Tennessee Cornmeal Muffins

These are pure cornbread country muffins. No wheat flour, no fancy add-ins. Just cornmeal, buttermilk, lard, eggs, and a touch of sugar and salt. They taste like the muffins served at Sunday dinners in farmhouse kitchens across Tennessee, and they’re the right partner for a bowl of pinto beans, a plate of greens, or a slab of country ham.

Lard is the choice that signals authenticity. Buttermilk and lard together give the muffins a flaky tender crumb that vegetable oil can’t replicate. If lard isn’t available, bacon grease is a respectable substitute and arguably even better in the flavor department.

The preheated-pan trick is the secret to the crisp golden bottoms. Heat the greased muffin tin in the oven for three minutes before filling, then spoon the batter into the hot pan. The fat sizzles on contact and creates the signature crackle-crust that makes these muffins special.

The lone teaspoon of sugar is the right amount. Tennessee cornbread isn’t Yankee cornbread, which leans sweet. Southern cornbread reads savory and is meant to soak up bean liquor or pot likker from greens.

Kitchen Tips

• Use stone-ground cornmeal if you can find it. The texture and flavor are markedly better than mass-market cornmeal.
• Don’t let the batter sit. Buttermilk and baking soda start reacting on contact, and waiting kills the rise.
• Watch the muffins closely after 20 minutes. Cornmeal muffins go from golden to too-dark fast.
• Brush tops with melted butter the moment they come out of the oven for shine and flavor.

Variations

• Stir a half cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels into the batter for sweet pops of texture.
• Add a tablespoon of bacon drippings to the lard for extra Southern flavor.
• Mix in chopped jalapeños and shredded cheddar for a savory Tex-Mex variation.