British BBQ Society Forums

Grits are awesome, especially when you add some cheese, thinking about it you could have it with Mac and Cheese

JEC wrote:Grits are awesome, especially when you add some cheese, thinking about it you could have it with Mac and Cheese

Grits are just white maize. Staple food in sub Saharan Africa. Also real nice with BBQ - think of it as the accompanying starch with the meat instead of bread.

JEC wrote:

essexsmoker wrote:Is mac n cheese any different to the macaroni cheese that we are used to? I've never seen a recipe for it.

Yes it is the same

I like mac and cheese as a side for BBQ, been to loads of restaurants in the US and at first you tend to think WTF but once you try good mac and cheese it just works. Use it for a break between meats, use it double carb style with a pulled pork roll on fries. Anyone who watches MVF should understand that in the US anything goes in a sandwich, the British may have invented it but the US liberated it!!

Ahh, ok. Well good home made macaroni cheese is just alround amazing whatever you have it with! Mmm. Cost a fortune in chese though.

I'm firmly in the camp that grits are the work of the devil and should only be consumed if you can't find something better like dog poo

RobinC wrote:I'm firmly in the camp that grits are the work of the devil and should only be consumed if you can't find something better like dog poo

Pmsl.

I love mac n cheese and done well, it's a beautiful dish - but as the main. I've had it with BBQ and appreciate it but i could only eat a little and am left really full. Can only guess it's supposed to be served in v small portions or was invented by someone with an enviable appetite!

Lobster, Mac and Cheese, awesome !!!!

Im with you Tiny

I don't really like the mac and cheese's ive tried, slimy and just sloppy cheese. Yes ive probably had bad ones and never tried it in America (going again next year so will try) so not sure if im getting bad ones over here.

I do agree its to filling for a bbq or do I leave out a meat at one of my bbq's and risk the wrath of my usuals having a "veggie" dish served up instead of a juicy meat.
"Salad" is a swear word at our BBQ's lol

I think M&C was added to bbqs as a side dish to fill you up so as to save on the meat dishes. Having watched just about every episode of MVF & DDD it seemed to be a staple in the less affluent areas in the past to pad out the offerings and is now considered by some to be an essential accompaniment to a "proper" BBQ. This is akin to, but not as nice as, serving Yorkshire Pudding as a starter and also with the meal and if you were lucky with jam on as a dessert . These days most people have no need to pad out their stomach with such a delight but it is now accepted that a good Yorkshire Pudding is a must for a roast dinner.

As BBQ has spread around the US and the World there has been some confusion between BBQ, Southern Food, and even Soul Food. All are hearty and typically low budget foods with no regard for healthiness but they don't all go together. Mac and Cheese IMO is a nice southern dish served beautifully with a ham or some fried catfish but it really doesn't fit with BBQ for me. Neither do biscuits, greens, or cornbread. All good Southern/Soul food that are now mandatory with BBQ outside of the South.