4 (generous) cups liquid (water, stock, or a combination of 1/3 water to 2/3 half and half are all good)
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. unsalted butter (added at the end)
½ cup of cheese (Optional. Also, I haven't found a kind I personally didn't like in grits, but sharp cheddar, Parmesan, and pimento all rank high in my book.)
Equipment
Crock pot
Tea strainer
Whisk or wooden spoon
Directions
Combine the grits, liquid, and salt in the crock pot.
Set the pot to high. Coarse grits: set to 8 hours. Quick grits: set to 6 hours. Polenta: set to 4 hours.
Stir the mixture for a moment. Using a tea strainer, skim off the chaff floating on top, making sure not to scoop up the grits from the bottom.
Cover the pot and let the grits cook! Stirring the grits every few hours is great, but not totally necessary. Focus your efforts around the bottom edges where the grits are prone to stick.
After the allotted time, the grits should be soft. If not, give them more time.
Finish the grits with the butter. Adjust salt to taste. Stir for a minute or so to thicken up the mixture. Cheese (and anything else you like in your grits) should be added now.
