Start with fresh okra. Out of your own garden is best, but from a produce stand is fine . . . as is that bought afresh from the produce section of a trusted local grocery store. Avoid frozen or worse (!) breaded frozen, at all costs.

Slice the okra into desired thickness; if the knife don’t slide thru it like butter, it ain’t a fit one. Go to the next. And a true Southerner can slice up several pods within a few seconds, leaving a pile of perfect round cuts in one bowl and the stubs in another (the tips go with the cuts).

After the desired amount of okra is cut and sliced, it is now time to turn attention to the pan which, ideally, is a seasoned iron skillet. A gas stove works better than an electric one, but in any event, add a dollop or two of Crisco and turn the heat up so that the eventual result (because timing is everything on this) is “not-quite-hot” – but very close to being so. When the Crisco is "melted," add a tablespoon or so of bacon grease (which is a staple on the stove in any true Southern kitchen). The grease will probably sizzle and pop, but when all is said and done and settled, about a half inch of good ol' Dixie grease will cover the bottom.

Keep it hot, but never to the point of smoking hot.

Put a handful or two of the okra into a freezer bag and pour in some yellow cornmeal (not a whole lot) and one can also add a spoonful of grits to the mix, if desired. Shake the bag up good, turning it over and around several times to coat the okra good.

IMPORTANT: Never ever add egg or milk to the okra before pouring in the meal. Okra has enough of its own "sticky" – doesn’t need any help. God made okra the way it is. It can’t be improved on.

Pour the cornmealed okra (which should have a sorta yellowish tint by now) into a strainer. Or (if you prefer, as I do) into your hands in handfuls at a time and shake out the excess meal. Then pour the okra into the hot-but-not-smoking grease. Put enough that it covers the bottom of the pan completely.

Step back, ‘cause if the okra’s done right, it will blow up at you for a minute or two. Have a spatula handy and stir the mix around, stirring and flipping frequently. Then once it has had a chance to lightly change colors (and this should take less than a minute), turn the heat down considerably.

Timing is everything. The whole idea is to sear the okra just enough that it won’t soak up grease. Once that is done, turn the stove down to a light warm glow and let the good stuff cook softly and simmer a bit – until the cornmeal turns gold and the okra itself goes to a deep green, a certain shade Southerners will know as a color native only to the one that was Grandma's greens when we were kids.

When okra is done, use a good vented spoon or spatula to pick it up. Draining all excess grease, deposit okra into a bowl already layered with lots of paper towels to absorb that grease not dripped back into the skillet.

Repeat the process. Occasionally, as needed, add a tad more grease (be careful with it – never more than a half inch) until the right amount of okra is cooked to feed yourself, kin and/or friends.

We ain’t finished yet. This is the most important part.

When all the okra is in the bowl, drain the skillet of grease and wipe the rest of the grease out with a paper towel. Then put the skillet back on the stove and turn the heat up again – this time to HOT HOT!

Have that spatula ready. Pour the okra back in and stir like crazy. Don’t let it burn – but the whole idea at this point is to cook out any excess grease to give it that CRISPY texture.

Remove the skillet to an unused burner. Pour the fried okra back into the bowl.

Add salt to taste while the okra is hot. Mix it up a bit.