Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.
This recipe for Old Fashioned Pimento Cheese (without Cream Cheese) came from my podcast guest, Brenda Wyatt. Make sure you listen to her Halloween episode while you make this Pimento Cheese!
Brenda Wyatt of Camellia's Cottage is a "mature" (her words, not mine!) Southern lady. Brenda is full of wisdom and insights, has an adventurous spirit, as well as a vast wealth of knowledge about Southern Cooking. The more she told me of her heirloom recipes I just HAD to try them, specifically her grandmother's old fashioned pimento cheese recipe! She says that (Southern) authentic pimento cheese is never made with cream cheese and always has whole pimentos (don't look too closely at my photos!). Brenda told me in our interview (and also when sharing this very recipe on her blog) that the secret ingredient to her grandmother's award-winning pimento cheese is pickled hot pepper sauce. I had never heard of this. Pickled hot pepper sauce is a staple, Brenda says, in any true southern kitchen or restaurant. It's not really a sauce so much, rather it is the vinegar that hot peppers are brined in. Southerners put it in their pimento cheese, but also on any cooked leafy greens.
Many Southern cooks actually call pimento cheese the caviar of the South or pâté of the South, so you know that it is a classic Southern staple that is beloved to have received such reverent names. Whether it is your first time making a Southern pimento cheese recipe or your thousandth, I am sure you will love Brenda's grandmother's Old-Fashioned Pimento Cheese recipe.
P.S. If you are looking for a little something sweet and spicy to go along with this easy pimento cheese recipe, try Brenda's other storied recipe, Spicy Brown Sugar Bacon (Candied Bacon)!
Top Tip
Making this delicious cheese spread is a very fast and easy process, but many other bloggers and Southern cooks say you shouldn't use pre-shredded cheese. A recipe from Cookie and Kate explains that pre-shredded cheddar cheese is coated in powder which mutes the flavor of the cheese and messes up the creamy texture of the dish. I would say to spend the extra few minutes grating your shredded cheddar cheese to get the best results.
A Brief History of Pimento Cheese: A Northern Recipe Evolving to a Classic Southern Spread
If you attend a Southern family get-together, cookout, luncheon, or any other gathering in the South, you will find pimento cheese somewhere in the spread. The shocking thing is--pimento cheese did not originate from the South!
According to a widely referenced post from Serious Eats pimento cheese actually started in New York! Around the 1870s when cream cheese was invented and sweet red peppers were being introduced in the US from Spain, many new recipes started appearing that used both cream cheese and pimento peppers together. In 1908 Eva Green Fuller's Up-to-Date Sandwich Book said to mix together cream cheese, pimento cheese, and salt and spread it on buttered white bread. Sound familiar?
Remember those imported Spanish pimentos? Well, those were expensive to import so in the 1911s, in the South, specifically Georgia, they started growing their own pimentos, and by the 1920s were producing "Truhart Perfection" pimentos. They were also roasting and canning them in their factories as well. After World War II, the popularity of pimento cheese waned, and this is when Southern cooks started creating their own versions. Cream cheese was replaced with "hoop" cheese, a cheap, white cheese that was mild and semi-soft cheese. Hoop cheese needed to be grated to be put in pimento cheese, so the dish needed a binder which is where mayonnaise comes in.
Today this Southern favorite is normally made with cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimento cheese, paprika, and a little cayenne. Brenda stating that Southern pimento cheese does not contain cream cheese is historically correct!
Variations on Recipe
Brenda's grandmother's pimento cheese is a simple recipe with simple ingredients, but here are some ingredients you can add or substitute with some of the ingredients in her recipe:
- Cream cheese: as I explained in the history section, adding cream cheese isn't a common ingredient in Southern pimento cheese spread, but there are plenty of recipes that have this ingredient added in; cream cheese makes it extra creamy and smooth
- Worcestershire sauce: adds more zing and tanginess
- Dijon mustard: same purpose as Worcestershire sauce
- Onion or onion powder
- Garlic or garlic powder
- Chopped dill pickles
source: Discover South Carolina
Extra-Sharp vs Mild Cheddar Cheese
There are many different ways of preparing pimento cheese, however, it seems like there is a consensus about using extra-sharp cheddar cheese.
If the difference between mild, medium, sharp, and extra sharp cheese confuses you, you are not alone. According to a researcher from the US Department of Agriculture, the sharpness of cheese is determined by how long the cheese has been aging. For example, mild cheddar is relatively young with a less robust flavor profile. In contrast, extra-sharp cheddar cheese has aged for much longer and the more the bacteria break down the protein and fat in the cheese, new compounds start forming which leads the cheese to be more flavorful and tangy or sharp.
Hard vs Soft Cheeses
The flavor of a cheese is only one aspect used to judge whether or not a cheese is hard or soft.
