BBQ Shrimp and Grits
This BBQ Shrimp and Grits recipe combines grilled shrimp, cheesy grits and a sweet and spicy homemade BBQ sauce. We have lived in both Charleston, SC and Baton Rouge, LA over the years. We quickly fell in love with the food culture of both regions. Shrimp are plentiful and fresh, and BBQ is synonymous with southern cooking. Grits are a staple, served for both breakfast and dinner. While I didn’t grow up eating grits in my Northeast Italian-American home, I did eat polenta for dinner. Maybe that’s why I prefer the yellow coarse-ground style of grits to white hominy grits. They remind me of the polenta from my childhood.
I made this dish for the first time when we were in Baton Rouge. Since moving to Annapolis, we make BBQ Shrimp and Grits every year during Mardi Gras season to remind of us of our time in LA. It’s a hearty meal full of flavor. I always like something green on my plate, so I often serve it with roasted broccoli and onion or a big salad.
The ketchup based sauce for the BBQ Shrimp and Grits really packs a flavorful punch. With molasses, bourbon, cider vinegar, garlic, onion, thyme, and honey, it’s the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Feel free to kick up the heat with extra Tabasco and cayenne if desired. This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, so you may have a little bit leftover. It’s perfect on a chicken wrap or slathered on a turkey burger.
Sometimes I scale up the proportions so I’ll have enough for another entire meal. This year I prepared this sauce Super Bowl Sunday and coated baked wings with it after they came out of the oven (yum!). A couple of days later, we used the remaining sauce for BBQ Shrimp and Grits. With the BBQ sauce already prepared, this weeknight meal came together very quickly. All I needed to do was grill up some shrimp, make the grits, and roast some veggies to complete the meal.
BBQ Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
BBQ Shrimp
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 1¼ cups ketchup
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp Tabasco or similar hot sauce
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cheese Grits
- 4 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
- 4 cloves garlic, minced fine
- 1 cup Grits course ground yellow grits are my favorite
- 4 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2-3 tbsp butter to taste
- 1-2 tbsp cream optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Shrimp
- 1½ pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or cooking spray for grill
Instructions
- There are three elements to prepare. The BBQ sauce takes the longest, so it should be made first. After you have made and pureed the sauce and have it simmering on low, start the grits and heat up the grill/grill pan for the shrimp. The shrimp only take a few minutes on the grill, so they can be cooked just before you are ready to serve the meal.
BBQ Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the ketchup, bourbon, cider vinegar, molasses, honey, Tabasco, thyme and cayenne. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Use a stick (immersion) blender to puree the sauce until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can carefully transfer the barbecue sauce to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour 1/3 cup of the sauce into a small bowl and reserve the rest.
- Continue cooking the BBQ sauce over low heat for another 10-20 minutes or so while you are preparing the grits and shrimp. It will continue to reduce and concentrate as it cooks.
Grits
- In a medium saucepan, bring the broth (or water) to a boil.
- Add the garlic and slowly stir in the grits. Reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, stirring frequently, until the grits are tender, anywhere from 10-25 minutes. I usually follow the directions on the package and keep a close eye on them. You want them to cook slowly and be soft and creamy.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the cheese, butter and cream (optional). Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Shrimp
- Preheat a grill pan or your outdoor grill. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and brush on both sides with the 1/3 cup of barbecue sauce.
- Grease the grill pan with the oil. Grill the shrimp over moderate heat, turning once, until cooked through, about 4 minutes. If the shrimp are small, they will take less time.
- Spoon cheese grits into a plate or bowl, top with shrimp, and lots of the remaining barbecue sauce. Enjoy!
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