The Outlaw Chef's "Rio Grande Cornbread"

Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

Prep Time:
30 min
Inactive Prep Time:
10 min
Cook Time:
45 min

Level:
Intermediate

Serves:
about 10 servings

Ingredients

2 ears corn, husked
1/4 cup bacon fat
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup creme mexicana (Mexican sour cream)
1 cup chopped fire roasted Hatch green chiles
1/8 cup water
1/2 cup chopped onion
12 ounces goat cheese

Directions

Preheat the grill to medium-high.

Grill the corn until slightly charred black in some areas and has good color. Remove the corn from the grill to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut the kernels off the cob. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add about 1/8-inch of bacon fat to a 10-inch cast iron skillet and put it in the oven to heat up. While this is going on, mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl add the cornmeal, reserving about 1/8 cup, the salt and the baking soda. When the oil is hot, remove the skillet from the oven and sprinkle the bottom with the reserved 1/8 cup of cornmeal. Stir it into the oil and return the skillet to the oven to brown the cornmeal. In a large bowl add the eggs, creme mexicana, corn, chiles, water, remaining bacon fat and the onions. When the cornmeal roux is nice and brown, remove the skillet from the oven and pour in half of the batter. It should sizzle a little in the hot bacon fat. Now sprinkle the goat cheese evenly across the top of the first layer of batter. Gently pour in the remaining batter, being careful not to upset the layers, and bake until the top is golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving