Hand-formed pones of dense and sturdy fried cornmeal patties, a perfect companion for a bowl of greens and pot likker.
Corn Dodgers
If you look up corn dodgers on the internet, you'll find a huge variety of recipes that may differ significantly from one another.
I suppose that's true of a lot of dishes in Southern cooking - like corn casseroles for instance. In truth, it really all depends on one thing, and one thing only.
What you grew up with and how your Mama cooked things!
In this adventure of blogging about food recipes some 16 years now (16 years? What? How is this possible?!), I have learned something. There is no one way of cooking across the South because yes, even in the South, everybody cooks differently from one another and we all call similar recipes and foods, different things.
I respect that.
It 100% depends on what you grew up with and there is no way that's the right or wrong way really!
Just a quick reminder.... if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips and such on a blog, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!
To me, unlike fried cornbread, aka hoecakes, corn dodgers are a lot like hot water cornbread in their simplicity and basic prep. Where hoecakes are more like, well, a regular cornbread batter and poured into individual cakes, dodgers are a little more simple.
Much like a hot water cornbread, plain cornmeal is usually used, along with salt and boiling water, though sometimes a little flour might be needed depending on the cornmeal grind in order to help bind the mixture.
Dodgers are prepared thicker in order for the pones to be hand-formed, making dodgers far more sturdy and a little more dense, unlike their hot water cornbread cousin, which is thinner and typically just pushed off a spoon into the hot oil for a much lighter fritter.
Well... that's my story and I'm sticking to it, but again, it's simply my opinion.
Your opinion may differ and that is actually all good!
Of course one of the most common companions for corn dodgers would be greens and pot likker, though they are good with soups, stews and even gumbo! You can pick up my greens recipe in the Cook's Notes below. Sometimes dodgers are just shaped and slid into the pot likker of a pot of greens where they finish cooking, rather than being fried, though I prefer them fried (imagine that!).
By the way, while you can make dodgers with either white or yellow cornmeal, I prefer to use yellow, though it really depends on what I have on hand at the time that I want to make some dodgers, which brings to mind...
Is it my imagination, or is it a little harder to sometimes find a plain, simple, all-purpose cornmeal in box stores anymore?? Seems like it's almost all cornmeal mix these days.
Here's how I make my version of Corn Dodgers.
You'll need:
Mix together until cornmeal is fully coated. Stir, then set aside for 10 minutes to set and cool.
Pick up a spoonful and use your hands to form a patty.
*Important Note: In cornmeal, grains vary from very fine to very coarse, depending on the grind of the cornmeal that you use, so you may need more of less water. Add half of the water, stir well and then see if you can pinch together the mixture. If not, continue adding water a few teaspoons at a time until you can form a patty.
Is it my imagination, or is it a little harder to sometimes find a plain, simple, all-purpose cornmeal in box stores anymore?? Seems like it's almost all cornmeal mix these days.
Here's how I make my version of Corn Dodgers.
You'll need:
1 cup all-purpose plain yellow or white cornmeal
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, optional
1 tablespoon baking drippings or butter
1 cup boiling water, more or less
1/4 cup bacon drippings or cooking oil, for frying
Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, salt and sugar, if using. Sometimes commercial cornmeal can be a bit harsh and adding 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar to the cornmeal can help counter that and bring out the sweetness of the corn.
Add the bacon drippings to the cornmeal and begin stirring in the boiling water a little at a time. By the way, if you do happen to have made a pot of greens, you may certainly use some of the pot likker from the greens in place of the water.
Mix together until cornmeal is fully coated. Stir, then set aside for 10 minutes to set and cool.
Pick up a spoonful and use your hands to form a patty.
*Important Note: In cornmeal, grains vary from very fine to very coarse, depending on the grind of the cornmeal that you use, so you may need more of less water. Add half of the water, stir well and then see if you can pinch together the mixture. If not, continue adding water a few teaspoons at a time until you can form a patty.
Shape cornmeal mixture into patties and set aside on a plate. You should get about 8 or 9 patties.
Add bacon drippings or cooking oil to a cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add patties, in batches, to the skillet and fry.
Once lightly browned, turn and continue cooking.
Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
For more of my cornbread recipes check out the collection on my Pinterest page!
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Thank you for supporting my work! Please note that Images and Full Post Content including photographs and recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, do not copy and paste post or recipe text to repost or republish to any social media (such as other Facebook pages, etc.), blogs, websites, forums, or any print medium, without explicit prior permission. Unauthorized use of content from ©Deep South Dish is a violation of both the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and copyright law. All rights reserved.
Add bacon drippings or cooking oil to a cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add patties, in batches, to the skillet and fry.
Once lightly browned, turn and continue cooking.
Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
For more of my cornbread recipes check out the collection on my Pinterest page!
Unable to view the printable above on your device? Tap/click here.
Thank you for supporting my work! Please note that Images and Full Post Content including photographs and recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, do not copy and paste post or recipe text to repost or republish to any social media (such as other Facebook pages, etc.), blogs, websites, forums, or any print medium, without explicit prior permission. Unauthorized use of content from ©Deep South Dish is a violation of both the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and copyright law. All rights reserved.
Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
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