Creamy Sweet Loaded CORN BREAD Made on a Grill - 52 COWBOY Side Dishes from the Grill

The great American staple of Corn Bread "Baked" over an open fire... Well, we are making a few allowances, the open fire is actually my gas grill (Same procedure works for a charcoal grill... or for that matter, this recipe works just fine in a modern oven).

I particularly like this recipe as there are plenty of moistening ingredients (Sour Cream, Greek Yogurt and Butter) to add layers and layers of sweet wetness and flavors.  No dry cornbread here.  Creamy Sweet and loaded with two kinds of cheese and plenty of extras (Onions, Corn (yes, real corn in the cornbread), chives and assorted herbs.  Delicious!

As to making in a grill, there are two tricks... HEAVY BOTTOMED (and side) CAST IRON Skillet, and a closed grill lid, allowing the heat to circulate, turning your grill into a convection oven.  It's easy, delicious, a great tasting Western themed side dish... Plus, if you like makes a fun presentation to serve in the cast iron skillet.

OK... Here's what I did...

Creamy Sweet Loaded CORN BREAD Made on a Grill

Ingredients

• 6 Scallions (Green Onions), chopped, white and green parts
• 1 Can Creamed Corn
• 2 TBS Assorted Mixed dry Herbs (I used Oregano and Thyme)
• 2 OZ Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 4 OZ Goat Cheese, room temperature and diced into small balls
• For the Batter -
• 1 Large Egg, whisked
• 1 Cup Sour Cream
• 1 Cup Greek Yogurt
• 2 TBS Butter, melted
• 1-1/2 Cups Yellow Corn Meal
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 2 TBS Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 large Pinch of Salt

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare your grill, indirect heat, coals or gas burners lit on one side, leaving space for the skillet without direct heat under the bottom... may overlap some on the sides, but the main bottom does not have direct heat. (or set your indoor oven for 400 degrees)
2. Use a non stick spray to coat the bottom of a large HEAVY Cast Iron Skillet
3. Combine all of the ingredients for the batter, stirring until fully mixed.
4. Add the remaining flavoring ingredients and stir to mix.
5. Pour everything into the skillet
6. "Bake" or grill with the door (lid) closed for 25 minutes. Checking to test doneness. Center should feel spongy but still a bit tacky. If it jiggles,continue to bake (grill) for another 5 minutes.
7. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
8. Serve warm and ENJOY... Maybe with a little Honey!

And this concludes my grilling/smoking day with my son (Army Medic, PFC James Scott... That's my boy!!!)... Back a few days ago I started with my son's very first smoked rack of ribs.  I talked him through making a rub from scratch, prepping the meat (removing the membrane, trimming the fat and bones, applying the rub).  then we moved to an old reliable standard Weber Kettle Grill, the kind most people have or at least your neighbor has.  I wanted to show him that there is no need to buy an expensive smoker.  With just a little bit of knowledge you can get competition/restaurant quality smoked meat at home!

And we did... We also made a glaze to create 3 Killer Racks of Citrus Honey Garlic Glazed Ribs!  In the post I have plenty of detailed photo instructions for turning your standard charcoal grill into a smoker.

Next we made the perfect accompaniment to any smoked meat meal... BEANS!  Now I happen to love my beans.  there is just nothing like a fresh made recipe, using sweeteners (Molasses, Sorghum and Brown Sugar), multiple types of beans (in this case, Cannelloni Beans and Chili Beans), smoked Pork loin fully seasoned for the pork... But I also showed how to set the beans in the smoker to allow them to simmer for hours and even add extra moisture to the kettle to help the ribs stay moist, tender, delicious and have extra layers of flavor... All with a bottle of BEER!

A Nice big pot of Single Wide Trailer Park AWESOME Pork and Beans and BEER!

We also smoked a log of Smoked Italian Sausage.  possibly the easiest thing to smoke/grill as all you do is take loose sausage, form the log, rub with a spice rub (same one you used for the ribs) and smoke for a couple of hours.

Since it takes less time to smoke than the ribs you can make this as a treat for the cooks (we did), save some for breakfast the next morning (we did), serve some with the meal as a side dish (Meat for a side dish... God Bless America... We did that as well).  But we also used some of it as the base for...

A delicious vegetable side dish... Kind of a pizza if you squint hard enough.  This is a great side to make as I showed my son how to finish the ribs.  After 4-5 hours on the grill (smoker), the glaze is finished in the oven in the house for another hour.  This frees up the grill to make these...

Grilled Herb and Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Pizzas!  Once again... Meat as a side dish!

All things considered, add all this to the Corn Bread and you have a pretty good meal...

Thanks Son, it was delicious!

And the beginnings of yet another neighborhood Grill Master once he finishes protecting and settles down to a safe boring life in the suburbs (I hope).