Leslie Jordan's Cornbread Making Skills Were Crackling
On October 24, it was announced that "Will & Grace" actor Leslie Jordan passed away at 67 years of age, per The New York Times. According to reports from the Los Angeles Police Department, Jordan died after suffering a medical emergency, causing his BMW to crash into a Hollywood wall around 9:30 a.m.
Though Jordan starred in many beloved TV shows, his fame grew higher by posting comedic videos to Instagram during the pandemic. "I've loved attention, wanted it my whole career, and I've never gotten this kind of attention," he said after amassing millions of followers. Those who followed his career may also know he had some talent in the kitchen. According to Allrecipes, he once prepared a hilariously thought-out meal for his flight to New York City. "I thought, well, that's a long trip. So, I fried a whole chicken. And I made some potato salad. And I had big jugs of sweet tea in Mason jars. Well, they laughed so hard at me because it was just beautifully catered, you know, they had all that. "But what did we eat? Honey, we had fried chicken, potato salad, and iced tea," he said on a podcast episode. He was also skilled at making cornbread — a skill he learned from his grandmother (per Allrecipes).
It requires a bit of bacon grease
On a 2021 podcast with Allrecipes, Leslie Jordan discussed the cornbread tips he'd learned from his grandmother. His grandmother's recipe was meant to create a savory cornbread rather than sweet, as it contained no sugar and some fat. "You got to have a little bacon grease," he explained. "I heat my cast iron with the bacon grease on the stove and then pour that batter in so it'll be crisp on the outside but before you put it in the oven." By doing this, he keeps the inside fluffy and the crust crisp. His grandmother also taught him to leave the batter lumpy, as the lumps help improve the bread's moisture.
According to America's Test Kitchen, lumps prevent the mixture from becoming too thin by enabling water flow. This also ensures the final product is tall instead of flat. And although Jordan was a fan of his grandmother's cornbread, he ended with an interesting take. "Everybody has a cornbread recipe. The best is just off the cornmeal box," he said.