Hush Dem Puppies

As I told you yesterday my husband spent the majority of the day cooking a wonderful brisket. It was not just a brisket flat it was a whole brisket, so for just the two of us it was way too much. Leftovers for the rest of the week.

My trick about leftovers is always cook one new thing each time you serve your leftover.

Hush Puppies are not just for fish in my book. They go great with any type of BBQ.

So I headed to my husband's barbecue cookbooks and found John Willingham's World Champion Bar-B-Q recipes and tales , and chose "Hush Dem Puppies" for my new side item.

4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon a Mild BBQ Seasoning ( I actually used two to add more tang)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for the frying
1 1/4 cups water
1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, seasoning mix, flour, and sugar. Stir in the onion, eggs, garlic powder, and the 3/4 cup of oil. Mix well and then stir in the water. Add the red pepper if desired.

Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or deep skillet to 350 degrees. Scoop the dough by tablespoonfuls and drop them into the hot oil. Fry each hush pup for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the dough is cooked. Serve them hot.

Things I learned:
1. Use a deep-fat fryer, I used a saucepan and it didn't work out well.
2. Don't over cook them. The first batch didn't get golden brown like I thought they should and I kept them on for way to long. They were a bit hard and dry.
3. The BBQ seasoning I used was low in salt and I think I should have added a bit extra to the dry mixture.

Stay tuned to see what other new side items I come up with this week.