Lovin Kansas: This Mouthwatering Hush Puppies Recipe Is A Southern Delight

Sarah

Ingredients

•1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal
•4 slices Fire & Smoke Kansas Style Maple Glazed Ham chopped into chunks
•1/2 cup self-rising flour
•1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 small red onion, chopped
•1 cup buttermilk
•1 egg, lightly beaten
•Vegetable oil

There’s no denying that the Deep South is hard to beat when it comes to delicious food.

So, we’ve teamed up with Fire & Smoke to take you on a virtual tour of six Southern US states to highlight some of their most mouthwatering dishes and help you create some of that incredible taste at home.

This time, it’s Kansas City’s ridiculously good signature dish Hush Puppies, but before you start cooking, let’s take a quick look at where the dish came from…

Kansas City

Slow-cooked smokey meats, fire grilled ribs dripping with sticky marinade, charred tips of brisket mixed with beans and crispy fried hush puppies are just some of the addictive tastes to be found in Kansas City – one of the best states in the US for succulent BBQ flavours.

Kansas BBQ heritage was founded from the fire pit flames of Henry Perry, who’s known as ‘the father of Kansas City barbecue.’ The fire master himself would grill meat smoked over oak in an old barn and sell it wrapped in newsprint to hungry locals.

It was Henry’s brother who added a touch of sweetness to the tangy BBQ sauce for that unique Kansas flavour that you can still enjoy today.

Bursting with sumptuous food joints, Kansas City is home to more than 100 barbecue restaurants, where pit masters hone their craft in traditional methods of low ‘n’ slow cooking and wood smoking.

Try Jack Stack BBQ for their signature ribs and fork-tender brisket prepared in hickory-fired brick ovens, or B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ for a side of blues jazz with your wacky BBQ Sundae, a mason jar layered dish of creamy coleslaw, smokey pit beans and pulled pork.

Kansas City Market is another brilliant option for farmer’s stalls and authentic Deep South treats.

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If you haven’t tried one of Kansas City’s signature dishes, Hush Puppies, you’re seriously missing out.

These small, deep fried savoury bites are made from cornmeal and the addition of Fire & Smoke Kansas Style Maple Glazed Ham adds extra mouthwatering flavour.

The recipe below is perfect for a quick and easy side dish you’ll want to keep snackin’ on.

Instructions

Step 1

Using a deep pot, preheat oil for frying to 180 degrees C. We find vegetable or corn oil works best!

Step 2

Using a mixing bowl, stir together the cornmeal, self-raising flour, chopped Fire & Smoke Kansas Style Maple Glazed Ham, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chopped red onion. In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk and egg.

Step 3

Pour the buttermilk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until blended.

Step 4

Drop the batter, one teaspoon at a time, into the vegetable oil. (Dip the spoon in a glass of water after each hush puppy is dropped in the oil to make it easier.)