Southern Hoecakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fine white cornmeal
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings, melted
• 1/4 cup bacon drippings or vegetable oil, for frying
• Butter and sorghum syrup, for serving

Before you cook

• Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
• Beat the egg, buttermilk and melted bacon drippings together in a second bowl.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the cornmeal until the batter is the thickness of heavy cream, adding buttermilk a spoonful at a time if needed.
• Let the batter stand for five minutes to soften the meal.

Steps

1. Pour the frying fat into a cast iron skillet to a depth of about an eighth of an inch.
2. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat until the fat shimmers and a drop of batter sizzles at once.
3. Spoon in 1/4 cup portions of batter, leaving space between them.
4. Fry until the edges are lacy, brown and crisp and the tops look dry, about two and a half minutes.
5. Flip the hoecakes and press them flat with the spatula.
6. Fry the second side for two minutes, until deeply browned.
7. Drain the hoecakes briefly on a rack and serve them hot with butter and sorghum syrup.