This recipe was the one my mother used, and her mother before her. Beyond that I can't go! It spoiled me for anything calling itself "cornbread" that has flour or sweeteners in it -- I call those "corn cake." This is great with chili, stew, and other hearty dishes. My dad used to crumble it up into buttermilk and eat it with a spoon. It's a requirement for our family's New Years Day dinner, along with the roast pork and black-eyed peas. It's also the main ingredient in Thanksgiving/Christmas/anytime turkey stuffing.
07Place skillet on middle rack of oven; bake until cornbread is springy in the middle, browned and pulling away from the skillet on the sides (about 15-20 minutes).
08Remove from oven and invert skillet over serving plate. If cornbread does not drop easily, you may need to run an icing spatula or even a flexible metal egg-turner around/under it so it comes loose.
09Recipe halves well, just remember you can't cut the bacon grease by half because you still need to coat the skillet.
10Serve hot, with plenty of butter. Or margarine, if you insist.