Cooking From Scratch: Fried Corn Meal Mush, or Polenta if You Insist

[@1timby]

We've been making this as well as Scrapple for decades. I was brought up with this and have made it for my kids and grand kids. Brings back a ton of good memories.

[@robertdeal410]

My ole man used to makes this for us as kids. Good memories

[@wwsuwannee7993]

Fried mush is unbelievably good. You can put whatever you want in them as far as spices, cheese, bacon crumbles, diced veg, whatever....and they are very, very frugal. 4 cobs of corn shucked and ground will feed 8 people in this style ( that's what I mean by frugal), or just use corn meal...any style works. Most folks laugh if asked if they ever had fried mush....I get like "Who do you think am, Oliver Twist lol". They don't laugh anymore once they try it :) Anyway folks, if you have never had it, put it on your bucket list...you'll be sorry you missed it all this time :) Thanks for sharing Debbie.

[@Moveon10001]

asking young workers at the grocery store for mush and they look at me funny. it's like going to the restaurant and asking a young waitress for Roquefort Dressing on my toss salad. They have never heard of that before.

[@vablueangel]

Lord have mercy! That's a throwback in time. We also enjoyed this. Like yours, it was chilled and sliced and then fried. We then enjoyed it with homemade churned butter and real maple syrup.. Some things just can't be improved on.. Lol Thanks for the share Debbie.. God Bless..

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

Sometimes the old things are the best.

[@sandystamps8077]

I like mine with butter and maple syrup!

[@orthohawk1026]

I love that you say "dippy eggs"! When I was in the military, a few of us from my dorm went to midnight chow together, and while we were in line, I mentioned that I wanted dippy eggs and toast. The other guys looked at me like my hair had suddenly turned purple.

[@reginaldanderson6078]

Debbie I do LOVE you clear wonderful directions! Keep up the good work.

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

Thank you.

[@Elkins24]

My Mom's recipe: 2 cups of boiling water, 1 tsp salt, 1 beaten egg, 1 cup of cornmeal. Add together, water, salt, egg and bring to a boil stiring constantly, add the cornmeal and stir constantly until is the consistanty of mashed potatoes. Let cool form into patties and fry until golden brown on each side. Very good.

[@BlGGESTBROTHER]

My mom still makes this from time to time. She adds browned ground sausage to the loaf before cooling. It's amazing!

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

Sounds good. I may try that.

[@sammyjo8109]

when you add sausage it is then called scrapple.

[@Handsthatcook]

I've never eaten this but you made me want to try it!! TFS

[@cherylbrown6746]

Great job

[@ashez2ashes]

Awesome someone's grandma. This recipe's probably going to be better than the others I was looking at!

[@FiercedeityBrad]

My gran used to make this and we'd have it with syrup with bacon and eggs on Sunday.

[@jtoo6060]

Nice video, we Italians have been eating this for thousands of years. We call it polenta and I like using the yellow corn meal. Polenta is very filling and sticks to your ribs .

[@jay8058]

Excellent info. Thanks

[@normamccomas9272]

ate this growing up

[@RUBIZEN]

Grew up with this except we called it scrapple. We used chicken broth to boil the corn meal in. We would also add a can of chicken breast to the mixture. The broth makes it very rich.

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

The food we call scrapple is made with pork. I have a video on how to make it.

[@cindystrother7710]

THANKS FOR SHARING LOOKS SO DELICIOUS AND YUMMY THANK FOR THE STEP by STEP INSTRUCTIONS HAVE A GREAT EVENING

[@1fanger888]

That is exactly how I used to make scrapple, except, I used chicken or turkey leftovers in the mush. Your tomato looks like a Pink Brandywine off a double blossom. Thanks.

[@jendyson2979]

Jealous of that tomato mine aren't very far along yet😀 your plate looked delicious - a lot of people like to dip the fried polenta in marinara sauce if you wanted something savory, with a sprinkle of parm. Thanks for the video!

[@sandystamps8077]

Use a little olive or canola oil with the butter so the butter won’t burn. ☺️. I always spread a little more butter and use maple syrup! Yummy!

[@anneallen9804]

we used to have this on Sunday nites . we had our big meal at noon on sunday then we had fried mush for supper with maple syrup... delish

[@carolv8450]

Sounds good - maybe with oatmeal and then maple syrup would taste better!?!?

[@iamjeff8435]

ANNE ALLEN just like in the book Shiloh... if they didn't have leftovers from Sunday at noon then his mom would make mush for dinners on Sunday

[@kmurphy579]

My mom and grandmother boil pork roast and shred it then add it to the cornmeal and fry soooo good! I'm making it tonight

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

We call that scrapple.

[@kew3922]

My mother would cut the mush into slices and roll them in a little four. They would come out with a golden crunchy outer layer. Great with molasses.

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

Sounds yummy.

[@brucenuesse5897]

Perfected? That's the way mom always made it.

[@handy335]

Very nice! Thank you!!

[@StrangeRealityVlog]

READING THE BOOK MAUDE by Donna Foley Mabry and she talks about corn meal mush... so i had to KZbin it !!! glad I found your channel, just subscribed. Much love from Cleveland Ohio.

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

Welcome.

[@cilla3636]

looks soo yummy miss debbie,having it for breakfast tomorrow

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

Thanks.

[@toddporter9211]

my stomach is growing lol, wish I had some now, looks delicious

[@rockywatson737]

Mom made it all the time sometimes she added chicken broth and shredded meat thin also she always added butter

[@jerryfrost7704]

Thank you!

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

You are welcome.

