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Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
From robust Cajun fare to cozy soul food to spicy Tex-Mex, Southern cooking is as diverse as it is delicious. The different regional foodways have always intrigued Allrecipes Allstar Sarah Kornbrek, especially after she moved from Michigan to Virginia in her 20s. Both places prize from-scratch cooking, but do so in their own way. (For instance, whether sugar belongs in cornbread continues to be a hot topic when comparing Northern to Southern cooking!)
To help Kornbrek learn more about how to recreate some of her new Southern food favorites, including barbecue and shareable sides, Kornbrek has been using the new MyRecipes tool to save and categorize recipes from Allrecipes and its sister sites. “Saving is so easy with one click—just press the ‘heart’ symbol to keep it in a collection. The recommendations I get as a result have introduced me to a whole new category of dishes from brands like Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens, and Food & Wine,” Kornbrek tells us. “This has me excited about recipe browsing again!” Here’s a shortlist of the delicious dishes she has tucked away to learn in the year ahead.
01
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Chef John’s Barbecue Chicken
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
In addition to being smoky and tangy, barbecue sauce is sweet. The sugar it contains “only takes a minute for it to go from brick red to solid black—so you have to be careful,” Chef John admits. “To ensure a sticky, sweet glaze that’s not burnt, I sear the skin quickly, then cook it skin-side up on a covered grill, brushing on the glaze while it cooks.” The result turns out “very moist and delicious,” according to Allrecipes member Pamela, who serves this with corn on the cob and cast-iron biscuits. That makes for a “really delicious dinner that whipped up quickly. A keeper.”
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02
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Chef John Pulled Pork BBQ
Chef John
After just 15 minutes of prep time, spice-rubbed pork shoulder is ready to set and forget in your oven. Once it’s done cooking low and slow, shred the meat, toss it with your favorite barbecue sauce, and “do your patriotic American duty and serve this pork on the cheapest, lightest white hamburger buns you can find,” Chef John recommends. When you do, you’ll likely agree with Linda Adams Dodge, who declares this “the absolute bomb! I can’t believe I set my alarm on a Saturday morning to put this in the oven. I am so glad I did. This meat is to die for. I can’t rave enough about how good this was.”
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03
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Chef John's Nashville Hot Chicken
DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
“If you’ve never had Nashville Hot Chicken, we’re talking about mouthwateringly, ultra-crispy, fiery fried chicken with a cayenne-infused glaze, and by ‘glaze’ I mean melted butter and lard,” Chef John explains. (Sign us up!) “While I’ve never been to Nashville myself, this recipe works well for me. Serve chicken pieces on white bread and brush with extra sauce and pickles if you like.” Even though Chef John hasn’t been to Music City yet, this recipe is right on target, Allrecipes fans rave. “I’m a fried chicken snob, and this recipe came very close to the fiery version I’ve eaten down South. Shatteringly crisp skin and moist delicious meat! A huge hit,” says home cook Leslie Kelly.
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04
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Hot Water Cornbread
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Regarding that sweet or not-so-sweet cornbread debate, Kornbrek believes, why choose? “Golden Sweet Cornbread is a personal favorite—I’ve made it many times! This is a Yankee version of cornbread that is sweet. In Virginia and in the South, they eat unsweetened cornbread like this Hot Water Cornbread with dinner. Southerners seem to be quite particular about not eating sweet cornbread. I eat both!” Even Northerners won’t be disappointed by the low-sugar Hot Water Cornbread, which is “so easy and so good,” according to Allrecipes member Melinda. “I’ve never been able to seem to get the right kind of consistency,” until this one, she reveals. “This will definitely be a staple in my house.”
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05
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BBQ Shrimp and Grits
Kornbrek tells us this zesty Southern specialty made the cut “since grits have become a personal favorite after moving to Virginia. I’ve made many breakfasts-for-dinner with a bowl of creamy grits topped with bacon and cheese. My husband loves any recipe with shrimp, and we are both barbecue fans, so this recipe is perfect!” These aren’t just standard grits; they’re infused with melty shreds of Cheddar cheese. As for the shrimp, it gets its BBQ flair from paprika, cumin, and Carolina-style BBQ sauce. Fellow Allrecipes member Stan Ray declares this “a winner!”
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06
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Old Southern Chocolate Pecan Sheet Cake
A variation on the delectable Texas sheet cake, Leslie41 scored this recipe from another Southern cook, who shared “a copy of a copy of a typed-up sheet from long ago, annotated with her notes (which included the word ‘oleo’ instead of ‘margarine’).” Leslie was intrigued by how the cake batter was heated on the stove before heading to the oven, before being topped with cooked icing while still warm. “The result is a wonderfully rich, yet surprisingly light, chocolate sheet cake topped with a cooked chocolate and pecan frosting. This cake has an incredible homemade taste, yet is foolproof!”
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07
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John’s Pimento Cheese
Rhonda, who shared this recipe, admits that she doesn’t usually enjoy pimento cheese, but this rendition, courtesy of a co-worker, changed her tune. Made simply with shredded Cheddar, chopped pimentos, garlic powder, and mayo, this dip/spread takes just 10 minutes to prepare. The result is “delicious” if you ask Allrecipes member Saveur. “I just threw everything in the blender for a smoother spread, then used this as a sandwich spread. It was so tasty. I’ll definitely use this again.”
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08
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Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Sausage balls crafted from baking mix, shredded cheese, and pork sausage are a go-to appetizer in the South. This variation really shines thanks to the cream cheese, which makes them tender, moist, and irresistibly flavorful. Home cooks like Chelsey rave that after trying sausage balls with cream cheese, “I’ll never go back to making them the traditional way!” If you’re worried that the cream cheese might dampen the flavor of the Cheddar or sausage, Belgianvrouw says fear not: “It only enhances. Plus, even the leftovers (we make a ton of them) are no longer dried out.”
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09
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J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits
DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
Kornbrek saved these buttery biscuits not because she hasn’t tried them yet, but because she has—and adored them so much, she wants to revisit them. “This is a really great recipe, and the biscuits rose really high.” JP is John Pickett, who kindly shared his easy mix, roll, and cut biscuit recipe with us. Not only are the fluffy, large biscuits a breeze to prep, but also “the dough can also be prepared several hours, and up to a day, ahead of time,” John Pickett says. One fan who comes “from a family of very picky biscuit lovers looked all summer for a soft big biscuit,” and with this, “I have found it!”
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10
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Southern Coleslaw
ALLRECIPES / JULIA HARTBECK
Sweet, tangy, and reminiscent of KFC coleslaw, according to Kristina who confirms this “recipe has been passed down the generations,” this make-ahead coleslaw recipe is one of the best Southern side dishes for barbecues. Allrecipes member Kls02a60 notes that “a friend of mine brought this coleslaw over as a side dish, and I loved it” so much that she begged for the how-to, and found it here on Allrecipes (just like Kornbrek)!
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11
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Mississippi Chicken
Photographer: Grant Webster / Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly / Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
Mississippi Pot Roast featuring beef chuck is delectable as-is, but the Allrecipes team thought the dish could use a lighter refresh. “Mississippi Chicken is simple to make with just four ingredients for juicy, tangy shredded chicken that’s delicious in buns or served over mashed potatoes or rice,” our test kitchen team explains. “You can make this in a slow cooker if you prefer.” While it’s originally designed as a main dish, Kornbrek might want to consider following the lead of FlashyTea6737, who says you can “easily turn this into a party dip by adding cream cheese or sour cream.”
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12
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Creamed Corn with Tomatoes
AR Magazine
Atlanta-based chef Virginia Willis relies on cream cheese for a tangy, flavorful way to transform corn kernels into luscious creamed corn. Fresh basil, parsley, and tomatoes brighten things up. Kornbrek can look forward to “the perfect use for leftover corn on the cob,” explains Stephanie Towery-Haynes. “I will definitely make this again. It was delicious!”
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13
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Best Carolina BBQ Meat Sauce
Inspired by Big Daddy’s Carolina-style sauce, TRIPPER shares that they “had to search, snoop, and experiment to get it right. It’s fantastic on pork, or try brushing some on chicken as it finishes on the grill.” No matter what protein you pair it with, “this is an awesome BBQ sauce,” Allrecipes member Daydra says. “We got rave reviews and incredulous looks that we’d made this ourselves. This is great party fare, because all the work is done the day before. Day of, you just heat it up.”
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14
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Best Fried Green Tomatoes
DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
Best enjoyed alongside a summer sunset, notes recipe creator Diana Swenson-Siegel, Kornbrek can look forward to “the best fried green tomatoes,” says TwoDCsPlus1. “I followed the directions exactly, and the batter stuck perfectly and held up really well. This was my first time making these myself, and I had no problem whatsoever—in fact, I had never even fried anything before, and I still had no problems.”
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15
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Sweet and Tangy Sautéed Collard Greens
“Greens or cabbage prepared anyway are pretty popular,” Kornbrek says. “I recently tried sautéed greens and they were good that way vs. the traditional long-cooked method.” After that unexpected discovery, Kornbrek felt compelled to save this side dish recipe, especially after seeing fan feedback like “my wife (who doesn't normally care much for collards) liked it,” Allrecipes member RandyO says. “I usually use a pressure cooker and these end up with a very similar texture. I will definitely be trying this recipe again soon!”
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16
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Chess Pie
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
This “very sweet, rich dessert which cannot be described as anything but marvelous” landed with T Knecht after being passed down from several generations of grandmothers in her family tree. When you cook along with Kornbrek and are able to take a bite of the custard pie, “you will think you have died and gone to heaven when you taste this, particularly when served with whipped cream,” T Knecht adds. But don’t just take her word for it. Home cook Jennifer Hayes calls it “fabulous! My brother-in-law calls it ‘sugar cookie pie.’ It takes on an almost crème brulee quality with the caramelized top. Incredible!”
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