stores), which, like new cast-iron skillets, should be initially 'seasoned' by rubbing the surfaces with cooking oil and leaving them in a 300° F oven for at least one hour. For the corn sticks to come out soft on the inside with crispy tops, the seasoned molds must be heated till scorching hot and the sticks must be baked at a high temperature. The corn sticks are almost as good made with whole milk as with buttermilk, in which case the baking soda is not needed."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 slices lean hickory-smoked bacon
â—¦ 1 cup yellow cornmeal
â—¦ ½ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 teaspoons sugar
â—¦ 2 teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 large egg, beaten
â—¦ ½ cup buttermilk
â—¦ 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into bits and at room temperature


Recipe

In a skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat till crisp. Drain on paper towels and crumble finely, reserving the fat in the skillet.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt till well blended. Add the egg and buttermilk and stir till well blended. Add the shortening and bacon, stir till well blended, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill the batter for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 475° F.

Grease a 7-stick cast-iron corn-stick mold with some of the bacon fat from the skillet and place in the oven till very hot, about 10 minutes. Spoon the batter into the mold and bake till the tops are golden brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Makes seven 5-inch corn sticks