Hobo’s Broke Cornbread Dressing
A modified variation of the “Lodge Cast Iron” recipe.
(Full batch – cooked in two cast-iron skillets)
Serves 10–12
Use what you have!
Ingredients
Base
- 1 day-old skillet cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes
Some meat, cook & set aside!
- 2 smallish bratwurst, diced
- 4–6 slices bacon, chopped
In the skillet:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1½ cups diced apples (Granny Smith or whatever you have)
- ½–¾ cup dehydrated small cubed carrots, rehydrated and drained
- Onion of your choice: ⅓–½ cup minced onion or 1½–2 Tbsp onion flakes + 1 tsp onion powder
Dry Mix:
- ½ cup dehydrated halved cherries (Rehydrated prior to use)
- ½ cup pecan pieces
Spice Mix:
- 1–2 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1–2 Tbsp dried chives
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp thyme (leaves or ground)
- 1 tsp sage
- ½ tsp rosemary
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼–½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional heat) (Not Used)
- ½ tsp celery salt (plus regular salt only if needed)
- ½ tsp black pepper
Liquid Mix:
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1¾–2 cups chicken broth (from soup powder or prepared broth)
- ¼–⅓ cup 2% milk or reconstituted whole-milk powder
Optional extras (only if you have them)
- 1 cup diced celery (No Stock)
- 1 cup diced fresh onion (instead of the powdered/flaked version) (I used 1 medium purple onion instead of the dried onion flakes/minced/powder)
- 1 cup diced mushrooms (I don’t do mushrooms, EVER!)
- ½ cup dried cranberries (in addition to or instead of the cherries) (I used cherries)
- ¼ cup heavy cream (in place of some of the milk) (I used 1/2 cup whole milk powder, reconstituted the previous day)
- Fresh parsley or fresh garlic (No fresh stock)
Finish (optional)
- ½–1 tsp dehydrated lemon zest or 1–2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- I skipped this entirely, didn’t think it would really help at all.
Method
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
Spread the cornbread cubes on a baking sheet and toast 12–15 minutes until lightly dried and golden. Set aside. - Rehydrate the dehydrated carrots in hot water for 10–15 minutes. Drain well and pat dry.
- In one large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the drippings.
Add the diced bratwurst to the same skillet and brown 3–5 minutes. Remove and set aside with the bacon. - Add the butter to the skillet. Sauté the apples, rehydrated carrots, and your chosen onion for 5–7 minutes until softened.
Stir in garlic powder, thyme, sage, rosemary, paprika, red pepper flakes (if using), celery salt, and black pepper. Cook 1 minute until fragrant. - In a large mixing bowl combine:
- Toasted cornbread cubes
- Cooked bratwurst and bacon
- Sautéed apple-carrot-onion mixture
- Dehydrated cherries
- Pecan pieces
- Dried parsley and chives
- Whisk together the chicken broth, milk (or reconstituted milk powder), and beaten eggs. Taste and add a pinch of regular salt only if needed.
- Divide the cornbread mixture evenly between two cast-iron skillets. Pour the broth-milk-egg mixture evenly over both, moistening the dressing without making it soggy.
(If one skillet is larger, put a bit more mixture in it.) - Optional: Sprinkle dehydrated lemon zest over the tops.
- Cover each skillet tightly with foil (or lids if you have them). Bake 25–30 minutes.
Uncover and bake another 12–18 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the centers are hot and set. - Rest 5–10 minutes. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if desired, then serve.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in airtight containers. Good for 3–4 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 350°F until the center reaches 165°F.
On a scale of 1 – 10, I’d rate this at 5, only because I love cornbread and it was edible but it needs a major rework!
What would I do next time?
- Have an ample supply of all ingredients on hand. (Fresh)
- Have a larger quantity of pork & bacon.
- Chop cornbread into smaller cubes. (Maybe 1/2″?)
- Make a smaller overall batch, this is too much dressing for a small gathering.