Corn Pone

[Mundame]

We were talking about Iron Spiders on another thread, which Google said are no longer being made, and indeed Amazon doesn't have any, but as Google also had several pictures of cast iron skillets with tripod legs, it seems pretty obvious camping equipment to me.

But the discussion reminded me of corn pones, which is an old-timey bread from Tennessee and no doubt elsewhere made from only three ingredients: corn meal, and it doesn't have to be real refined, either, water, and salt. That's it, make a stiff dough and make patties in your hands, that's the important bit because corn pones have the fingermarks from molding the dough into patties. Then you bake them some way or another -- my mother put them actually in the ashes -- I remember -- just to show us how people used to live, but now that I'm one of those kind of people, I doubt it. I expect we'd bake them on a hoe, a shovel, anything metal anyone had, in a fire. Though I admit we ate the corn pone from the ashes at the time: you can dust them off. (Gotta be a better way than that.) I'll tell you what, if you have butter? They are REAL good. Otherwise, probably just nutritious, but with butter running along the fingermarks, wow. Wonderful.

 

[SheilaT.]

I'm drooling. Why does all the good stuff make you fat?LOL

 

[Maverick]

We make corn pones every now and then.

We use the so called spider skillets on our wood stoves, if it doesn't have knobbies or legs just use a trivet under a skillet or just use a dutch oven that's what I do most of the time.

 

[Dani]

Seems like I just saw those iron spiders at M&D which is an Ace Hardware store. You may be able to still buy even if they aren't being made.

On talking about corn pones. . . drizzled with a little honey. Yum! My hunny likes sweet corn bread.

I've never eaten 'ash cakes', which is what I've heard them called, only heard about them.

 

[Brent S]

The ash seems a little hard to get used to. I am glad to learn that ground corn, water and salt can make something good. Never heard of it before, and it will get filed away with all the other tie bits of prepper knowledge in case it’s ever needed.

 

[Dani]

We were talking about Iron Spiders on another thread, which Google said are no longer being made, and indeed Amazon doesn't have any, but as Google also had several pictures of cast iron skillets with tripod legs, it seems pretty obvious camping equipment to me.

But the discussion reminded me of corn pones, which is an old-timey bread from Tennessee and no doubt elsewhere made from only three ingredients: corn meal, and it doesn't have to be real refined, either, water, and salt. That's it, make a stiff dough and make patties in your hands, that's the important bit because corn pones have the fingermarks from molding the dough into patties. Then you bake them some way or another -- my mother put them actually in the ashes -- I remember -- just to show us how people used to live, but now that I'm one of those kind of people, I doubt it. I expect we'd bake them on a hoe, a shovel, anything metal anyone had, in a fire. Though I admit we ate the corn pone from the ashes at the time: you can dust them off. (Gotta be a better way than that.) I'll tell you what, if you have butter? They are REAL good. Otherwise, probably just nutritious, but with butter running along the fingermarks, wow. Wonderful.

Then you would call them ' hoe cakes'!

 

[Maudite]

[

The ash seems a little hard to get used to. I am glad to learn that ground corn, water and salt can make something good. Never heard of it before, and it will get filed away with all the other tie bits of prepper knowledge in case it’s ever needed.

Journey cakes - these are made with meal we grind from whole corn..

 

[OldButtoni]

My Granny used to make her corn pone in a loaf pan. When firm/set, she sliced it off and fried it in bacon grease. I've actually never seen it done as patties.

 

[KateMTx]

Seems like I just saw those iron spiders at M&D which is an Ace Hardware store. You may be able to still buy even if they aren't being made.

On talking about corn pones. . . drizzled with a little honey. Yum! My hunny likes sweet corn bread.

I've never eaten 'ash cakes', which is what I've heard them called, only heard about them.

My Granny used to make her corn pone in a loaf pan. When firm/set, she sliced it off and fried it in bacon grease. I've actually never seen it done as patties.

We used to make corn pones with my mom's recipe that she got from some relative of hers. I remember there was a lot of crisco and some sugar involved in those. We would mix up the stuff and then form it into patties. We let these sit for a little bit while the oil heated up to fry them . . . which if I remember correctly was actually melted crisco. I don't think they would be considered health food . . .

 

[Jayson]

I must be dyslexic...I thought the thread title said ‘Porn Cone’.

 

[GaRp58]

The ash seems a little hard to get used to.

Hi Brent. As I lived off the land for 9 months from CA to TX, I only ate ash cakes with flour. I learned from the Indians, to use the ashes from Pecan trees, Maple, Lerch or Pine. They would put a pinch of the ashes into their soups or stews to get some extra minerals in their diet.
Try making some ashcakes from flour and also from cornmeal. Bake some, fry some and then bake some of them in ashes. Try all 3 and see which tastes better...
BTW: TO ALL READERS: Beware of which woods you use to bake with AND which woods you use or allow your children and guests to use!!! If you bake in ashes or make hotdogs and marshmellows on a stick, be sure the wood and sticks do not come from a POISONOUS tree...YEW, Oleander and such. The smoke, ashes and any sap from these types of wood can and will get into your food or lungs!!

 

[Morgan101]

What size are they when you make them, and how long do you have to bake them? I would love to give them a try in a Dutch oven.

 

[Brent S]

I am certain that if your hungry then a little ash on your bread won’t be much of a distraction.

 

[GaRp58]

What size are they when you make them, and how long do you have to bake them?

Sorry to not get back to you Morgan, ash cakes are just about the size of a biscuit or small hamburger bun. They are small enough to fit into your palm. They are done in about 10-12 minutes if the temperatures are good and hot, sometimes they need to be turned around if one side is getting brown faster and turned over if the ground if hotter than the coals.
I usually get the ground or a flat rock really hot, put the cakes on it, stack some coals nearby and watch them get slowly brown, turning often if needed. Just try all recipes you find in the internet, try different ways of baking and get your own experiences down pat. Have fun, Gary

 

[Morgan101]

Sorry to not get back to you Morgan, ash cakes are just about the size of a biscuit or small hamburger bun. They are small enough to fit into your palm. They are done in about 10-12 minutes if the temperatures are good and hot, sometimes they need to be turned around if one side is getting brown faster and turned over if the ground if hotter than the coals.
I usually get the ground or a flat rock really hot, put the cakes on it, stack some coals nearby and watch them get slowly brown, turning often if needed. Just try all recipes you find in the internet, try different ways of baking and get your own experiences down pat. Have fun, Gary

Thanks!!

 

[Mountain trapper]

I thought it said Corn Porn.

 

[user 7704]

Seems like I just saw those iron spiders at M&D which is an Ace Hardware store. You may be able to still buy even if they aren't being made.

On talking about corn pones. . . drizzled with a little honey. Yum! My hunny likes sweet corn bread.

I've never eaten 'ash cakes', which is what I've heard them called, only heard about them.

I really dislike sweet corn bread. Some in my family like it, but not me.

 

[dirtdiva]

I really dislike sweet corn bread. Some in my family like it, but not me.

Do you use white or yellow corn meal? I use yellow but seems most people around here in TN prefer white.

 

[user 7704]

Do you use white or yellow corn meal? I use yellow but seems most people around here in TN prefer white.

I use white. I do not like yellow at all. I cant taste it any more, but I remember not liking it.

 

[Proud Prepper]

I've never seen corn porn, but I bet it ends as popped corn!

 

[user 7704]

My dad used to say "a pone of cornbread" and I thought he was saying pan instead of pone. Live and learn