The Art of Creating Cheesy Country Ham Grit Balls

As I stood in front of my stove, I couldn't help but think about how I could take a classic Southern dish like grits to the next level. I wanted to create something that would not only satisfy my cravings for cheesy goodness, but also offer a crispy and crunchy texture that would complement the softness of the grits. After some contemplation, I decided to try making cheesy country ham grit balls - a snack that would surely become my new favorite.

To start, I cut up half a cup of country ham into almost-bits, which I knew would give me a nice crunch when fried. Next, I heated up my skillet and poured in half a cup of canola oil, the sizzle music to my ears as it hit the hot surface. As I waited for the oil to heat up, I couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation - this was going to be good. Once the oil was hot, I carefully added my diced ham bits and watched in awe as they started to sizzle and crisp up.

I love crispy bacon and ham, and there's something about that perfect balance of crunch and flavor that just makes my heart skip a beat. So, instead of simply adding the ham to the grit mixture, I decided to fry it up until it was nice and crispy. It was a simple yet effective technique that would elevate this dish from good to great. With my ham bits now golden brown and fragrant, I moved on to preparing the rest of the ingredients.

I had about two cups of leftover grits from yesterday, which I dumped right into the bowl. Next, I added about a cup of smoked Gruyere cheese, which would give these grit balls a nice smoky flavor that complemented the country ham perfectly. With all my ingredients at hand, I simply mixed everything together with my hands, folding in the ingredients until they were just combined. From here, it was time to form the grit balls - something I had yet to try before.

To achieve the perfect crunch and ooey-gooey soft center, I knew I needed to dredge these balls in a mixture of flour, eggs, and panko breadcrumbs. First, I mixed together half a cup of flour with a pinch of cayenne pepper and a few pinches of paprika - adding that extra kick to give my grit balls an extra boost. Next, I whisked together two eggs slightly, making sure they were nice and smooth. The final step was adding panko breadcrumbs instead of traditional bread crumbs, as I knew the thicker texture would provide an even crunchier exterior.

With all my ingredients ready, it was time to coat these grit balls in a mixture that would make them irresistible. First, I rolled each ball into a layer of flour, shaking off any excess before moving on to the egg mixture and finally finishing with a coating of panko breadcrumbs. The final result was something truly special - crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, all held together by the creamy cheese and savory country ham.

As my oil heated up in the skillet, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement - it was time to fry these grit balls until they were golden brown and irresistible. With a flick of my wrist, I dropped each ball into the hot oil, watching as they sizzled and cooked rapidly. It wasn't long before they reached that perfect golden brown color, signaling that they were ready to be removed from the heat.

The moment of truth had finally arrived - time to take a bite out of these cheesy country ham grit balls. As I popped one into my mouth, the crunch of the panko breadcrumbs gave way to the ooey-gooey soft center inside, surrounded by the creamy cheese and savory country ham. It was love at first bite - I knew right then and there that these grit balls were going to become a staple in my kitchen.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso i thought to myself is there a way that i can make grits into a snack so i'm going to make cheesy country ham grit balls i'm cutting up half a cup of country ham almost making country ham bits i have my skillet nice and hot got some canola oil here putting half a cup of my diced that sizzle music to my ears all right so i'm frying my ham bits till they get nice and crispy instead of just adding the ham into the grit mixture i like to fry it up because of the texture i mean i like a really crispy bacon and i like really crispy ham so my ham is nice and crispy okay i have about two cups of leftover grits from yesterday dump it right in the bowl i'm gonna add the country ham and i'm adding about a cup of smoked gruyere cheese so it's gonna give me a nice little smoky flavor so all i do is mix it with my hand just folding in all of my ingredients and then i'm just going to form some balls so i'm going to dredge these balls i'm going to put it in flour egg panko breadcrumbs at the end that's gonna make it super crispy so when you bite into it you're gonna get crunchy and then you're gonna get this ooey gooey soft center last one right dredging station half a cup of flour and to kick it up a notch i'm going to add a pinch of cayenne and a few pinches of paprika two eggs slightly whisk and panko in my last bowl i'm using panko instead of bread crumbs because panko is a little thicker than bread crumbs so it's going to be super crispy roll it in the flour put it into the egg mixture strip off any excess egg coat it in the panko that's it i love a good old-fashioned bowl of grits that's great but adding cheese or some type of meat to grits heaven all right so my oil is heated nice and hot i'm gonna drop these in here and fry them until they're nice and golden brown i'm just gonna keep moving them around you see no time at all i'm looking for more so of a golden brown ah there it is there it is it's golden brown and i think the first batch is ready to try look at that youso i thought to myself is there a way that i can make grits into a snack so i'm going to make cheesy country ham grit balls i'm cutting up half a cup of country ham almost making country ham bits i have my skillet nice and hot got some canola oil here putting half a cup of my diced that sizzle music to my ears all right so i'm frying my ham bits till they get nice and crispy instead of just adding the ham into the grit mixture i like to fry it up because of the texture i mean i like a really crispy bacon and i like really crispy ham so my ham is nice and crispy okay i have about two cups of leftover grits from yesterday dump it right in the bowl i'm gonna add the country ham and i'm adding about a cup of smoked gruyere cheese so it's gonna give me a nice little smoky flavor so all i do is mix it with my hand just folding in all of my ingredients and then i'm just going to form some balls so i'm going to dredge these balls i'm going to put it in flour egg panko breadcrumbs at the end that's gonna make it super crispy so when you bite into it you're gonna get crunchy and then you're gonna get this ooey gooey soft center last one right dredging station half a cup of flour and to kick it up a notch i'm going to add a pinch of cayenne and a few pinches of paprika two eggs slightly whisk and panko in my last bowl i'm using panko instead of bread crumbs because panko is a little thicker than bread crumbs so it's going to be super crispy roll it in the flour put it into the egg mixture strip off any excess egg coat it in the panko that's it i love a good old-fashioned bowl of grits that's great but adding cheese or some type of meat to grits heaven all right so my oil is heated nice and hot i'm gonna drop these in here and fry them until they're nice and golden brown i'm just gonna keep moving them around you see no time at all i'm looking for more so of a golden brown ah there it is there it is it's golden brown and i think the first batch is ready to try look at that you\n"