Backcountry Grits

[The Other Tom]

Exit 40? Powdersville, Easley, Liberty, Pickens?

Easley

[WandererWade]

Well I never thought I would see west coast folks talk about grits! When I lived in Oregon, folks would look at me like an alien if I mentioned grits. As a born and bred southener, I love grits. Grits are always breakfast for me on any trip.

It's embarrassing for a southerner to buy instand grits....but I do it. I take the freezer bag approach with the grits, usually butter flavor and sometimes ham, and usually add some pre-cooked bacon or real bacon bits. Would love to add sharp cheddar but have never found any that travels in hot weather. Ahhhh grits!!

[Rosabella]

Wow!!! I think I may have to start experimenting with grits... these ideas sound really interesting. I actually have some in my cupboard... the regular-cooking-time ones.

[Tom_H]

As a Southerner I feel that I am well qualified to comment on ... grits... Salt, pepper and butter only unless you're making shrimp etoufe and yellow grits.

For those of us born and raised in south Georgia, the sole other authentic addition is red eye (ham) gravy. They do make an outstanding backcountry breakfast. In Boy Scouts, we used to go on week long canoe camping trips on meandering coastal plains rivers (which were isolated wilderness areas). We'd get up and catch fresh red fin or blue tail bream, have them sauteed in butter with scrambled eggs and a big batch of grits for breakfast. Man, my mouth's startin' to water!

[whiteout]

funny....to me cornmeal is like snow camping....you should try it at home first. I used to cook cornmeal a lot camping, usually with lots of parmesan & tomato sauce (so you know the name of that corn dish), but cooked over wood fires. Then once I tried it over a Whisperlite gas stove. Huge failure. Once it achieved its general thickness it wouldn't boil. It would just sit until the one bubble of super heated steam right over the burner broke the surface. No mixing at all. The outsides of the pot were tepid at best. Moot now, having moved to cook-only-water, but I was a little bitter having lost such a wonderful meal. Was there a missed secret?

[TahoeJeff]

They are not for the purists, but I think Quaker instant grits are a great backpacking breakfast. On a recent trip, my 7 y.o. son and I each took 2 packets, added home cooked backon bits and parmesean cheese packets for a delicious start to the day.

[vandman]

backcountry grits72.jpg

Aaarh! Backcountry grits simmering on the stove at Black Giant Lake. These batch was seasoned with olive oil, shallots, garlic, tarragon, morel mushrooms, dried tomatoes, dried/smoked jalapeno, chicken bouillon, ketchup and parmesan. Highlight meal of 14 days on the trail. Cooking time 5 minutes. Cost: maybe $1. Weight: Grits 3 oz, seasoning maybe 1 oz. Cooking alcohol: 1 oz.

[Hikingfamily]

Thanks for the new ideas. For some reason, breakfast is our most difficult meal to plan for. I really don't feel too hungry in the morning. If it weren't for our kids, we'd probably be just as happy to eat a power bar and hike on.

SO, this is most helpful! Another hot breakfast meal to try!

[austex]

A hot breakfast really gives a kickstart to the day and sets the tempo for the rest of the day! From L.A. originally but love grits! Great recipes / ideas to kick 'em up!

[funcrew]

This breakfast (or supper) is for slow-day lazy fisher-hikers like myself, not for rushed, early rising through-hikers. Anyway, start with full-strength non-instant, non-quick grits. Add cold water, crumbled up beef jerky, a slice of cheese, a pinch of salt, and any spices you want. Cover and let soak cold for a while while you fish. Fire the stove and bring to a boil, then kill the fire and let sit covered and insulated for 15 minutes while you fish some more. Serve and enjoy; good with black coffee.