Kentucky pimento cheese
Photo: Carol VanHook · CC BY 2.0

History

Pimento cheese is the Southern condiment-spread tradition, with documented recipes from the early 20th century. The Kentucky version emphasises sharper cheddar, more black pepper and a dash of bourbon-aged hot sauce. Pimento cheese sandwiches have been served at the Masters golf tournament since 1933, and at the Kentucky Derby for over a century. Louisville restaurants like Garage Bar, Jack Fry's and J. Graham's Cafe at the Brown Hotel plate the canonical pimento-cheese-and-cracker board.

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Common allergens: Dairy, Egg, Mustard

Make it at home

Yield 500Hands-on 15 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 300g extra-sharp cheddar (Cabot Seriously Sharp or 5-year-aged), hand-grated on the coarse side of a box grater
  • 60g pepper jack or smoked gouda, grated
  • 150g full-fat mayonnaise (Duke's preferred for the South)
  • 100g jarred pimentos (sweet red peppers), drained well and finely diced
  • 60g cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated yellow onion
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon bourbon-aged hot sauce (Hot Pursuit or similar; Tabasco works as substitute)
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Crackers, celery sticks, sliced cucumber, or Sally Lunn bread to serve

Method

  1. Hand-grate the cheeses on the coarse holes of a box grater; pre-grated cheese has anti-caking starch that ruins the texture.
  2. Beat the cream cheese smooth in a large bowl.
  3. Add the mayonnaise, grated onion, garlic, Worcestershire, hot sauce, mustard, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
  4. Drain the pimentos very well; pat dry on paper towels. Excess liquid makes the spread runny.
  5. Fold the diced pimentos and grated cheese into the mayo mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon; do not overmix.
  6. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, ideally 4 hours. The flavour develops as the cheese absorbs the seasonings.
  7. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and hot sauce.
  8. Serve at room temperature with Ritz crackers, celery sticks, sliced cucumber rounds or thick slices of Sally Lunn bread.
  9. Keeps a week refrigerated.

Tip from the editors. Hand-grate the cheese; pre-grated has cellulose that stops it binding. Refrigerate at least 4 hours; same-day pimento cheese tastes flat.

Where to eat kentucky pimento cheese

Kentucky pimento cheese in Louisville

Garage Bar ★ 4.3

$$ PizzeriaUntil Daily until 02:00

Garage Bar on East Market in Louisville keeps the wood-fired oven running until 02:00 daily, the NuLu pizza pub for the after-dinner crowd off the bourbon.

TryWood-fired pizza, pork meatballs

TipKitchen serves the full menu until close. The patio fills first on warm nights.

Directions

Jack Fry's ★ 4.6

$$$$ Tasting $45-80New AmericanChef House team

Jack Fry's on Bardstown Road in Louisville has poured Highlands dining-bar suppers since 1933, the room where lamb chops have anchored the menu for decades.

Book1 week ahead

Directions Book

Mark's Feed Store Bar-B-Q ★ 4.0

$ American BBQ

Mark's Feed Store on Shelbyville Road has hickory-smoked Kentucky BBQ since 1988, the Saint Matthews counter where pulled pork plate with sides comes.

TryPulled pork plate with two sides

TipWalk-in counter. Order pulled pork, brisket or chicken with two sides for the cheapest sit-down meal.

Directions

Heitzman Traditional Bakery and Deli ★ 4.0

$ BakeryGerman-American breads, cakes, deliWalk-in only

Heitzman Traditional Bakery on Shelbyville Road has baked Louisville cakes since 1891, four generations of Butter Kuchen and the Strawberry Whipped Cream.

Worth the queueButter Kuchen, Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake

TipWalk-in counter. Order wedding and birthday cakes a week ahead through the deli.

Directions

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