# Shrimp and Grits



## GonnaSmoke (Jun 9, 2021)

Magnolia's is a restaurant in Charleston, SC specializing in southern cuisine and one of their signature dishes was shrimp and grits. If you've never had shrimp and grits, you don't know what you're missing. They no longer offer it in the restaurant exactly how the recipe is in their cookbook, but this is my version of the recipe from their cookbook and it will feed at least a dozen people, maybe more.

Their recipe calls for tasso ham, but finding it around me is like finding hen's teeth so I substitute smoked ham. In the past, I have substituted country cured ham, as well, just be aware of the salt. Their recipe calls for fresh, hot Italian sausage and I have used it, but this time I used Zatarain's smoked andouille sausage (this *IS* a smoked meat forum after all ). This dish has enough salty components and can become quite salty, that's why I use unsalted chicken broth and add almost no salt to any part. I have used reduced sodium chicken broth, but there again, this dish can get too salty, at least for our tastes. If I do add salt, it's to taste after all is cooked. Now pepper is a different story. Their recipe calls for white pepper, but I use fresh ground black pepper.

Some of the components







For the grits
-16 cups of unsalted chicken broth. YES, that's A LOT of broth.
-5 cups of stone ground grits. Gantt's Stone Mill is an off-the-beaten-path gristmill here in South Carolina and where I buy my grits and corn meal. Pretty cool place and if you're ever on Swamp Rabbit Rd., stop by there and check it out. Real friendly folks..
-1 quart of heavy cream
-salt and pepper to taste

Bring the chicken broth to a boil and SLOWLY stir in the grits to prevent them from lumping. Reduce heat to low and STIR, STIR, STIR. If the grits are allowed to stick to the bottom of the pot, they will burn and you'll have to start all over. I stir almost continuously for about 30-45 minutes or so until the grits get soft or until my shoulder can't needs a rest. Do not walk away from them. If they become too thick, add more chicken stock. Once they get soft and thicken, add half the cream and return to a low simmer and STIR, STIR, STIR. The other half of the cream can be used to thin the grits if they get too thick. Stirring the pot will get REAL HARD as the grits thicken, but keep at it. Allow to thicken to whatever consistency you prefer, but this may take an hour or more. This time they took about 1:15 to get right. And remember STIR, STIR, STIR. My shoulder will hurt tonight...

Stirring the pot 






Starting to get thick...






Cream added and getting thick and creamy. Got to keep stirring....






After the grits were to the creamy stage that I was looking for, I adjusted the salt to taste for us. Most will probably want more salt, but taste it. It's a lot easier to add it....



For the gravy
-1 stick of butter (who only uses 1/2 stick when a whole stick will work )
-1 1/2 lbs. of cubed smoked ham
-1/2 cup all purpose flour
-4 cups unsalted chicken broth
-salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter and and sauté the ham on low until brown. My smoked ham, like most, had a lot of water so all that has to be cooked out before the ham will brown. Add the flour and stir the pot  to make a roux. Keep stirring until the roux starts to brown and develops a nutty odor. Crank up the heat and add half the chicken broth. STIR, STIR, STIR and once it starts to thicken, add the rest of the broth. Once again, STIR, STIR, STIR. Cut the heat back and cook until it thickens into a gravy. Their recipe calls for chopped parsley at this point, but I don't add it. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.







Get that flour cooked until it develops a nutty smell.






Add the chicken broth and STIR, STIR, STIR until thickened. Adjust the salt to taste.







For the shrimp and sausage
-2 quarts or about 3 lbs. peeled and deveined shrimp. I'm using local shrimp from my freezer that I purchased fresh, straight off the boat last fall. These are 16-20 count, heads on.
-1 lb. of smoked andouille sausage sliced
-Good drizzle of EVOO
-2 cups of unsalted chicken broth

For size reference...






I leave the tails on when I peel my shrimp. It gives people a nice handle to grab them by and besides, it makes them look fancy .












Heat the EVOO in a skillet and add the sausage. Heat until browned and add the shrimp. Sauté the shrimp until slightly pink, this won't take but a minute. Don't overcook them at this point. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of the chicken broth, bring to a boil and reduce. Once again their recipe calls for chopped parsley, but I omit it.













Stir the gravy into the pan of sausage and shrimp.






Here's where I've added to the dish. I shake on a little creole seasoning and sauté 1 lb. of sea scallops in EVOO until browned on both sides. These will be added on top once it's all ready to eat.







Served with a side of roasted green beans.






Time to eat...





There are many different versions of shrimp and grits, but this is our favorite even though it's somewhat time consuming to make. Like I said, most of the ideas for my version came from the original recipe in the Magnolia's cookbook.


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## SmokinEdge (Jun 9, 2021)

Looks fantastic!


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## thirdeye (Jun 9, 2021)

I'd be all over that.


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## kilo charlie (Jun 9, 2021)

I'm in! Looks fantastic!


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## PPG1 (Jun 9, 2021)

A dish after my Southern Heart.  Great job loved the pictorial


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## jaxgatorz (Jun 9, 2021)

I might not be able to eat that whole pot , but I would sure try !!  Fantastic  !!


