DISCLAIMER!!! On occasions in which I cook, I try not to rely so much on measurements, and more on intuition. Use your eyes, taste buds, and common sense to get your dish where you want it. Don't be scared to taste test stuff while you are cooking. When you have made something multiple times, your intuition will guide you to where you need to be!

 

Ingredients

• Shrimp (fresh is best but ya gotta do what ya gotta do)
• Pre-cooked Andouille Sausage (I like the chicken andouille sausage)
• Bacon
• Grits (I use the Quaker 5-minute kind, but they won't be done in 5 minutes)
• Milk
• Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Chicken Broth
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Bell Peppers (grab one of the variety packs with an yellow, red, and green)
• Onion 
• Garlic (1-2 cloves depending on the size and/or how much you like garlic)
• Flour
• Creole Seasoning
• Cayenne Pepper 
• Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Lemon
• I think that is everything.
• Oh shit I forgot about the butter. Never forget the butter.

 

Prep

• Peel and devein your shrimp if necessary. It's a major pain in the ass if you have a lot of shrimp but worth it in the end.
• Chop your vegetables to your desired size and set them aside
• Mince your garlic
• Halve your lemon

 

Getting Things Going

Take your shrimp and place them on any kind of flat sheet. Add as much or as little creole seasoning as you'd like, followed with some cayenne pepper for heat. You can also add salt and pepper or really any seasoning you'd like to this, but don't be a dumbass about it. We are making a good, old fashioned southern dish. Squeeze some lemon juice on those babies. 

Next step for me is to heat up my pre-cooked andouille sausage. Use as much or as little sausage as you like. Grab a pan and heat up your stovetop then place the sausage in the pan. I prefer to slice the sausage into circles with a spatula as it heats, then divide the circles into halves or quarters. Remove the heated sausage from the pan, place it on a plate, and set it aside.

Now we are going to start the grits. Add an undetermined amount of milk to a sauce pan. Fine. What if I said use a cup? Would that stress you out less? Okay. Add a cup of milk to the sauce pan...maybe. I told you not to measure. Whatever. Then, however much milk you added to the sauce pan, add the same amount of chicken broth. Once that is heated, add in your grits and begin to stir. Add salt, pepper, and butter. I lean heavy on the pepper. Once they resemble grits, lower the heat.

In the pan that we cooked the sausage in, fry up some bacon. I like to have an equal amount sausage and an equal amount bacon but that proportion is up to you. You can start the bacon process while your milk and chicken broth for the grits is heating up. 

By this point you should be alternating between stirring grits and flipping bacon, feeling like a DJ spinning records or something. 

Turn the grits off or let them simmer. It's pretty easy to overcook them so just be careful. Do what feels right. Remove your bacon from the pan. DO NOT DISCARD THE GREASE!

Making the Roux

Take your bacon grease, add a pinch of flour, and stir over medium-low heat. If I feel like I need more of the roux, I will add some of my leftover chicken broth and balance that with an appropriate amount of flour to get my desired thickness. Drop heat to low and 

The Homestretch

By this point, I take my large cast iron pan, add some butter, and saute my minced garlic. Give yourself a minute to take in the lovely aroma. From there, add in your onions and peppers to saute along with the garlic. You should be starving by this point

You can crank your grits back up at this point if you'd like. Add in your fresh grated parmesan and hell, more butter too if you want. Just keep tabs on it by tasting it and you'll know when it's at a good spot. Keep stirring while you keep an eye on your sauteeing veggies.

Next we are gonna add the roux to the our veggies and mix it all together. Add some Worcestershire sauce and stir. Taste. Add some more creole seasoning and cayenne pepper if you want. Add lemon juice if you want. Get it tasting awesome. I can't reiterate enough to taste it to make sure it's where you want it to be.

If your grits are done, turn them on low...we are almost at the finish line.

Some people cook their shrimp separately but I don't. At this point I add the shrimp to the cast iron skillet with all of the other goodness. After about 2 minutes I add in the andouille sausage from earlier, then crumble the bacon from earlier and add it. In theory the shrimp should be done within about 3 minutes after this. Keep an eye on them though. Don't overcook them, don't undercook them. Very vague I know.

That's it! Throw some grits on a plate or in a bowl and add your shrimp and the sauce!