The Cast Iron Heritage

Marcus Washington

Marcus learned to cook from his grandmother in Memphis, who could turn a pot of beans and a ham hock into a feast. He teaches Southern and soul food as America's original comfort cuisine — fried chicken, collard greens, gumbo, mac and cheese — and the cast iron skillet as the only pan you'll ever need.

AmericanCajun-Creole

Voice · Warm, storytelling, reverent of tradition, practical about shortcuts that don't sacrifice soul.

Signature Dishes

The essential curation of Marcus's favorites.

295 MIN

Eastern Carolina Vinegar Pulled Pork

Eastern North Carolina barbecue, run indoors: a pork shoulder rubbed with smoked paprika and brown sugar, taken low-and-slow until it pulls into glossy strands, then dressed — not drowned — in a thin, sharp cider-vinegar pepper sauce with no tomato in sight. Hand-pulled, bark chopped back through the meat, piled on soft buns with a bright vinegar slaw.

35 MIN

Buckwheat Corn Skillet Bites with Bacon and Scallion

Golden corn and buckwheat cakes pan-fried in bacon fat, studded with crispy bacon pieces and fresh scallion. A soulful side or appetizer that brings together the warmth of Southern cast iron cooking with hearty, satisfying flavors.

35 MIN

Cast Iron Corn Fritters with Smoked Paprika Aioli

Golden, crispy corn fritters fried to perfection in a cast iron skillet, served with a bold smoked paprika aioli that brings a smoky, garlicky punch to every bite.

38 MIN

Lamb Chop Lollipops with Mint Feta Chimichurri

Frenched lamb chops formed into elegant lollipops, seared in cast iron and finished with a bright mint feta chimichurri. A Southern-meets-Mediterranean celebration of bold flavors.

45 MIN

Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprout Bites with Maple-Cayenne Glaze

Crispy bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts roasted until tender, finished with a sweet and spicy maple-cayenne glaze. A crowd-pleasing appetizer that balances smoky, savory, and heat in every bite.

35 MIN

Buckwheat Skillet Pancake with Apple, Bacon, and Maple

A hearty buckwheat pancake cooked in a cast iron skillet, topped with caramelized apples, crispy bacon, and a generous drizzle of maple syrup. Rustic, soulful, and built for a satisfying breakfast.

45 MIN

Southern Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Hot Honey and Candied Pumpkin Seeds

A silky, tangy panna cotta made with sour cream and pumpkin, crowned with a drizzle of cayenne-kissed hot honey and crunchy candied pumpkin seeds — a Southern riff on an Italian classic that delivers warmth, sweetness, and a little heat in every bite.

43 MIN

Spiced Chocolate Brownie with Cayenne and Pecan Crunch

A rich, fudgy chocolate brownie kissed with warmth from cayenne and cinnamon, crowned with a crunchy candied pecan crumble. Soul food comfort meets a little fire — Marcus style.

50 MIN

Cast Iron Cornbread Pudding with Bacon and Green Onions

A soulful cast iron pudding with a golden crust, studded with crispy bacon and bright green onions throughout a tender, cheesy crumb. This is the kind of dish that brings folks to the table before it's even out of the oven.

45 MIN

Cast Iron Spicy Pork Belly and Black Bean Skillet

A smoky, deeply savory skillet where crispy-edged pork belly meets hearty black beans, fired up with cayenne, paprika and a splash of hot sauce. This is stick-to-your-ribs comfort from a cast iron, the way Grandma would have done it.

40 MIN

Cast Iron Bacon and White Bean Skillet

A hearty one-pan soul food classic with crispy bacon, tender white beans, and smoky seasonings cooked low and slow in a cast iron skillet.

55 MIN

Cast Iron Pepper-Braised Chicken Thighs

Tender chicken thighs braised low and slow with smoky peppers and aromatics in a cast iron skillet, yielding deeply flavored, fall-off-the-bone meat with a rich pan sauce.

125 MIN

Smoky Collard Greens and White Beans with Ham Hock

A soulful Southern one-pot wonder where smoky ham hock, creamy white beans, and tender greens simmer together into something grandmama would be proud of.

45 MIN

Hot Sauce Glazed Pork Belly Bites

Crispy-edged pork belly cubes finished in a glossy hot sauce glaze with smoky and peppery notes, straight from the cast iron.

45 MIN

Smoked Paprika Butter Beans and Sausage

A soulful, smoky pot of butter beans simmered with seasoned sausage and plenty of smoked paprika. One of those dishes that fills the house with the kind of aroma that makes everybody wander into the kitchen asking when supper's ready.

45 MIN

Braised Chicken Thighs with Bacon and Collards

Tender chicken thighs braised low and slow with smoky bacon and hearty collard greens in a savory pan sauce. Soul food at its finest.

45 MIN

Cast Iron Shrimp and Andouille Skillet

A hearty Southern skillet dish featuring plump shrimp and smoky andouille sausage in a rich, pepper-forward tomato broth. One pan, thirty minutes, pure soul food comfort.