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## JLeonard (Jun 9, 2021)

Mercy! That is a good looking thing there!  
Jim


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## 912smoker (Jun 9, 2021)

Yer sir looks great ! And we eat ALOT of shrimp and grits ! And just grits lol


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## jcam222 (Jun 9, 2021)

Classic dish right there! Nice job.


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## Brokenhandle (Jun 9, 2021)

That looks delicious!  But I'll be honest... this Iowa farm boy has never had grits.

Ryan


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## gmc2003 (Jun 10, 2021)

Looks mighty good on my screen. 

Point for sure
Chris


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## GonnaSmoke (Jun 10, 2021)

Thank you all for the compliments...


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## GonnaSmoke (Jun 10, 2021)

Brokenhandle said:


> That looks delicious!  But I'll be honest... this Iowa farm boy has never had grits.
> 
> Ryan


That's crazy , but then again, there's a lot of people that don't even know what grits are. My wife's best friend will only eat them with honey and butter.


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## SmokinAl (Jun 10, 2021)

I don’t think it could possibly get any better than that!
Al


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## indaswamp (Jun 10, 2021)

Nice! Now I want shrimp and grits...luckily shrimp season just opened here!


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## Wurstmeister (Jun 10, 2021)

That pot looks delicious!  Just give me a spoon, a bath towel and stand back!  I promise there will not be any dirty pots/pans or dishes!! 
John


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## GonnaSmoke (Jun 10, 2021)

SmokinAl said:


> I don’t think it could possibly get any better than that!
> Al



Thank you, Al. I've been cooking this dish, as well as with Beaufort Stew, for a long time and we really like it.


Wurstmeister said:


> That pot looks delicious!  Just give me a spoon, a bath towel and stand back!  I promise there will not be any dirty pots/pans or dishes!!
> John


John, it'll make your tongue jump out and slap your face...


indaswamp said:


> Nice! Now I want shrimp and grits...luckily shrimp season just opened here!


Here in South Carolina, we have a recreational shrimping season in the fall and we can put out bait to attract them and throw a net to catch them. Before 3 shoulder surgeries, I was an avid participant. Now, it's easier to just go buy them fresh off of the boat and put them in the freezer.


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## GonnaSmoke (Jun 10, 2021)

Thank you to the powers that be for the spin on the carousel, it makes me think that maybe I'm doing something that others like and can appreciate....


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## civilsmoker (Jun 10, 2021)

Man that looks seriously good!


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## Sowsage (Jun 10, 2021)

Looks awesome! And your write up is great! I'm confident if I made this using only what you described here it would come out fantastic! Nice work!!


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## forktender (Jun 11, 2021)

Damn, that looks killer!!!


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## Dutch (Jun 11, 2021)

The 'bama boy in me is yelling Hell Yeah! This recipe is now in my "Get'r Done" file.  Roll Tide!


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## disco (Jun 11, 2021)

As a Canadian, I've never had grits but this looks so good, that has to change! Big like.


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## rjob (Jun 11, 2021)

Excellent dish ! Have made the cookbook version many times.
If you have not tried the black bean chili recipe, it is one we have had great comments on from guests.


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## crazymoon (Jun 11, 2021)

GS, Very, very nice, I'll be down for a bowl!


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## GonnaSmoke (Jun 11, 2021)

crazymoon said:


> GS, Very, very nice, I'll be down for a bowl!


I'm usually always cooking for a crowd and you're certainly welcome to come on by....


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## BB-que (Jun 12, 2021)

GonnaSmoke said:


> Magnolia's is a restaurant in Charleston, SC specializing in southern cuisine and one of their signature dishes was shrimp and grits. If you've never had shrimp and grits, you don't know what you're missing. They no longer offer it in the restaurant exactly how the recipe is in their cookbook, but this is my version of the recipe from their cookbook and it will feed at least a dozen people, maybe more.
> 
> Their recipe calls for tasso ham, but finding it around me is like finding hen's teeth so I substitute smoked ham. In the past, I have substituted country cured ham, as well, just be aware of the salt. Their recipe calls for fresh, hot Italian sausage and I have used it, but this time I used Zatarain's smoked andouille sausage (this *IS* a smoked meat forum after all ). This dish has enough salty components and can become quite salty, that's why I use unsalted chicken broth and add almost no salt to any part. I have used reduced sodium chicken broth, but there again, this dish can get too salty, at least for our tastes. If I do add salt, it's to taste after all is cooked. Now pepper is a different story. Their recipe calls for white pepper, but I use fresh ground black pepper.
> 
> ...


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## chef jimmyj (Jun 12, 2021)

Nicely done with great pics and based on your description of the procedure, My Shoulder Hurts!☺ 
We had Polenta, occasionally, growing up, but didn't know it was called Grits in the South. Now my first Taste of Hominy Grits, was at 25 years old on a work trip to Oklahoma for a month. Totally fell in love with the taste and texture and have been enjoying them since. Melted Sharp Cheese and lots of Butter!...JJ


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## Smoking Allowed (Jun 13, 2021)

Having DEEP roots in the low country of SC, I'm very familiar with shrimp and grits and have eaten them a bunch. This meal looks fantastic...


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