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Ingredients
- 4 lean slices hickory-smoked bacon
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into bits, room temperature
Preparation
Step 1
FRY the bacon in a skillet over moderate heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels and finely crumble, reserving the cooking fat.
WHISK together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add the egg and buttermilk and stir until well blended. Add the shortening and bacon and stir until well blended. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.
PREHEAT oven to 475 degrees. Grease a 7-stick cast-iron cornstick mold with some of the reserved bacon fat and place in the oven until very hot, about 5 minutes. (See notes.) Spoon the batter into the mold, spreading with the back of the spoon to fill the indentations, and bake until the tops are golden brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. (We found it easier to remove the sticks from the mold after cooling for a minute or two. Use the blade of a knife to get under them if needed.) Serve piping hot.
NOTE: If you don't have a cast-iron cornbread mold, you can bake it in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. The batter is thick, so pat it out with the back of a spoon when you add it to the hot fat in the pan, and bake about 12 minutes.
Makes 7 (5-inch) cornsticks.