[@Moveon10001]

Great video. I use an electric stove and cook mush on medium heat in a Blue Diamond 12" skillet using melted butter and or vegetable oil. And I cook a little bit longer than you do as you are cooking with a gas stove. I should test the heat of my skills with a digital thermometer that can take the temperature of things without touching them. And I cook 8 pieces at a time. My stove is not level so the oil runs to one side of the pan so I have to rotate the skillet from time to time to get even cooking. If I had a level I would level out the stove as this really bugs me. But my level is 20 miles across town and I've not driven back across town to get my level and a few other things. My 96-year-old mother loves corn mush fried for breakfast. She has trouble eating and swallowing but she can swallow the mush as it's soft. We use to buy it from the grocery store but they don't have it anymore so our care keeper told us we could make mush from scratch. But it turned out too watery. I left in the refrigerator for 4 days covered and the pan was full of water. The mush fell apart when I tried to get it out of the pan so I had to throw it away. Then we tried making mush again using new cornmeal and less water. And we didn't use cold water at all. I just put the mush into the simmering water and it lumped up. I stirred it up and put it in the mold and left it uncovered in the frig overnight and it came out of the greased pan ok. i cut it up like you did and cooked it in lots of melted butter on medium heat on the electric oven.

[@rebeccarobinson8560]

I had to eat corn meal mush for breakfast every day when i was a kid.It wasnt fryed. Man i was glad when i could eat a piece of toast.haha but i was fed.

[@carolv8450]

Did your mom grow up during depression?

[@mwartist]

You said you were a canner, have you ever canned the stirred water/cornmeal mixture? So it's ready to open and fry? I know its generally not recommended to can starches but if the starch is fully saturated I don't know if it would be possible (Pressure canning) to find a 'golden ratio' and make it easy/convenient in the meantime. Thanks for any ideas you might be able to add!!

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

I said I was a SAFE canner, that means I don't experiment with canning recipes. There are no safe tested recipes for grains and since I don't have the proper equipment to test the finished product for safety, I won't be trying it. I do think you might be able to make the gruel and freeze it, then let it thaw in the fridge then cook.

[@mwartist]

@@DebbiesBackPorch absolutely fair, just thought I'd ask. Still seems funny to me that commercial canners can use rice/pasta/grains in canning but usda hasn't approved anything for home canning. Especially considering how long it's been around. Those canned little 'tamales' got me thinking out loud, but I do respect your caution to safety! Thanks!!

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

But you know, commercial canning is a completely different process than home canning so they really cannot be compared. The equipment they use is huge and expensive. USDA recommendations are only for home canning equipment. Commercial canners have different requirements and processes.

[@darlene2421]

I tried to make this it looks really creamy and good but I did something wrong cuz it never got hard in the fridge is still soft any suggestions? I was so looking forward to it but it was my first attempt so I'm sure I messed up somewhere

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

If it didn't "set up" in the fridge, I would suggest you use a little less water or a little more meal, and cook it a little longer. Corn meal is going to vary a little from batch to batch based on how finely it is ground, how long the corn was dried before it was ground or the variety of the corn and its starch content, even how long it has been on the shelf before you bought it. With a little practice you will get it right.

[@darlene2421]

@@DebbiesBackPorch I got it I just put it in the pan and cooked it a little longer and it picking up a little more and now it's all set. It's really good thank you so much for the recipe

[@carolv8450]

My grandmom used to make this with cream of wheat ...

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

I loved cream of wheat. Haven't had it in years.

[@lil69mikey]

try frying Mush in bacon grease yumm w/ maple syrup or honey

[@tanyahartley7782]

*NUM NUM*

[@donaldcarbone2073]

Debbie, eat is straight up and at least 8 peaces

[@SingPrayPaint]

Did you add the full 3 cups of boiling water? I saw that you only added half of it then I didn't see you add the rest, other than the saved 1/4 cup. I'm confused

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

Yes. I added half, stirred it in, then added the rest. Then on the long cook I added the other 1/4 cup.

[@JamesEvans-ow1wc]

I wonder if it's possible without a fridge. Cornmeal is real popular in rural areas where electricity is..... Not always there

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

No.

[@tashaleeann]

you sound like Paula Deen! Love your videos!

[@jtoo6060]

I use chicken broth instead of water and I add a clove or two of garlic , salt and bring to a boil and then stir in the yellow corn meal. Lower heat to low and simmer. Stir every 5 minutes. At the end l add butter and grated Parmesan cheese , stir in well and serve . Leftover put in fridge and fried the next day

[@kareno7848]

You'll flip them easier with tongs.

[@ericcriteser4001]

Hasty pudding!

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

Yeah. Sort of fried hasty pudding.

[@pennywells9824]

Corn meal mush is NOT Polenta......but grits and Polenta are the same thing......

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

Well, I beg to differ. While polenta can be made from nixtamalzed corn, it isn't always and currently it almost never is. It is generally coarse ground dried corn. Corn meal for mush is generally medium ground. Grits are made from nixtamalized corn, or hominy. I have participated inn the making and I can tell you they are not the same thing. What I also know is that certain foods are called different things by different cultures and even families within a culture, so of course you may call it anything you like. In a few weeks I will be making a video on how to make hominy. I hope you watch it.

[@roglco72]

This is nothing more than hot water corn bread (fried corn bread) served in the deep south. You put it together in a strange, incredibly difficult fashion and didn't make it into hand patties which are fried, but otherwise it's the same recipe. Growing up I don't think a day went by fried corn bread wasn't on the table for at least one meal.

[@DebbiesBackPorch]

I make fried corn patties all the time. In fact, I have a video on it. It really is not the same thing. Does not even taste the same. The closest thing to this when I was growing up was fried grits.