Shrimp and Grits on the Barbie

For our honeymoon, Aaron and I took a road trip down the east coast. We stopped in Charleston, SC and had shrimp grits for the first time. OH MAN! It was SOOOO good. Aaron ordered it as appetizer and we liked it so much he got it as an entree too! Since you can't find shrimp and grits on a menu anywhere in Richmond, VA, Aaron came up with his own recipe and topped it off with BBQ sauce. YUM, YUM, YUM!!!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Calories: 530 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 6 cups water
• ¾ cup chopped green onion
• 1 tablespoon barbeque sauce, or to taste
• 8 slices of thick-cut bacon
• 1 ¼ pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 cups quick-cooking grits

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate; crumble. Reserve bacon drippings in skillet.

Step 2

Heat a stovetop grill over medium heat and cook shrimp until pink and no longer translucent in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Place cooked shrimp, green onion, garlic, and crumbled bacon in the bacon drippings left in the skillet. Turn heat to low and keep shrimp mixture warm.

Step 3

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, melt butter in the water, stir in grits, and cook covered for 5 minutes. Turn heat to low. Stir shrimp mixture with bacon drippings into the grits; stir in Cheddar cheese until thoroughly melted and combined. Serve topped with barbeque sauce.