Cheese Grits in a Mason Jar

Stone-ground grits cooked slow with butter and aged cheddar, poured hot into a sealed mason jar — by lunchtime they had firmed into something between grits and polenta. Still warm, creamy, and deeply satisfying, eaten directly from the jar with a spoon. A morning ritual from the Appalachian South that became a portable lunch through necessity.

Ingredients

• 1 cup stone-ground grits (not instant, not quick — stone-ground only)
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Salt and black pepper
• Optional: pinch of cayenne

Directions

Bring water to a boil with salt.

1. Whisk grits into boiling water in a thin stream, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
2. Reduce heat to very low. Cover and cook 25–35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until grits are thick and the raw starchy taste is gone.

Remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted.

1. Add cheddar in handfuls, stirring until completely melted. Season with pepper and cayenne.
2. Pour immediately into a wide-mouth mason jar. Seal tightly.

Wrap jar in newspaper for insulation.

1. By lunchtime, the grits will have firmed but remain warm and creamy.
2. Eat directly from the jar with a spoon.

Notes

Stone-ground grits have germ and hull intact — they taste entirely different from quick grits or instant grits. The texture is slightly coarser and more complex. Cheese grits in a jar were actually superior cold — they firmed into a dense, sliceable block that could be fried the next day (see Cornmeal Mush Cakes for the technique applied to grits).