How to Make Hominy and Other Things to Make with It

Hominy is made by soaking dry corn in a solution that removes the pericarp from the kernel, this releases the corn's endocarp to plump up and release its flavor and nutrients. The art of making hominy is as old as pre-columbian time and is well known in the south. Hominy can be fried in butter with some country ham, deep fried (or baked) to make corn nuts, ground into masa to make tortillas or coarsely ground to make grits.
The process, called nixtamalization, uses an alkaline solution of either wood ash lye or lime water made from slaked lime. The alkaline solution dissolves the pericarp from the dried corn kernel, which allows the kernel to plump up and also increases the bioavailability of niacin and protein.
This recipe, by Jennifer Gleason, can also be found on YouTube. There is many variations on the process but the basics are the same, cooking and soaking in an alkaline solution to remove the outer skin on the dried corn kernel.
Start off with dried corn, best to use something like Hickory King White Corn, but you can try it with any dry corn. Remove the kernels from the cob, winnow the corn to remove any chaff.
Thanks for the article. I made some hominy this weekend with my organic Glass Gem corn I grew this summer. Really great tasting and can’t wait to make some Pazole. But I tried it fried with ham and it was so good.