65 MIN

Soul Food Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Pepper Jack

A soul food classic with creamy, peppery cheese sauce and crispy bacon. Made with patience and love, the way Grandmother taught it.

45 MIN

Cast Iron Cornmeal Crusted Pork Chops

Thick-cut pork loin chops given a crispy, golden crust using a cornmeal-style breading seasoned with smoked paprika and cayenne, finished in a cast iron skillet with herb butter.

45 MIN

Skillet White Beans and Greens with Bacon

A soulful cast iron skillet dish where creamy white beans and hearty kale come together with smoky bacon and a splash of hot sauce. One pan, big flavor, pure comfort.

40 MIN

Smoky Bacon and Kale Skillet

A cast iron skillet favorite featuring crispy bacon, tender kale, and a smoky kick that'll have you reaching for seconds. Marcus's grandmother always said greens were the backbone of a proper soul food spread — this one's got backbone and then some.

45 MIN

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Thighs with Cayenne

Chicken thighs are the right cut — more fat, more flavor, and they stay juicy through the long hot fry that only a deep cast iron can manage properly. A yogurt-and-garlic soak tenderizes the meat while the smoked paprika and cayenne in the flour coat make sure every bite has color and heat. The crust shatters; the inside practically steams.

95 MIN

Cajun Roast Whole Chicken with Smoked Paprika

Butter pushed under the skin carries smoked paprika, cayenne, and thyme directly onto the meat, so the heat and smokiness season every bite from the inside out while the skin crisps up a deep, burnished red. Garlic roasts in the cavity and in the pan, growing sweet and mellow against the assertive spice rub. This is the bird you cook when you want the whole house to smell like a celebration.

60 MIN

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice with Sausage

Monday was red bean day in New Orleans because the beans could cook slow while the laundry got done, and nothing about that wisdom has gone out of style. Sausage renders its fat into kidney beans that slowly break down and thicken their own broth, with celery, yellow onion, and thyme working quietly in the background building layers of savory depth. Spooned over white rice, it's one of the most complete meals a pot can make.

45 MIN

Spicy Cajun Shrimp Po' Boy with Remoulade

The shrimp need to be fried hot and eaten fast, piled onto soft white bread with crisp lettuce and ripe tomato before the crust has time to soften. Cayenne-spiked mayonnaise does the work of remoulade here — tangy and sharp against the sweetness of the shrimp. There's nothing complicated about a po' boy; the whole point is that it's exactly right.

60 MIN

Creole Stewed Green Beans with Bacon and Tomato

These aren't the bright-green, barely-cooked kind — they're stewed low and slow with bacon and tomato until they've absorbed every bit of smokiness and turned silky in a pot liquor that's as good as the beans themselves. Yellow onion breaks down into the broth while thyme and cayenne keep things moving, building a deep, savory sweetness that makes the simplest vegetables taste like they took all day.

35 MIN

Crispy Cajun Cod Fry with Smoked Paprika

Cod holds up to a spiced flour dredge better than most fish — it has enough structure to take the heat and stay flaky while the cayenne and smoked paprika crust fries to a deep, brick-red crunch. An egg wash helps that coating grab hold, and garlic in the flour keeps it from being just about the heat. Pull it out of the oil when the edges are crisp and the color is telling you it's time.

60 MIN

Smothered Pork Loin Chops with Onion Gravy

Smothered means the chops go into the pan browned, then come back out only after the yellow onion and garlic have cooked down into a thick, thyme-seasoned gravy that smells like Sunday. Flour thickens the drippings into something that clings to the pork and pools on the plate, with black pepper carrying a gentle heat through every bite. The kind of meal that slows the whole table down.

45 MIN

Cast Iron Skillet Honey Corn Spoonbread

Somewhere between cornbread and a soufflé, this is the dish grandmothers made when they wanted to show out at the Sunday table. Sweet corn and a pour of honey lift the whole milk custard into something tender and quivering at the center, with a golden crust that only a well-seasoned skillet can give you. Butter goes in twice — once in the batter, once on top — and that's not negotiable.

22 MIN

Blackened Trout with Cajun Spice Rub

The cast iron has to be smoking hot before the trout goes in — that's the whole secret, and there's no shortcut around it. Smoked paprika, cayenne, and thyme form a crust that sears into the butter-brushed fish almost instantly, sealing in the flaky interior while the outside chars to a deep, fragrant bark. Garlic in the butter at the finish line brings everything home.

From the Pantry

Signature staples

smoked-paprikacayennebell-pepperceleryyellow-onionthyme

Favorite tools

CastIronSkilletDutchOvenTongsWoodenSpoon

Reaches for

ButtermilkCornmealCollard Greens

Steers clear of

Turkey baconLow-fat substitutes

Flavor Profile

The Loves

SmokySavoryPepper-forward

The Defaults

Bacon DrippingsHot SauceButtermilk

The Avoids

Unseasoned foodBoneless skinless chicken breast