Authentic Grillades and Grits
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Look no further for a tried and true authentic Grillades and Grits recipe all the way from New Orleans, Louisiana! Tender beef cutlets are simmered in a rich gravy and served over creamy grits. It’s Southern comfort food at its very best!
What are Grillades and Grits?
Doesn’t this look tasty? You wouldn’t normally think of this as a breakfast food though, would you? Grillades (pronounced GREE-ahds) and Grits is a Southern dish that originated in New Orleans and is traditionally served for breakfast or brunch. It is served at home, at weddings and parties, and even at classy debutante balls. Grillades are little steak medallions.
The year 1885 saw Grillades’ first published debut. Despite the French meaning of the word, Grillades are not grilled, rather they are slowly simmered in a rich gravy until the meat is spoon-tender. Early versions of the recipe saw them served alone or paired with rice, a staple in Creole cooking, but have since come to be commonly served with grits.
So put on your best Southern accent and enjoy a well-rounded meal of beef and vegetables served with wholesome stone-ground grits. This is Southern comfort food at its finest and I’m confident you’re going to love this classic dish as much as we do!
Grillades and Grits Recipe
Let’s get started!
In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and creole seasoning.
Dredge the pieces of beef in the flour, shaking off the excess and transfer to a large plate.
Heat the oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Place the beef in the skillet, being careful not to overcrowd, and fry on both sides until browned. Transfer the beef to a plate.
Saute the onions in the skillet until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
Add the bell pepper and celery and saute until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and saute for another 4-5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits in the skillet. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat.
Add the flour and whisk to dissolve.
Continue whisking constantly until the mixture is a rich brown, about 4 minutes.
Add the beef broth and red wine vinegar, whisking continually until the mixture is smooth and thickened.
Return the vegetables to the skillet and add the Creole Seasoning and bay leaves.
Return the beef to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender, stirring occasionally.
Serve over hot and creamy grits.
Be sure to use stone-ground grits, not the instant or fast-cooking kind. Stone-ground grits not only have far more flavor than quick-cooking or instant grits.
Enjoy!
For more delicious Southern dishes be sure to try my:
- Shrimp and Grits
- Fried Okra
- Corn Pudding
- Butter Beans
- Andouille and Greens with Cheese Grits
- Sausage Gravy
- Jambalaya
- Boiled Peanuts
- Skillet Cornbread
- Southern Black Eyed Pea Salad
- Fried Catfish
- Chicken Fried Steak Burgers
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Authentic Grillades and Grits
Ingredients
- For the Grillades:
- 2 lbs round steak pounded to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into 2 inch squares
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon homemade Creole seasoning (click for recipe)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large red bell pepper about 1 cup, diced
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 2 cups tomatoes diced or 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil)
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon homemade Creole seasoning (click for recipe)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- For the Grits:
- 1 cup stone-ground old-fashioned grits not instant
- 5 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine the 1/2 cup flour, salt and one teaspoon of Creole Seasoning in a shallow bowl. Dredge the pieces of beef in the flour, shaking off the excess and transfer to a large plate.Heat the oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Place the beef in the skillet, being careful not to overcrowd, and fry on both sides until browned. Transfer the beef to a plate.
- Saute the onions in the skillet until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the bell pepper and celery and saute until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and saute for another 4-5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits in the skillet. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.
- Melt the 5 tablespoons of butter or olive in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the 1/3 cup flour and whisk constantly until the mixture is a rich brown, about 4 minutes. Add the beef broth and red wine vinegar, whisking continually until the mixture is smooth and thickened.Return the vegetables to the skillet and add the tablespoon of Creole Seasoning and bay leaves. Return the beef to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender, stirring occasionally.Stir in the parsley and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves.
- Serve the grillades and gravy ladled over hot grits (see below).
- For the Grits: In a 5-quart pot over medium-high heat, bring the milk and salt to a simmer, stirring regularly to prevent the milk from burning.Slowly add the grits in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the grits are thick and tender.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet April 26, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Thank you for this recipe. When I was young my mother used to make this in a pressure cooker. I’ve been craving this lately and don’t own a pressure cooker. Nice to see I can make this on stove top.
