Josh Lowans gets comfortable while spreading the good word about Cornbread Salad during the recording of a Barncast at Amy Campbell’s barn, May of 2021. Connect with Josh through instagram @Joshlowans and @salubriousfarms a nicer fella you may never meet.

Season 8, Episode 20. 05/29/2021

Cornbread, sugar, no sugar, and Cornbread Salad

We are setting the table today with cornbread I’ve assembled an all star line up of guests today to talk about this soul satisfying staple.

Karen Shankles was the grand prize champion of the Ntl Cornbread Festival held annually in April in South Pittsburg, TN - she is going to share her recipe with us for Festive Good Luck Corn Bread Skillet.
James Beard Award winning food writer Ronni Lundy lets us know how she makes her skillet cornbread to go along with a pot of soup beans. And she also shares with us what she calls her tao of cornbread.
Food preservationist with deep family ties to the east TN mountains and mountain cooking Shannon Walker lets us know how he makes his cornbread and his thoughts on cast iron cookware and old ways.
And Josh Lowans will describe a recipe for Cornbread salad that his better half Meagan makes and is his family’s go-to recipe.

Links:

Karen Shankles: She owns an accounting firm in Knoxville. Here is her Linkedin link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-shankles-45095054

Ronni Lundy: http://www.ronnilundy.com/

Dee Dee Constantine: @skilletsister

Adrian Miller: https://adrianemiller.com/about/meet-adrian/

Josh Lowans: On instagram @joshlowans

Shannon Walker: On instagram @newchilhoweevisions

National cornbread Festival: https://nationalcornbread.com/ Emi Sunshine:https://theemisunshine.com/

Recipes:

Festive Good Luck Corn Bread Skillet. This recipe was shared by Karen Shankles who won the grand prize with this recipe at the National Corn Bread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tennessee in 2015. Link to Karen Shankles prize winning Festive Good Luck Cornbread Skillet recipe: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/festive-good-luck-cornbread-skillet

Corn Bread Salad:

This recipe is one that Josh Lowans shared with Amy. His wife Megan makes this dish often for their family and the recipe comes from her.

Ingredients:

1/2 pan day old cornbread (Josh recommends using benton’s bacon lard rendered from an entire pound of Benton’s bacon. Megan prefers to use Three Rivers Cornmeal)

2 - 3 really ripe tomatoes, diced

1 can pinto beans drained, not rinsed

Fresh corn cut off of the cob

Shredded cheese of your choice

Ranch dip (make your own with herbs of your choice, sour cream and mayonnaise)

To assemble, layer in this order:

Crumble cornbread and place in bottom of serving container

Layer pinto beans on top of the cornbread

Layer cut corn over the beans

Layers the diced tomatoes over the corn

Layer of ranch dressing

Layer of bacon (use Benton’s bacon if you can get it)

Cheese on the top

Tips:

Chill for 2 hours before serving

Don’t use ranch dressing, it is too runny, Josh Lowans recommends using ranch dip and making your own. He recommends to make it thick so the dish won’t make the dish soggy Looks pretty in a clear glass serving container