Hoe Cakes

By fuzzygroup

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups finely ground yellow cornmeal, such as Geechie Boy or Anson Mills
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon salt for finishing
• 4 tablespoons lard

Details

Adapted from wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Set a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat and let it get very hot while you prepare the batter. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal and ½ teaspoon salt. Add 1 cup boiling water to cornmeal and stir to combine. Continue stirring and slowly add 3 more tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Batter should be thin enough to slowly pour but also thick enough to spread with a spatula once it is on the skillet. If batter is too thick to pour, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring to combine.

2. Melt lard in hot skillet, tilting pan to coat, then pour off 3 tablespoons into a small heatproof bowl. To prevent lard remaining in skillet from burning, remove skillet from heat briefly while you incorporate lard into batter. Pour 2 tablespoons melted lard from bowl into batter, stirring to combine. Reserve remaining melted lard in bowl.

3. Set skillet once again over medium-high heat and let it get hot. Working in batches, add 1 tablespoon batter per cake to skillet and spread quickly with a small spatula or butter knife. Cakes should be about 3 inches in diameter. Cook until edges are crisp and nicely browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer hoe cakes to a plate and cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more melted lard to pan and adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning. Sprinkle hoe cakes with salt and serve warm.