Could this recipe be converted to a pressure cooker? Either stove-top at 15 PSI or electric [Instant Pot type] at 12 PSI.
Hi Jonathan, I’ve no doubt that it can but I haven’t tried. If you try it please let us know how it goes!
Kimberly, I get the biggest kick out of reading the reviews of “experts”.I am 6th generation N Floridian with ancestors from NOLA and the E Low Country of GA. We have had wonderful Gullah people on the farm and in our kitchens for my entire life of 77 years and years before that. My point is, things are called different by culture and region. How many names are used for pan cornbread?
Your recipe for grillades is absolutely delicious, the first time I have ever measured to prepare this dish. We usually use deer meat for this because it needs to be slowly braised or ground. Thank you for sharing .
Thank you so much, Tony, I really appreciate you sharing your insights and experience and for the compliment! <3
Kimberly, I hafta agreee, with Tony Beee! In pretty much everything except the length of time him and me have been grazin on good southern grub. Me n my bride are in our late 60’s, but steady catchin up with him…
Thank you so very much for what you do. Your recipes sure do brighten up our palate during the long dark. I’ve not ever eaten this one, but it’s on the menu now by golly! The season has turned and the midnight sun has risen over our land again and DEER SEASON! is on the way…. now we’re eager to try this out.
Thanks again,
rusty
Thank you so much, Rusty, and it’s great to hear from you! Venison grillades sounds perfect. Happy hunting and happy cooking! :)
This dish may taste nice but it’s wandered away from true Louisiana style cooking. Why do people from outside of Louisiana change up legit recipes and then present them as authentic?
Also, people in Louisiana don’t talk like this: “Well, shut my mouth, is that New Orleans Grillades and Grits?? Darn tootin’ it is. Well, now ain’t that the berries!”
Hi there. Yes, I’m presenting this as authentic and have had its authenticity confirmed by many a Louisianian chef. If you don’t think it’s authentic please explain what you think is inauthentic about it. As for quote, those are just fun colloquialisms and slang phrases that were popular in the jazz age of the 1920’s and 1930’s. “The berries” for example is associated with the jazz clubs of New Orleans from that era.
Grillades were fabulous! I added 1 tsp. light brown sugar because I always do when I use canned tomatoes. My 5 year old grandson was with me for a “cooking day”. He loved the Grits & Grillades as well.
Fantastic, Jane, I’m so glad this was a hit and that your grandson was able to join you in the kitchen! :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
Excellent recipe.. the whole family loved it. Two questions though… in Step 7 you say to bring the milk and salt to a simmer. Then in Step 8 you say to add the grits and salt? So, is that 1 tsp split in half (1/2 tsp in each step) or a full 1 tsp each time? Or is “add salt” a redundancy in either Step 7 or 8?
Also, in the photo where you’re melting the butter… that is a lot less than the 5 tablespoons of butter called for in the 1X recipe. Are the photos showing you making a 1/2X batch?
Thank you, Greg, I’m so glad everyone loved it! Yes, the salt is redundant and only added once, thanks for catching that. As for the photos, those were taken over 10 years ago and I honestly can’t remember, but from the look of the quantity of beef it appears that yes, I made 1/2 the batch.
I made this last night and must admit that I was intrigued when I saw ‘grillades’ on Tiana’s menu of her fabulous place in New Orleans, you know the Disney! I looked up grillades and saw this recipe first and thought, “why not?”
I love tastes of the south and figured I’d like this too, after having skimmed the recipe. It did look like it took a while so I thought I’d take a chance and I wasn’t disappointed.
I really liked it over grits but honestly it works with rice too (I’m half-Asian, and eat rice on the daily). It really brings out the flavor of the country when y9ou let it simmer as long as it calls for.
One thing I wished I had done was to pound the round steak a little thinner..I mean, I did but some cuts that were 1/4″ but they still turned out a little less-than as tender as I had imagined. Nothing I am gonnna throw rib-eye into but will be a pounding next time for sure. Thanks for the great recipe!
Wonderful, John! I’m so thrilled that you made and enjoyed this dish, thank you for the feedback!