Hello, friends, I’m here to help!*
I hear it all the time, just like you do: “I hate pimento cheese, that just sounds nasty.” Or, “I had some one time, and it was gross.”
My guess is that you were eating what we call down south “store bought” pimento cheese.
I hate that stuff, too.
Of all the storeboughts, Palmetto Cheese is almost passable, but not quite. My poor parents, the Mr. and Mrs. Dawglicious, Sr., buy this stuff because of the arthritis.** To my taste, storebought pimento cheese just isn’t sharp enough and the grating is too thick from a texture standpoint.
If you are willing to try something different (and want to get a pretty close approximation of what they serve at the Masters based on my self-study of a month’s worth of ANGC on-site taste testing), here’s the Dawglicious recipe for homemade pimento cheese!***
8 oz block of extra sharp cheddar cheese, hand-grated as finely as possible. (If you buy the pre-shredded bags of merely sharp cheddar, you run the high risk of it tasting store bought!) Buy the block, put some “elbow grease” into it, and use the smallest grate you have. My grandfather swore it made it taste better. Grocery store brand extra sharp is OK, but Cracker Barrell or Cabots is better.
1/2 cup Dukes mayonnaise (or if Dukes is unavailable, Hellman’s or Blue Plate. Anything but Kraft and certainly not Miracle Whip.)
Small 4 oz jar of diced pimentos, drained.
1/2 tsp of black pepper and a 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder.
1 tbsp of No Salt Cavenders seasoning (you can always add salt to taste later, the cheese is plenty salty) If you don’t have No Salt Cavenders, double the pepper and onion powder above, add 1 tsp garlic powder.
Optional: a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper.
Combine all ingredients and really mix well with a sturdy spoon. You may be tempted to add more Dukes but you’ll run the risk of it tasting more like mayo than cheese. Just work it in good, it’ll be enough!
Spread on Sunbeam white bread for the Masters experience, or use your favorite bread. Tastes great with celery or on your cracker of choice. I like a Ritz or a Triscuit.
Enjoy! Discuss your feelings or recipes for pimento cheese in the comments.
Your humble hand-grater of cheese,
Dawglicious
*Whether you want it or not
**Just so you don’t think I’m not a loving son, I make 2 pounds of this at a time so I can give them a reprieve from storebought. I feel so guilty when I visit and see that pale-ass processed blandness in their fridge.
***Yes, I know I just did that thing that aggravates every Internet Recipe Hunter by making you scroll through the personal story of my nearly inappropriate relationship with homemade pimento cheese. It is only because I care so much about you, our loyal Refugees, that I do so. Plus, it’s the offseason and content is scarce.
My first horrifying experience with pimento cheese sandwiches was the elementary school lunchroom. It took me until my late 20s before I was willing to try it again.
The best store bought pimento cheese I’ve found is MyThreeSons. The spicy version is good enough to make you slap yo’ mama.
I’ll have to try this recipe. Thanks, Dawglicious.
My Mother apparently made excellent pimento cheese to hear her bridge club tell it, but I never did like hers’ and would never try any other including at ANGC.
Almost same recipe l make. It is excellent. You are right, good on crackers or white bread!
Dawglicious, love me some pimento cheese and if you throw some chopped up Jalapeno’s in there, it makes it even better. I’m lucky enough to work with a lot of teachers and believe me, they don’t believe in store bought pimento cheese. It’s the real deal from them. I’m going to give the recipe a try and heck, I can eat it with almost anything.
…or horseradish.
Also, I know its hard to believe, but adding a little bit of dill pickle juice works wonders
Another fact: no food processor to grate those blocks. Elbow grease only! Don’t ask, just trust me.
Dad made the best pimento cheese, and once his health slowed him down, mom took over the job when I visit now. She added her own acceptable twist and did half sharp cheddar, half pepper jack. Also, they never drained the pimentos, just dumped the whole jar in. It worked!
I’ll dump the whole jar on occasion…it does help spread a little easier!
Not using a food processor to grate cheese is like saying, “Don’t use a riding mower to mow that 2 acres of grass. Use a scythe, trust me”.
Sure. Find a processor grater that makes the tiny shreds like in the pic and run with it! I have nothing against electricity and modern technology. Saves knuckles, too.
Is the ANGC sammich really that good or is it just the price, options and setting? Yes.
Yes and yes.
I’ll give a shout out to Palmetto for being passable compared to homemade, as is their chicken salad, if you want the full ‘Master’s Experience’ without the labor. (I know, I know. I’m busy/lazy sometimes…)
If you can find a Winn Dixie, their store brand is really good. IIRC it is Palmetto Farm brand. Toast the bread so the cheese nearly melts when applied makes it even better.
Or make a grilled cheese sandwich with the pimiento cheese. Not just toasted bread, but buttered, toasted and thoroughly melted cheese.
This is the way…
Done that before. And instead of a grilled ham and cheese, I’ve done the grilled ham and pimento cheese.
I’ve made pimento cheese omelettes that turned out pretty good…love a pimento cheeseburger, too.
Mine is very similar. I use one
Block of extra sharp yellow and one block of extra sharp white.
I reserve the pimento juice and add 1-2 tablespoons back to taste
I also add Worcestershire sauce and a vinegar based hot sauce. Lately I have been using Cholula garlic hot sauce.
Publix deli near me sells Queen Charlotte including a jalapeno version and a chipotle version. It’s too expensive except when they have it as a BOGO, but we love it. Best homemade that I made was with smoked Gouda.
The Master’s recipe is not the original recipe. They let the original caterer go and they took their recipe with them. https://www.golfdigest.com/story/masters-2019-the-curious-case-of-the-original-pimento-cheese-recipe-and-how-you-can-now-buy-it
Augusta friend of mine said ANGC called the original guy after they changed vendors to ask him for the recipe. He was none too happy about that! (He said, ahem, how shall we say it: no.
That was what I heard too and serves them right for cutting him out.
Shout out to Hometown Deli and Grocery in McLemoresville, TN. Their “store bought” is made every morning by several ladies that work in the back. The jalapeño pimento cheese is the best there is. At lunch time they press out hamburgers from fresh ground and make a pimento cheese burger that is a bit sloppy to eat but true slap-yo-mama level.
Welp I guess the pic didn’t post…
Will follow this recipe
Athens chef, Rebecca Lang, has a new pimento cheese cookbook (https://a.co/d/0gODBQNt) with about 35 different recipes. I tried several of these dishes at her book signing, and they were all great. I particularly like the one made with pickled okra.
Rebecca and her family are native Georgians and big bulldog fans. She’s got nine southern style cookbooks which make great gifts. https://rebeccalangcooks.com/books/
I’m partial to the Egg sammich they have at ANGC. I make egg and olive for Masters week and eat that with a glass of sweet tea while listening to the dulcet tones of Jim Nance.