Spicy Pimento Cheese

/ Cheap Eats, Cheese, Sides / By

This isn’t a cry for help. You saw my brisket last week, right? You know I can still cook good things and not just throw cheese and mayo together and write about it. Some things are just odd enough that they work. I went down the rabbit hole of reading this history about it and got disappointed pretty quickly.. New York? C’mon South Carolina, I thought this was yours.

Or even Augusta, GA.. but no. Anyway, I was first introduced to this while traveling for work in Alabama. Heard about it, never had it.. tried it and was okay with it. I tried the Palmetto cheese, was less than happy with it. But as I started looking for more interesting ideas, I thought – I’m going to do it my way.

Recipe

The Prep Table

This ain’t MasterChef over here.. but we’ll make it fun.

What I do remember about my first experiences with the “puhmentah” was the thicker the grate on the cheese, the more enjoyable it was. I used MrsForensicBBQ’s shredder bowl thing which perfectly captures the half pound of cheese I needed. Because I don’t need to have this on-hand every day, we’re making just enough to fit in a mason jar, and we’ll see what I do with it.

The Process

The shred is thick.

Half a pound of cheese, half a cup of mayo, a 4oz jar of pimientos we found at Fresh Thyme and about a tablespoon of diced jalapenos went in here. I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to do things not spicy. It’s an inability I have that will never propel me to a proper kitchen. Unless it’s for the rest of us who’ve deadened our tastebuds.

Predictably, cayenne and hot sauce. Of course.

And to really drive my last point home, here’s about a teaspoon of Marie Sharp’s “Habanero Pepper Sauce”, 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt. Plan was to mix up the OG pimento cheese and realize that the jalapenos didn’t add enough zest for me. That’s exactly what happened – so I added in the extra.

The Result

Well damn, it actually worked pretty good.

It tasted pretty darn good. I mean, it blew away the Palmetto brand I remember.. this thing just worked. I put a couple spoonfuls next to my leftover brisket and I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner.

Perfect amount for the jar.

Finally we’re expanding this site and adding a good side to the mix. Sure, it’s cheesy mayo – I get it.. but it’s ForensicBBQ pimento cheese and it’s good. Whip yourselves up a batch – throw it between some sliced white or have it as a side like I did. Surprise yourselves!

The Recipe

Spicy Pimento Cheese

ForensicBBQ
Taking the taste I found in Alabama, thinking it came from South Carolina.. that Georgia made famous – only to find out it's a New York thing. Well, it's a ForensicBBQ thing now, so try it!
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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 Lb Sharp Cheddar Cheese hand grated
  • 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
  • 4 oz Pimientos drained
  • 1 Tbsp Diced Jalapenos drained
  • 1 Tsp Hot Sauce
  • 1/2 Tsp Cayenne Powder
  • 1/4 Tsp Salt

Instructions
 

  • Grate your cheddar cheese block. Thicker the cut, the more texture to the cheese
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the cheese, Mayo, pimientos and jalapeno. Combine real good.
  • Add in the hot sauce, cayenne and salt and stir it all in.
  • Transfer to a mason jar and refrigerate overnight.
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