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Southern Cornbread Dressing, the Old-Country Way with Sage and Giblet Broth

Southern Cornbread Dressing

This is the dressing that gets fought over at the table: savory buttermilk cornbread baked in cast iron, dried on the counter overnight, then crumbled with slow-cooked onion and celery, heavy sage, black pepper, and hot giblet broth. The raw mixture pours like batter, which is exactly right. It bakes into a custardy middle under a cracked, golden crust.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 12 People
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups yellow cornmeal stone-ground, not self-rising sweet mix
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt for the cornbread
  • 2 cups buttermilk full-fat
  • 2 large eggs for the cornbread
  • 4 tbsp bacon drippings or butter; 1 tbsp goes in the hot skillet
  • 6 tbsp butter unsalted, for the vegetables
  • 2 tbsp bacon drippings for the vegetables, optional but traditional
  • 2 cups yellow onion finely chopped, about 2 medium
  • 2 cups celery finely chopped, inner ribs and leaves included
  • 2 cups stale biscuits or day-old white sandwich bread torn, optional stretcher
  • 1 tbsp dried sage rubbed; use 1.5 tbsp if your family likes it sage-forward
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1.5 tsp black pepper coarsely ground
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt to taste, depending on your stock
  • 7 cups chicken or turkey stock ideally giblet broth from simmering the neck and giblets
  • 3 large eggs beaten, for the dressing
  • 3 large hard-boiled eggs chopped, optional
  • 1.5 cups stewed chicken chopped, or chopped cooked giblets, optional

Equipment

  • 1 10 inch cast-iron skillet for the cornbread
  • 1 9x13 inch baking dish or a second large cast-iron skillet
  • 1 Large mixing bowl very large, for crumbling
  • 1 Large Skillet for the onion and celery
  • 1 Small saucepan to heat the stock

Method
 

  1. One to two days ahead, make the cornbread. Preheat the oven to 450 F with the 10 inch cast-iron skillet inside for 10 minutes.
  2. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1.5 teaspoons salt in a bowl. In another bowl beat the buttermilk with 2 eggs, then stir in 3 tablespoons of melted bacon drippings. Pour the wet into the dry and stir just until combined. Do not add sugar.
  3. Pull the hot skillet out, add the remaining 1 tablespoon bacon drippings, and swirl to coat. Pour in the batter; it should sizzle at the edges. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until the top is golden and the center springs back. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely.
  4. Crumble the cooled cornbread by hand into a very large bowl, breaking it into coarse pea-size and thumbnail-size pieces. Leave it loosely covered on the counter for 24 to 48 hours to dry out fully. Tear in the stale biscuits or white bread, if using, and let them dry alongside.
  5. On the day you serve, preheat the oven to 375 F and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish or a large cast-iron skillet.
  6. Melt the butter with the 2 tablespoons bacon drippings in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and celery and cook slowly, stirring now and then, 12 to 15 minutes, until completely soft, sweet, and just barely colored. Do not rush this.
  7. Scrape the vegetables and all the butter over the dried cornbread crumbs. Add the sage, thyme, black pepper, and 1.5 teaspoons salt and toss with your hands until the seasoning is evenly distributed.
  8. Heat the stock in a small saucepan until steaming. Pour 6 cups over the crumbs and fold gently. The mixture should be sloppy and loose. Add the remaining stock a little at a time until it pours from a spoon rather than holding its shape. This looks far too wet. It is correct.
  9. Taste the mixture for salt and pepper and adjust now, before the eggs go in. It should taste assertively seasoned and clearly of sage.
  10. Stir in the 3 beaten eggs, then fold in the chopped hard-boiled eggs and stewed chicken if you are using them. Pour the batter into the greased pan and smooth the top lightly; it should level itself.
  11. Bake uncovered 45 to 60 minutes, until the top is deeply golden brown and cracked and the center is set but still custardy. A knife slid into the middle should come out clean and moist, not wet with batter.
  12. Let the dressing rest 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into squares or spooning it out. It firms up as it sits.

Notes

  • Bake the cornbread one or two days ahead and leave it loosely covered on the counter. Fresh cornbread turns the dressing gummy.
  • Do not sweeten the cornbread and do not use a boxed sweet mix. Southern dressing is savory.
  • The uncooked mixture should look alarmingly wet and pour from the bowl. If you can shape it, add more stock.
  • Many families fold in chopped hard-boiled eggs or chopped stewed chicken. Both are traditional additions, not required.
  • Serve it with roast turkey and plenty of giblet gravy ladled over the top, alongside cranberry sauce, collard greens, candied sweet potatoes, and sweet iced tea.
  • Assemble up to a day ahead, refrigerate covered, and add 10 minutes to the bake. Leftovers keep 4 days and reheat best covered with a splash of stock.