Cajun & Creole Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Grillades and Grits
Tender rounds of braised beef or pork simmered in a spiced Creole tomato gravy, spooned over stone-ground grits — Southern Sunday comfort in every bite.
Contains common allergens
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Instructions
6 steps- 1
Cut the pounded meat into 2-inch squares, season with salt and pepper, and dredge lightly in flour.
- 2
Heat bacon drippings in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meat pieces on all sides, then remove and set aside.
- 3
In the same pot, add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté until softened.
- 4
Return the meat to the pot, add the diced tomatoes and beef broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer slowly for 1.5 to 2 hours until the meat is fork-tender.
- 5
About 30 minutes before the grillades are done, bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Slowly whisk in the stone-ground grits, lower heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring often.
- 6
Finish the grits with heavy cream and butter. Serve the rich, tender meat and tomato gravy generously ladled over the hot, creamy grits.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
62/100
Works for many families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving615
Calories
49 g
Protein
40 g
Carbs
26 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Grillades is a quintessential New Orleans Creole brunch dish, consisting of thin medallions of beef or veal braised in a tomato-enriched sauce with the Creole holy trinity until fork-tender. The name comes from the French word for 'grilled,' though the dish is in fact braised — a common Louisiana irony of culinary naming. It appears in New Orleans Creole cookbooks from the nineteenth century as a way to tenderize tougher secondary beef cuts, and became the traditional Saturday or Sunday brunch centerpiece that would simmer while the household prepared for the late morning meal, served over stoneground grits.
Listahan note
This version braises the beef medallions low and slow until they shred slightly at the edges and the tomato sauce reduces into a glossy gravy, then serves over creamy stone-ground grits that have been enriched with butter and sharp cheddar.
Technique cues
- Pound the beef medallions to an even quarter-inch thickness before browning — the thin, tender cuts braise through in under ninety minutes and the large surface area develops a better crust than thick pieces would.
- Brown the medallions in batches in a very hot Dutch oven without crowding; proper browning of the meat surface is what creates the fond that becomes the flavor backbone of the braising liquid.
- Cook stone-ground grits low and slow with constant stirring for the first ten minutes — the natural starch granules need time to hydrate and swell, and quick-cooking grits will not develop the same body or corn flavor that the dish requires.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- Start the grits about thirty minutes before the grillades are ready to serve — they cook simultaneously and both are best served at their absolute freshest.
- Make-ahead
- The braised grillades are significantly better after resting overnight in the refrigerator; reheat gently the next day while making fresh grits for the best version of this dish.
- Leftover move
- Slice cold leftover grillades thin and serve on toasted French bread with remoulade for an outstanding po' boy variant that uses every bit of the braised beef and sauce.
- Cleanup rhythm
- The braising pot needs a ten-minute soak in hot water immediately after plating because tomato and beef fat congeal quickly; after soaking it wipes clean without extended scrubbing.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
beef round medallions
star protein
Purpose: Top round or bottom round, pounded thin, is the traditional cut for grillades — it has enough collagen to produce a silky braising liquid but is lean enough to slice cleanly after cooking.
Handling: Pound between plastic wrap with a meat mallet to uniform quarter-inch thickness, then cut into three-inch rounds for even, manageable serving pieces.
Adaptation: Veal round is the original version and more tender; boneless chicken thighs, lightly pounded, work well for a lighter variation.
stone-ground grits
base for serving
Purpose: Stone-ground grits retain the hull and germ of the corn, producing a coarser texture, more complex corn flavor, and a natural creaminess that instant or quick-cooking grits cannot replicate.
Handling: Cook in a four-to-one ratio of water or stock to grits over medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes, for thirty to forty-five minutes until thick and creamy.
Adaptation: Quick-cooking grits in a 3.5-to-1 ratio reduce cooking time to fifteen minutes and produce a serviceable but less flavorful base; avoid instant grits, which have almost no corn character.
whole peeled canned tomatoes
braising liquid body and acidity
Purpose: Tomatoes provide the fruity acidity that tenderizes the beef during the long braise and creates the characteristic reddish-brown gravy that makes grillades visually distinct.
Handling: Crush tomatoes by hand into the pot so the pieces are irregular and create a more textured sauce than blended tomatoes would.
Adaptation: Fresh Roma tomatoes during summer, about three pounds blanched and peeled, give a brighter, more seasonal sauce.
sharp cheddar
grits enrichment
Purpose: Sharp cheddar stirred into the grits at the end of cooking adds salty, tangy fat that makes the grits taste rich enough to anchor the heavily seasoned braised meat.
Handling: Grate the cheese finely and stir in off-heat so it melts smoothly without the proteins seizing and making the grits grainy.
Adaptation: Pepper jack adds heat to the grits base; cream cheese creates a looser, silkier texture for those who want a more neutral grits flavor.
Worcestershire sauce
umami depth in the braise
Purpose: A tablespoon of Worcestershire in the braising liquid adds fermented complexity and savory depth that enriches the beef and tomato combination without a detectable flavor of its own.
Handling: Add during the liquid-building stage after the tomatoes so it melds into the braise rather than sitting on top.
Adaptation: Soy sauce at half the quantity provides comparable umami; fish sauce at a quarter-teaspoon is a more potent option.
Technique notes
- Deglaze the pot with a half cup of dry red wine after browning the meat and before adding stock — the wine adds tannins and fruity complexity to the braise that rounds out the tomato acidity.
- If the braising liquid is too thin after the grillades are cooked, remove the meat and reduce the sauce over high heat for five minutes until it coats the back of a spoon before returning the meat.
- Grits continue to thicken off-heat as they cool; keep them slightly looser than you want at serving time because they firm up considerably in the two minutes it takes to plate everything.
Ingredient swaps
- Gluten-free direction
- All traditional ingredients in grillades and grits are naturally gluten-free; verify only your Worcestershire sauce brand, as some contain malt vinegar derived from barley.
- Dairy-free direction
- Cook grits in vegetable or chicken stock instead of milk and omit the cheese; stir in a tablespoon of olive oil for richness; the grits will be thinner but still savory.
- Lower-sodium direction
- Use no-salt-added canned tomatoes and low-sodium beef stock, then season deliberately at the end rather than throughout; the Worcestershire can be halved without significantly impacting depth.
- Weeknight shortcut
- Quick-cooking grits reduce the grits preparation to fifteen minutes; brown the beef in a pressure cooker and braise under pressure for twenty minutes to achieve similar tenderness in a third of the conventional time.
Serve alongside
- slow-cooked collard greens
- fried green tomatoes
- hot buttered biscuits
- chicory coffee with warm milk
- fresh-squeezed orange juice
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate braised grillades in their sauce for up to four days; the sauce gels when cold and actually improves in flavor. Store grits separately in a sealed container for up to three days, and reheat with added water or stock while stirring to restore creamy consistency.
Equipment
- large Dutch oven or heavy braising pot with lid
- meat mallet for pounding medallions
- medium saucepan for grits
- box grater for the cheddar
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