Bacon Jalapeno Hoecakes
These Bacon Jalapeno Hoecakes are what happens when cornbread meets pancakes…and they’re delicious!
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It’s truly incredible how many different things you own when you have a house + yard. We have a whole shed in the back full of yard stuff. I never thought we’d fill it, but now I have to step over stuff whenever I go back there. Weed-eater, ladders, a couple garden hoses, cornhole game, some wire fencing to keep the rabbits from chowing through our garden…the list goes on and on. And I didn’t even mention the lawnmower or the snowblower. Both of which require yearly oil changes. Seriously?
But one thing we don’t own is a hoe. That’s right–we’re a no hoe family. It’s not really on purpose, but we’ve just never needed a hoe. But if the time comes, I’m sure I’ll buy a hoe. And then I’ll put it in the shed.
Given our lack of a hoe, I guess it’s kinda hard to make truly authentic hoecakes around here. You see, according to legend, hoecakes (called johnnycakes in the North) were first invented by slaves who “baked” these on hoes in the field. Since I don’t own a hoe, I decided to bake these hoecakes up in a cast iron skillet. I do have several of those. Cast iron skillets are a great substitute for hoes…unless you’re actually trying to hoe something in the yard. Then they don’t work so great.
So let’s talk about hoes for a bit. I mean hoecakes. Let’s talk about hoecakes. Have you ever heard of hoecakes? I like to call them the Southern answer to the scallion pancakes that are common in Asian cooking. Hoecakes look like pancakes, but they are most definitely not pancakes. Hoecakes are more like what happens when cornbread meets pancakes and they have kids. Think cornbread in pancake form…if that makes sense!
Unlike pancakes, hoecakes are typically savory and best served as a side dish for dinner. Instead of dinner rolls or bread, make up a batch of these Bacon Jalapeno Hoecakes. My wife and I gobbled the first one that came off the skillet, and it was quite tasty. Then we ended up serving these with dinner that night. (They reheat really well!) I mean, these guys are loaded with thick-cut bacon, jalapenos and green onions…how can you go wrong with those flavors?
Oh, and if you try making these Bacon Jalapeno Hoecakes on a real hoe, then email me photos. Please.
Have you ever heard of hoecakes?
Do you own a hoe?
Bacon Jalapeno Hoecakes
Ingredients
- 12 oz. thick-cut bacon
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 jalapeno ribs and seeds removed, diced
- ¼ cup green onions diced
Instructions
- Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and pat dry with paper towels. Leave 1 Tbsp of bacon grease in skillet; discard remaining grease.
- Using a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Set bowl aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, water, sour cream and eggs.
- Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients; stir until just combined. Crumble the bacon and fold it into the batter along with the jalapenos and green onions.
- Meanwhile, place skillet (with bacon grease) back over medium heat.
- Pour ¼ cup of the batter into skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until edges of hoecake turn golden and release. Using a spatula, flip hoecake and cook for 1-2 more minutes, or until fully cooked.
- Serve as a side dish with dinner.
Looking for more tasty Southern recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Southern Hushpuppies
Banana Pudding Cheesecake
Charleston Shrimp and Grits
I’ve never heard of hoecakes….but they sound wonderful….especially with bacon and jalapenos! Now about that gardening shed….I think you might need to add a hoe to your collection 🙂
Hah! I can’t handle any more tools, Kathy! That shed is already packed full…I just don’t understand it! 🙂
I have never heard of a hoe cake before, so that is a totally new one to me. But, jalapeños. Now them I know. I know them very well, as I am a little bit obsessed with them.
So that means you’re already part of the way there, Dannii. You’ve got the jalapenos covered. And hoecakes are pretty much a cornbread version of a pancake. They make a great dinner side dish! 🙂
Me neither, have never heard of hoecakes… but the fact that you used the combo of bacon & jalapenos just makes me want to take a few and hide them (to eat all by myself! lol!) I can imagine these could be a really good side dish.. ps. I love Paula Deen´s recipes!
Hoecakes are a unique dish for sure, but they deserve some foodie love! They’re basically cornmeal pancakes, and they make a great side dish for dunner. Paula Deen’s recipes are indeed tasty…but I find I need to cut her butter amounts in half (if not more). Haha!
How can you survive without hoe, David? It’s such a necessity. Perhaps, that was the first thing we bought. Deal. I’m sending you a dozen on your Birthday! Is it enough? Haha, I have no idea if we had one indeed (I needed to Google the image first). Andrey may have it in the garage (he has some weird stuff for gardening ), but I don’t touch it (the way too treacherous to me). I don’t know these hoecakes either. But you should introduce them to me. Please send them ASAP. Thanks.
There is no way you bought a hoe as your first purchase for the yard! I knew you were pulling my leg there. 🙂 But if you have one, then pull it out and use it to make hoecakes, ok? I’m sure Andrey wouldn’t mind one bit if you use his gardening tools in the kitchen. Haha!
