Grits and Grillades

Grits and Grillades is a classic Creole dish of tender meat simmered in a tomato-based gravy and served over creamy, cheesy grits. Perfect for feeding a crowd during Mardi Gras festivities - or any time of year.

As a wild game chef and full-time recipe developer who lives in North Dakota, I gravitate toward comfort foods that are practical enough for a family table. Grits and grillades delivers exactly that kind of satisfaction in one steady, soul-warming bowl meant to be shared.

Grits have long been a Southern staple, but their story does not stop at breakfast. In Louisiana kitchens, grits move confidently into dinner, where they become the perfect foundation for slow-simmered meats and richly layered gravies.

What Are Grillades?

Grits and grillades is a beloved New Orleans classic, and reflect the city’s Creole roots, blending French technique with local ingredients and a patient approach to cooking.

Grillades (pronounced gree-YAHDS) are thin cutlets of meat - traditionally beef or pork,- gently simmered in a tomato-based Creole gravy until tender. The gravy begins with the Holy Trinity of Louisiana cooking: diced onions, bell peppers, and celery. The vegetables are slowly softened in fat to build a savory base before tomatoes, stock, and seasonings are added.

This cooking method makes grillades especially well suited to wild game. Lean cuts like venison top round or bottom round steaks are slowly simmered, emerging fork-tender and richly seasoned, ready to be spooned generously over creamy grits.

This Recipe for Grillades and Grits Works For Busy Families

First, a pot of grillades works beautifully as a make-ahead meal for busy parents who value leftovers that actually improve overnight. Second, the flavors deepen as the gravy rests, making reheated bowls just as satisfying as the first serving. Because the meat cooks slowly at a gentle simmer, the stovetop does most of the work while you handle the rest of life wrangling your kids.

Can I Use Quick Grits?

I won't be mad at you if you want to save even more time and substitute 5-minute grits for my favorite North Carolina stone-ground white grits. Real stone-ground grits take longer to cook and they cook up much creamier than grits that are more heavily processed like the quick version. However, I understand how hard it might be for you to find anything other than the 5-minute quick grits version at your local grocery store. I live in Fargo, North Dakota where the only grits sold here are the "quick" version. So I have to order the good ones online.

The Personal Reason I Love This Grillades Recipe

I've made Grits and Grillades plenty of times, but this grillades recipe was tested and approved by my 80-year-old mom and dad on a cold winter evening, hoping it would feel familiar and comforting. I felt nervous, especially because my mom grew up eating grits regularly while living in the South.

She spent most of her youth in Tampa, Florida, but went to high school in New Orleans and loves telling stories about food, friends, and everyday life from that time. Food memories run deep when grits enter the conversation.

When she took her first bite of my grits and grillades, she smiled quietly and nodded with approval. After her third bite, she finally muttered, "This is really good, baby!" That single phrase told me everything I needed to know.

My dad cleaned his bowl and asked for seconds without hesitation. I felt proud, relieved, and deeply grateful all at once.

At home, my wife and our ten-year-old daughter love grits for breakfast. Because of that, grits already feel like comfort food in our kitchen. This dish simply carries that same comfort into dinner.

What Makes This A True New Orleans Dish

New Orleans grits and grillades lean on patience rather than complexity. The flavors build through browning, scraping, and steady simmering.

The Holy Trinity of vegetables soften and sweeten in the pot. The gravy thickens naturally without rushing.

This balance reflects Cajun grillades recipe traditions passed down through generations.

Helpful Cooking Tips For Better Grillades

• Start by pounding the meat evenly before seasoning. That step ensures even cooking and better tenderness.
• Next, brown the cutlets in batches without crowding the pot. That browning builds flavor that carries through the entire dish.
• Always scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Those bits of flavor matter more than you think.
• Keep the simmer low and steady for the full cooking time. Rushing this step will not reward you.

Helpful Cooking Tips for Creamy Grits

• Use stone-ground white grits for the best texture. They cook slowly and reward attention.
• Whisk the grits in gradually once the liquid boils. This step prevents clumping from the start. Always use milk or half and half or cream instead of just water for creamier grits.
• Stir often and patiently as the grits thicken. Then finish with butter and cheese off the heat. That keeps the texture smooth and rich.

You Can Use Venison or Beef for the Creole Gravy

As a wild game chef and someone who has a freezer full of deer steaks, I developed this recipe using venison. However, I grew up eating it with beef top round, bottom round, and flank steak.

This recipe traditionally makes smart use of lean, less expensive cuts of beef. In turn, I would never use a prized venison backstrap or tenderloin for a slow-simmering Creole gravy recipe like this one. Instead, I like to take a venison top round or bottom round roast, slice it into thin steaks, and use that.

Grits and Grillades Recipe

Ingredients

For the Grillades

• 8 (2- to 3-ounce) venison or beef top round or bottom round steaks, trimmed of fat
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon Tony's Creole seasoning
• 3 Tablespoons avocado oil or vegetable oil, divided
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground thyme
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons Worcerstershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 green onions, diced

For the Grits

• 3 Tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 Tablespoons yellow onion, diced
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups half and half
• 1 cup stone-ground white grits
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 Tablespoons cream cheese

Instructions for Grillades

1. Using a meat pounder, pound each steak to even ¼-inch thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Then season the cutlets all over with salt and pepper.

2. Whisk flour and Tony's seasoning together in shallow dish. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge in seasoned flour, shaking off excess; transfer cutlets to plate.

3. To a large heavy pot or a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Once the oil is hot, transfer half of the meat to the pot and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue cooking on the other side until browned, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate, then add another tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven and brown the remaining cutlets and transfer to the plate.

4. Add one tablespoon of butter to the Dutch oven, and once it has melted, stir in the onion, celery, and bell pepper, scraping up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom. Sauté vegetables for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in garlic, oregano, and thyme and cook for 1 minute more.

5. Stir in the beef broth, again scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot, then increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Add the meat cutlets, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire, and cayenne pepper to the Dutch oven, making sure the meat is fully submerged. Bring back to a boil and then decrease the heat to low to maintain a simmer. Cook until the grillades are tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

Instructions for Grits

1. Meanwhile prepare the grits: Set a medium (4-quart) saucepan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Once melted, add the onion and sauté, about 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt and black pepper, add the water and half and half, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, watching to make sure the liquid doesn't boil over.

2. Whisk in the grits, bring back up to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until the grits just begin to thicken, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and set aside for 10 minutes more.

3. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese, and stir to combine. Season with a little more salt and black pepper if so desired.

4. Divide the grits between 4 bowls or plates. Ladle over the grillades, top with diced green onions, and serve hot.

More Mardi Gras Recipes To Try

You don't have to be in New Orleans to enjoy these delicious Mardi Gras recipes and their Cajun and Creole flavors for some Fat Tuesday food.

If you like this Grillades recipe, you should also make some pheasant gumbo, my duck etouffee, this Cajun Crappie Eggs Benedict, or Crispy Whole Fish with Maque Choux.

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