Cornbread-ucation: Learn the Legend of our Notorious Cornbread
There are very few things here at Sam Jones BBQ that we would describe as "polarizing." Generally, if you like North Carolina-style BBQ, you're gonna like what we are doing at Sam Jones BBQ… with one minor exception: our cornbread.
We've read the Yelp reviews, and it's not lost on us that this ain't your ordinary cornbread. Some folks love our cornbread and think it's the perfect accompaniment; it soaks up sauce just right, and it can be the ideal tool to help load up a mouth-full of BBQ. Others find the taste and texture foreign and incredibly different from the fluffy, sometimes sweet cornbread they are used to.
But here's the thing: Like many things we do, our cornbread is special and has a deep history, and it's not going anywhere! We're not talking about a couple of decades either; this recipe goes back generations. Legend has it that our cornbread recipe goes all the way back to 1830 and comes from right here in Ayden, NC. And while cornbread itself is an indigenous creation, it was adapted and changed just like so many southern-American foods. Legend says that when Skilton Dennis (our kin) started selling his smoked meats out of a wagon back in the 1830s, he served it with only one side: cornbread.
We generally use the same technique and recipe – with a few updates – but the tradition remains. Back in Pete Jones's days, commodity hogs had a good deal more fat on them, which produced a surplus of leftover lard. We would use up all that lard in our cornbread, but nowadays, hogs are leaner, and we can't just depend on lard produced from smoking.
At home, if lard isn't available, we'll happily reach for some leftover, strained bacon grease, but at the end of the day, it's this rendered pork fat that makes our cornbread special. We've added some seasoning and leavening agents through the years, but other than that, we've left everything else the same. Because the ingredients are so limited (cornmeal, water, lard, and a bit of secret stuff), the result is cornbread with excellent, crispy corners and a smooth, almost creamy interior. But it ain’t fluffy. Sorry, that’s just the way it is folks.
If you decide to make a batch for yourself, we recommend only holding on to it for just a few hours. We joke around that you could shingle a house with it if you keep it overnight. However, we don't recommend that – it's definitely best served fresh! (You can find the recipe in our cookbook and see for yourself!)
All of the years of history mean that it holds an extraordinarily special place in our hearts. Just because it is a bit different from what you might expect, there is something to be said about preserving these old, generational culinary traditions and embracing the southern foodways that brought us here to today.
And hey, if our cornbread just ain't your thing, no worries, we've got you covered! Most folks don't realize it, but we also offer a Sweet Potato Muffin – a sweet and savory corn muffin with a bit of added sweet potato – that is perfect for those who crave that fluffy and sweet cornbread.