Stone-Ground Grits

Ingredients

• 1 cup coarse stone-ground grits
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Before you cook

• Put the grits in a large bowl and cover them with cold water by two inches.
• Stir once and let them stand 2 minutes; the chaff and hull bits will float to the top.
• Skim off the floating chaff with a fine sieve and pour off most of the water, then drain the grits well.
• Some cooks soak the drained grits overnight in the refrigerator to shorten the cooking; either way, drain them before starting.

Steps

1. Bring the 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Rain the drained grits into the boiling water in a slow stream while whisking constantly.
3. Whisk for 2 minutes as the grits begin to thicken.
4. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting that keeps a lazy bubble breaking the surface every few seconds.
5. Cover partly and cook for 55 to 70 minutes, whisking down to the bottom and into the corners every 10 minutes so nothing scorches.
6. Add a splash of hot water any time the grits stiffen before the grains have gone tender.
7. Bite a spoonful at 55 minutes; finished grits should be creamy with no chalky center left in the grain.
8. Whisk in the butter, milk and black pepper.
9. Cook 3 minutes more, until the grits are glossy and pourable but still mound on a spoon.
10. Taste and add salt generously, since grits absorb far more than you expect, and serve at once in warm bowls.