Hard Cheeses
- Takes longer to melt
- Drier and more crumbly
- Aged months or years
- Sharper or more robust flavor
Soft Cheeses
- Higher moisture content
- Easier to melt
- More spreadable
- Only aged a few days or weeks
- Lighter flavor
Cheddar cheese is considered a semi-hard cheese, so not too hard but not too soft. Sounds kind of like Goldilocks cheese to me. 😉
sources: The Cheese House
Is Pimento Cheese Spicy?
Brenda says in our interview that you make the pimento cheese "as spicy as you dare". Well, I don't dare to make it quite as spicy as she does! But the type of chili pepper depends on your heat tolerance. If you choose to add a little kick to your pimento cheese or take it to the next level and really go all out with the spice, here are a few ingredients you can add that I've ranked from least spicy to the spiciest:
- Black pepper
- Banana peppers
- Red pepper flakes
- Cayenne pepper
- Hot sauce (depends on the hot sauce, of course)
- Pickled hot peppers (pickled jalapenos, serranos)
- Fresh hot peppers
Pimento Cheese vs. Pub Cheese
Pub cheese uses similar ingredients to pimento cheese with one major difference, beer. It has a bold, sharp flavor compared to pimento cheese and is considered an Irish cheese spread.
Instructions
No need to get out the stand mixer for this recipe! All you need is a bowl and a wooden spoon to make this homemade pimento cheese recipe.
- Shred sharp cheddar cheese and place cheese in a large bowl.
- Add hot pepper brine and cayenne pepper to pimentos.
- Scoop mayonnaise over cheese.
- Pour spiced pimentos and add red pepper flakes.
- Stir gently and add more mayonnaise if needed.
- Chill until ready!
Different Ways to Eat Pimento Cheese
- Pimento cheese sandwiches or finger sandwiches as a sandwich spread
- Pimento cheese dip (examples of scoops include celery sticks, red bell peppers, ritz crackers, pears, apples, and chips)
- Elevate a simple grilled cheese sandwich to a grilled pimento cheese sandwich
- On top of a burger
- Loaded pimento cheese fries
- Pimento mac and cheese
- Pimento cheese sausage balls
- Stuffed green olives with pimento cheese
- Pimento cheese with strawberry jam (check out this Strawberry (Lemon) Jam recipe from my podcast guest, Letitia Clark!) on crackers
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Wooden or plastic spoon
- Box grater
Storage
- Unfortunately, you shouldn't freeze pimento cheese. Southern Living says that the cheese separates and becomes grainy when frozen.
- You can store pimento cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can You Heat Pimento Cheese?
Yes! Many recipes do this. All you have to do is pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes or cook it in a slow cooker, like this recipe from Honey and Birch, and you will have hot, delicious pimento cheese.
More Recipes from the American South
More Dips and Appetizers
Listen to Brenda's Episode
Brenda befriended me on Instagram several months ago and offered to share her recipe for an apple-shaped cheese ball, which would be perfect for a harvest party. Now, a cheese ball wasn’t the most exciting recipe I could fathom, but I find Brenda so fun, knowledgeable, and entertaining, and I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to talk with her. Sure enough, she had me laughing in 30 seconds, and I walked away from the interview with two additional recipes I just had to try!
Recipe
Old Fashioned Pimento Cheese Recipe (Without Cream Cheese)
Ingredients
- 12 Ounces Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese finely grated, *See Note 1
- 1 jar Pimiento Strips drained
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise more to taste, good quality, *See Note 2
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Brine of Pickled Hot Peppers more to taste, *See Note 3
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode!
- Make sure you listen to the Halloween episode, 2019 - 3 Perspectives, while you make Brenda's pimento cheese!
Make The Recipe
- On the fine side of a box grater, shred extra-sharp cheddar cheese.
- Place the grated cheese in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the other ingredients on top. Stir gently to combine.
- Mimi’s Pimento Cheese will occasionally need additional mayonnaise. Add a bit at a time to desired consistency.
- Chill, until ready to use.
- Spread thinly for tea sandwiches.
- Make sure to listen to Brenda's episode, Halloween 2019 - 3 Perspectives as you make her grandmother's pimento cheese recipe!
Notes
- Make sure you listen to the Halloween episode, 2019 - 3 Perspectives, while you make Brenda's pimento cheese!
- Brenda says, "Do not use pre-grated cheese!"
- According to Brenda, a good quality mayonnaise will have lemon juice in its list of ingredients. Duke's and Hellman's are the two most popular suggestions.
- Consider trying Trappey's, which is what I used for this recipe.
- If you want more zing, try adding Worcestershire sauce or Dijon mustard.
Nutrition
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Hannah Neeper says
I'm a huge fan of mayonnaise and pimento cheese so this is the recipe for me!