Best Southern Cracklin Cornbread Recipes

CRACKLIN CORNBREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Put the butter in the center of an 8" cast iron skillet and place it in the oven so it can get sizzling hot.
• Mix all of the dry ingredients, including cracklins in a large bowl.
• Mix the wet ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients. The batter will be very thick.
• Take the skillet out of the oven and pour the batter into the hot skillet.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
• Return the skillet to the oven and bake the cornbread for 25 minutes.
• Remove the cornbread from the oven and place the skillet on a heatproof trivet or hot pad.
• Allow the cornbread to cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

CRACKLIN' CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Heat a cast-iron skillet over low heat until warmed through. Meanwhile, grind or cut the bacon into a small dice. Spread over pan evenly. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently so that it doesn't burn, until the fat is rendered and the bits of bacon are crispy, 4-5 minutes. Drain the bacon in a strainer, reserving the fat to use in the recipe. (You will need 5 tablespoons.) Place skillet into the preheated oven to heat.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and salt. Slowly whisk in 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat. In a separate bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and bacon bits. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, just to combine.
• Move the skillet from the oven to the stove, placing it over low heat to keep it hot. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat to the skillet and swirl to coat the bottom. Pour the batter into the center of the skillet, distributing it evenly. It should sizzle. Cook on the stove over medium heat until the edge is golden and pulling away from the pan, 1-2 minutes.
• Bake the cornbread until a toothpick placed in the center comes away clean, about 20-30 minutes. Optional: Rub a bit of lard on top of the finished cornbread and broil until golden and sizzling (less than one minute).
• Serve in the skillet or flip out of the pan onto a plate. Slice into wedges and serve hot.

SOUTHERN CRACKLIN' CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Combine the cornmeal, soda, and salt; stir in the eggs and buttermilk.
• Heat the bacon drippings in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan until very hot. Add the hot dripping and cracklings to batter, mixing well.
• Pour batter into hot pan. Bake at 450°F for 25 minutes or until bread is golden. Cut into squares.

MOMMA'S CRACKLIN CORNBREAD

Steps:

• 1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F.
• 2. Prepare an 8 x 10 oblong baking pan by spraying it with butter-flavored cooking spray.
• 3. In a medium-size bowl, mix the dry ingredients, stirring to combine.
• 4. In a second bowl, add the wet ingredients, mixing well.
• 5. Gently fold in the dry cracklins and pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish.
• 6. Bake at 400 F for 25 to 30 minutes.
• 7. NOTE: Over the years this recipe has been cooked in everything from cast iron skillets or corn cob molds, cake pans and even waffle irons. I have even spooned the mixture by the ladle into a skillet of hot oil and made individual servings of fried cornbread (called corn pones). It is a very versatile and forgiving recipe.