Black Pepper Cheesy Grits

Ingredients

• 1 cupstone-ground grits
• 3 cupswater or chicken broth
• 1 cupwhole milk or half-and-half
• 3 tbspunsalted butter
• 1 cupsharp cheddar, finely grated
• 1 tspfreshly cracked black pepper plus more to finish
• to tastesea salt

Method

1. 01

   Bring the water or broth to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Salt it generously — under-salted grits taste pale no matter how much butter follows.

2. 02

   Whisk the grits into the boiling liquid in a slow, steady stream. Whisking is what keeps them smooth; dumping them in is what makes them lumpy.

3. 03

   Lower the heat to its lowest setting. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, for thirty to forty minutes. Slow-cooked grits are creamy; rushed grits are gritty. There is no shortcut here that the texture will forgive.

4. 04

   When the grains have softened completely and the pot looks loose and porridge-like, stir in the milk. Cook another five to seven minutes until thickened to your liking.

5. 05

   Off the heat: stir in the butter and cheddar in soft handfuls until they melt into the grits and the texture turns glossy.

6. 06

   Crack the black pepper in generously — more than feels reasonable. The pepper is the dish's spine, not its garnish. Taste, adjust salt.