Smokey Sweet Spicy Butter for your Cornbread! #stirthepot

Made In is offering up to 40% off during their End of Season Savings Event. Use my link and get some of the best deals of the year. - https://madein.cc/0826-stirthepot

This is the cornbread I make when I want the table to go quiet.

But the thing that actually makes this dish work isn't in the ingredient list. It's the pan.

Most people fold everything into the batter, pour it in, and bake it. You end up with one muddy layer where nothing tastes like itself. I don't do that. The batter goes into a 14 inch MADE IN CAST IRON SKILLET with three tablespoons of wagyu fat in it, ripping hot, and it starts frying immediately -- the edges set, the bottom builds a crust. Then the crawfish mixture goes on top, the pepper jack blankets it, and I gently press the whole thing down into the frying batter before it goes in the oven.

What comes out is two distinct layers. A fried, golden, lacquered cornbread base with a real crust on it. And on top, a browned, bubbling cap of crawfish and pepper jack. Crunch, then crawfish, then that cane syrup butter melting down through all of it.

That fried crust is the entire dish, and you cannot get it without the right pan.

Here's why I run Made In cast iron for this. When two and a half quarts of cold batter hit the surface all at once, a thin pan crashes. The fat cools, the batter sits there and steams, and you get a pale, soggy bottom. Made In cast iron holds its heat. The cooking surface is smooth and even from the center out to the rim, so the base browns edge to edge instead of giving me one dark spot in the middle. Preseasoned out of the box, and frying wagyu fat and butter in it only makes it better. And it goes from the burner straight into a 400 degree oven and then to the table -- one pan, no transfers, nothing else to wash.

I use two here. The 12 inch for sauteing the crawfish and vegetables in butter, and the 14 inch for the fry and the bake.

Holler in the comments!

Full recipe below.

-------------------------------
CRAWFISH CORNBREAD
-------------------------------

Yield: One 14" cast iron skillet, 14-18 servings
Oven: 400F
Bake time: 30 minutes
Equipment: 12" skillet for the saute, 14" Made In cast iron skillet for frying and baking

INGREDIENTS
Dry:
- 3 1/2 cups Marsh Hen Mill yellow cornmeal
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 tsp kosher salt
Wet:
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 whole eggs
- 9 Tbsp butter, melted
Crawfish mixture:
- 2 lbs Louisiana crawfish tails, drained
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced (reserve the green tops)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp butter, for the saute
For the top:
- 1 lb pepper jack cheese, shredded
For the pan:
- 3 Tbsp wagyu fat
Cane syrup butter:
- 1/2 lb butter, softened
- 1/4 cup cane syrup

INSTRUCTIONS
1. PREHEAT THE SKILLET. Set the oven to 400F and slide the 14" cast iron skillet in dry. Leave it in there until the moment you need it.
2. SAUTE THE CRAWFISH MIXTURE. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in the 12" skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, cook 6-8 minutes until softened and just starting to color. Add the garlic, cook 1 minute. Add the drained crawfish tails and cook 2-3 minutes, just until heated through. Fold in the scallions off the heat. Spread on a sheet tray to cool.
3. MIX THE DRY. Whisk the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until thoroughly combined.
4. MIX THE WET. Whisk the eggs into the milk, then stream in the melted butter while whisking.
5. COMBINE. Fold the wet into the dry until just mixed. Do not overwork it. The batter should be thick but pourable. Do not add the crawfish mixture to the batter.
6. FRY THE CORNBREAD. Pull the hot skillet onto a burner over medium-high. Add the wagyu fat and swirl to coat -- it should shimmer and just begin to smoke. Pour in the plain batter and level the top. Fry undisturbed 3-4 minutes, until the edges set and the bottom takes color.
7. TOP AND PRESS. Spoon the cooled crawfish mixture evenly over the frying cornbread, then blanket it with the pepper jack. Gently press it down into the batter -- seated into the surface, not buried.
8. BAKE. Into the 400F oven for 30 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbling and the center is set.
9. CANE SYRUP BUTTER. While it bakes, whip the softened butter with the cane syrup until light and fully emulsified.
10. FINISH. Rest 10-15 minutes in the skillet. Spread the cane syrup butter over the hot top so it melts down into the cheese and crust. Scatter the reserved scallion greens. Serve warm, straight from the skillet.

TIPS

PREHEAT YOUR CAST IRON IN THE OVEN, NOT ON THE BURNER. The oven heats the whole pan evenly -- walls, sides, and base. A burner only heats the center and leaves you cold rings that stick. Keep it in the hot oven until the batter is mixed and the filling is cooled.

DRAIN AND PAT THE TAILS DRY. Excess liquid will loosen the batter right where the mixture sits.

#stirthepot #crawfish #cornbreadrecipe #cajunfood