Fried Green Tomato Stacks

May 2025. Spring in Memphis, and I am 66, watching the azaleas and dogwoods bloom along my neighborhood walk, the annual resurrection that makes the winter worth surviving. The smoker wakes up in spring the way the whole city wakes up — slowly, with a stretch, then fully, with purpose.

Marcus and Angela in Whitehaven, building their family, their house full of the sounds I remember from our own early years — a baby's laugh, a spouse's voice, the daily music of people learning to live together. Naomi growing with the speed of childhood, each visit revealing a new word, a new capability, a new expression that catches my breath because it echoes someone I lost.

Baked beans on the smoker — navy beans soaked overnight, simmered with onion, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, and my BBQ sauce, then smoked uncovered at 250 for two hours. The hickory settles into the sauce and transforms ordinary beans into something that belongs at any table, any gathering, any moment when people need to be fed and comforted and reminded that simple food, made with patience, is the best food there is.

Another week in the book. Another seven days of tending fires — the one in the smoker, the one in the marriage, the one in the family, the one in the church. Each fire needs something different: wood, attention, food, faith. But the tending is the same for all of them: show up, add what's needed, wait patiently, trust the process. Low and slow. Always. Low and slow.

Those baked beans don’t sit on the smoker alone — not in my yard. While they’re doing their slow work out back, I’m usually in the kitchen pulling together something crispy and golden to stack alongside them, something that gives people something to pick at while the main event finishes up. Fried Green Tomato Stacks are exactly that: a little Southern ceremony, a little crunch, and a filling that’s rich enough to feel like you meant it. Spring brings the green tomatoes just in time, and honestly, after a week of tending all those fires — the smoker, the family, all of it — the simple satisfaction of dropping something into hot oil and watching it turn golden is its own kind of reward.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

4 large firm green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 inch deep)
6 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp pimento or roasted red pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp hot sauce
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tbsp fresh chives, sliced thin

Instructions

Prep the tomatoes. Slice green tomatoes 1/4 inch thick and lay on a paper towel-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops dry. Season lightly with salt and let rest 5 minutes to draw out moisture, then pat dry again.
Set up your breading station. Place flour in a shallow bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk. In a third bowl, combine cornmeal, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne.
Bread the tomatoes. Working one slice at a time, dredge each tomato in flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg and buttermilk mixture, then press firmly into the seasoned cornmeal until fully coated on both sides.
Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil about 1 inch deep into a heavy skillet or cast iron pan. Heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 375°F. A pinch of cornmeal dropped in should sizzle immediately.
Fry in batches. Working in small batches to avoid crowding, fry tomato slices 2—3 minutes per side until deeply golden and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined rack and season with a pinch of salt while still hot.
Make the pimento cream. In a small bowl, stir together softened cream cheese, chopped pimento, and hot sauce until smooth and combined.
Build the stacks. Place one fried tomato slice on a plate, spread or dollop with a spoonful of pimento cream, sprinkle with crumbled bacon, then top with a second tomato slice. Add another small dollop of cream, more bacon, and finish with fresh chives. Repeat for remaining stacks. Serve immediately while the tomatoes are still crisp.

Nutrition (per serving)

Fried Green Tomato Stacks — The Side That Belongs on Every Smoker Table