Hi David! Hoecakes are definitely a Southern thing! A lot of good food here in the South comes from creative people using whatever they had available to them. I think these would be great along side of some brisket or fried chicken! Have a great weekend!
Oh, now you’re talking, Dorothy! Hoe cakes and fried chicken is almost enough to make me get in the car and head down south. I miss my Southern food, but that’s ok…I end up just making it at home now instead! 🙂
Hahaha! What a fun, fun post! I chuckled all the way through it, David – especially “So let’s talk about hoes for a bit. I mean hoecakes. Let’s talk about hoecakes” Dude, I don’t own a hoe and I never heard of hoecakes and I’ve been in the South for almost a couple of decades!! My mind is blown to think people used hoes to cook anything – I guess that flat base – but GAH! I guess the caked on soil etc helped in adding flavor to whatever was being made? 🙂
Now about these – gosh darn it – bacon and jalapeno in cornbread masquerading as a pancake of sorts…all I’ll say is that I’d have eaten the whole batch straight from the skillet! I’m blown away by the self control you and Mrs. Spiced have!
Hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!
Wait. You don’t know about hoecakes?? Clearly you need to get your hoe knowledge adjusted, Shashi. Haha! Seriously, though…they’re a fun and tasty side dish. Kinda like a cornmeal pancake. And we all know that bacon + jalapenos make everything better, right? We are indeed have a great weekend here, and I hope you and lil Shashi are, too! 🙂
never heard of hoecakes but liked the way you described them! We make lot of crepes/pancakes in India which are very different from the American pancakes so I think I know how these would taste! sounds good!
Yeah, I hear ya, Manali! These hoecakes are more like pancakes crossed with cornbread…but they are fun and really tasty. 🙂
Bacon and jalapeno is one of my favorite combinations!
Also, I love your history lessons in your posts. So informative 🙂
Haha…thanks, Cathleen! I love knowing about the history of food. I find it really fascinating. I have no idea if hoecakes were truly ever baked on hoes, but I can tell ya that a cast iron skillet works quite well. 🙂
I have never head of hoecakes. This sounds interesting and delicious. I love the combination of ingredients in the recipe 🙂
Thanks so much, Kushi! Hoecakes are a unique dish for sure, but they’re pretty darned tasty. Give ’em a shot sometime! 🙂
There is a whole lot of hoe talk going on… and yes, I surely do own a hoe. Thinking I need to try my hand at making authentic hoecakes this summer while I’m doing all my yard work, haha! And dude, how’s dad life going/!?!
You own a hoe?? Come on now, Chris. You just wanted to say hoe, didn’t you? 🙂 Daddom is going quite well up here. The first 2 months were rough. I can’t lie about that. But now I’ve kinda adjusted to always being tired. That and the little guy is giving us smiles and chattering away. A smile or an elusive giggle can help you forget about the late nights and diaper changes…well almost forget. Hah! How is life as a Dad down on Long Island??
These look incredible. Of course, being from the South, I love anything related to cornbread 😉 And you can’t go wrong with the addition of bacon and jalapeño! Thanks for sharing! 😀
Heck yeah! Southerners unite, Kennedy! 🙂 I love me some cornbread. And bacon just makes everything better. Hope you are having an awesome weekend so far!
A certain male residing in my household is absolutely obsessed with bacon (and I mean to the point that when he once declared to me – jokingly – that he loved me more than bacon, I actually thought it was pretty touching), so these would be sure to go down very well here. I’ve actually never heard of hoecakes but hey, you learn something new every day right? 🙂 I’m intrigued about their origin. It makes sense that they could be cooked on a hoe given its shape and everything. I love that these are like the lovechild of cornbread and pancakes – two things I absolutely love!
Haha…I wonder who that certain male is, Lisa? Sounds like he and I would be good friends! So I don’t know if hoecakes were ever actually baked on hoes, but it makes for a good story, right? I can absolutely attest that they bake very well in a cast iron skillet, though. 🙂
Yes, I have heard of hoecakes, and yes, I have a hoe. I also have a ton of other stuff that has piled up in the backyard… and so it goes.
These are some seriously good-looking and (I bet) tasty hoecakes. I must try your recipe!
So you’re halfway there, Adri! You’ve heard of hoecakes and you’ve got a hoe. You’re ready to go! I think making hoecakes on a hoe sounds like a great Monday activity, right? 🙂
I used to have two or three hoes. And I left them locked up in the shed, but after a while, they managed to go missing. If I ever run into them again, I’ll make cornmeal pancakes with them and send you the pictures.
I think that’s a great plan, Jeff. Hoecakes are way better than non-hoecakes. But please don’t send photos. I’ll take your word on it!
Never heard of hoecakes but I have heard of Johnnycakes, interesting background on them. BUT these are so up my alley. Jalapeños and bacon in a handheld nibble? A slather of some butter and I’d be in heaven with these.
Oh yeah, I like the way you’re thinking here, Kevin! Butter makes everything better…kinda like bacon! 🙂