“Grits are one of my favorite foods,” says chef Kelsey Barnard Clark, author of the cookbook Southern Grit and owner of KBC restaurant in Dothan, Alabama. “It’s such a classic southern dish. It’s humble. It’s cheap. It’s a dried product sitting in your pantry that you pull out and use with other things you’ve got in your pantry or fridge to make a meal.”

In this recipe, which the Top Chef winner offers as a special at KBC, Barnard Clark uses gouda, cheddar and parmesan cheeses, but says any cheese will do. “Don’t be scared to try other kids, even four different kinds all together; I’ve honestly never met a cheese that’s not good in grits.”

Not up for the long process of braising beef to top your grits? Make only the grits and serve with eggs instead.

Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Pot roast

• 2 lb chuck roast, patted completely dry

• 1 Tbsp garlic powder

• 1 Tbsp onion powder

• 1 Tbsp salt

• 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil

• ½ medium onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 bay leaves

• ½ cup Worcestershire sauce

• ½ cup soy sauce

• 2 cups beef broth

Grits

• 2 cups water

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1 cup stoned-ground yellow grits

• 5 Tbsp butter, divided

• 2 Tbsp heavy cream

• ½ cup smoked gouda, freshly grated

• ½ cup sharp cheddar, freshly grated

• ½ cup parmesan, freshly grated

salt to taste

Make the roast

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together garlic powder, onion powder and salt with a fork until all the ingredients are well combined to make a rub. Sprinkle then rub the seasoning over both sides of meat with a dry hand, pressing gently so the seasoning adheres.

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over high heat. Add chuck to the pan and sear until brown, about 3 minutes per side (use tongs to turn the meat). Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, worcestershire, soy sauce and broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and transfer to oven and braise, basting with liquid every hour, until chuck is very tender and falling apart, about 3 to 4 hours.

Once cooked, remove chuck from braising liquid and let rest for 20 minutes. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces and set aside aside. Once the braising liquid in the Dutch oven has cooled, skim and discard the fat. Heat the remaining liquid over medium-high heat reduced to about 1 cup au jus. (You can make the meat up to 3 days ahead of time, storing it in an airtight container with its juices in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 6 months.)

Make the grits

While the meat rests and cooking juices reduce, make the grits. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil with 4 Tbsp. butter and a dash of salt. Slowly wisk in grits. Reduce heat to low and add milk. Cook, whisking frequently until grits are tender and creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining butter, cheese and cream. Season with salt.

Put it all together

Portion out the grits, top with meat and drizzle au jus on top. If reheating the meat, warm in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.