Southern Skillet Cornbread with Tangerine Butter

Rick Browne, Ph.B., host of the PBS show “Barbecue America” and the author of The Best Barbecue on Earth and nine other books, is supplying articles and recipes to the Fiery Foods& Barbecue SuperSite.

Ingredients

1/4 cup oil

2 cups ground yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

2 cups buttermilk 

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons melted butter 

2 cups corn kernels, fresh cut from the cob, frozen or canned

Tangerine Butter:

4 tablespoons very soft butter

1 tangerine, juiced

½ teaspoon grated rind

1 tablespoon Curaçao 

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together, serve chilled with the cornbread. 

Instructions

Preheat BBQ grill to 450 degrees F. 

In a mixing bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, and the baking soda. Stir in the buttermilk, eggs, and butter, stirring until just mixed, then add in the corn kernels and stir. 

Pour the vegetable oil into a seasoned skillet and place it in the oven, heating the skillet until the oil is very hot. Remove the pan from the oven and pour off any excess oil. 

Pour the batter into the hot skillet and return it to the oven, then reduce the temperature to 400 degrees F and bake until the cornbread is golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean when the bread is cooked. 

Cool the cornbread on a wire rack for 5 minutes then invert it onto a large plate and cut it into thick wedges.