Red-Eyed Gravy?

[O' Be Joyful]

I have been thinking, of late of my mam'ma whom--God Bless her, made the best biscuits and Red-Eye gravy on Earth.

No arguments are allowed in the FOOD forum about grannies...biscuits...or that devil Sherman. And hard-tack IS not a biscuit!!!

So, I looked up a recipe for "greasy sweetness" on my biscuits tother' day ...but I defer, to experts.

I want something "close" again before...

OBJ

 

[Eleanor Rose]

Well you have certainly come to the right place @O' Be Joyful! Red-eye gravy is a Southern favorite. My grandmother made it from the drippings of fried country ham combined with strong black coffee.

Ingredients:
1 slice of country ham
1/2 cup boiling strong black coffee

Directions:
In a skillet, fry the ham slice in its own fat over medium heat until nicely browned on both sides. Once it is cooked, remove the ham and keep the drippings in the skillet.

Add the boiling black coffee to the skillet. Deglaze, scraping the bottom and sides of the skillet to dissolve any particles that developed when you cooked the ham.

What you have left in the skillet is red-eye gravy. Pour it over the ham and/or some biscuits and enjoy. Add a pinch of sugar to mellow out the flavors if it's too bitter for your liking.

 

[Steph-GB]

Yeh but your biscuits aren't biscuits! Our biscuit you would call a cookie.. but it's a biscuit

 

[Waterloo50]

Well you have certainly come to the right place @O' Be Joyful! Red-eye gravy is a Southern favorite. My grandmother made it from the drippings of fried country ham combined with strong black coffee.

Ingredients:
1 slice of country ham
1/2 cup boiling strong black coffee

Directions:
In a skillet, fry the ham slice in its own fat over medium heat until nicely browned on both sides. Once it is cooked, remove the ham and keep the drippings in the skillet.

Add the boiling black coffee to the skillet. Deglaze, scraping the bottom and sides of the skillet to dissolve any particles that developed when you cooked the ham.

What you have left in the skillet is red-eye gravy. Pour it over the ham and/or some biscuits and enjoy. Add a pinch of sugar to mellow out the flavors if it's too bitter for your liking.

You're going to have to enlighten me, this whole pouring of gravy over biscuits is unheard of in the UK, over here biscuits are cookies, are you guys pouring gravy over chocolate chip cookies, is that what you're doing?

 

[Waterloo50]

Yeh but your biscuits aren't biscuits! Our biscuit you would call a cookie.. but it's a biscuit

These American fellows are extremely uncouth, first of all they throw tea into the harbour and then they pour gravy over biscuits, it seems to me that ever since the British left they've all become very uncivilised, next they'll be making red eye gravy with cola.

 

[diane]

You're going to have to enlighten me, this whole pouring of gravy over biscuits is unheard of in the UK, over here biscuits are cookies, are you guys pouring gravy over chocolate chip cookies, is that what you're doing?

Here's a great red-eye gravy and ham breakfast - but be warned: they mean it when they say RED EYE!

 

[Waterloo50]

Here's a great red-eye gravy and ham breakfast - but be warned: they mean it when they say RED EYE!

View attachment 304182

That looks good but I need to know more about the gravy, is it always made with Coffee?

 

[Steph-GB]

Ermm this is my kind of biscuit and gravy ... although when we do come over there I shall have your version on my to try list!

 

[diane]

Waterloo, the legend is Andy Jackson wanted this dish for breakfast after his great victory in New Orleans. And he liked it HOT. The cook had been celebrating mightily the night before and was mostly still pickled - Jackson said he wanted red gravy - lots of heat - and looked at the cook's face. "I want that gravy as red as your eyes!" he said.

It's basically the drippings from the ham frying, some coffee and some cayenne. It's thin, not like a sauce, but it's delicious. Very simple! Wet down some baking powder biscuits with it and you'll think you died and went to heaven. (Unless you put in too much cayenne - then you might think it was the other place...!)

 

[Steph-GB]

What coffee would you use though? Would you make up a cup of black coffee and just add that to the gravy? Or add the coffee straight into the gravy and mix up .. I can't quite picture measuring out coffee and gravy together

 

[donna]

Country Ham and Red Eye Gravy are so good. There are several threads on it in Food Forum.

A very good article is from What's Cooking America

https://whatscookingamerica.net/History/CountryHamHistory.htm

Also has good recipe.

 

[O' Be Joyful]

These American fellows are extremely uncouth, first of all they throw tea into the harbour and then they pour gravy over biscuits, it seems to me that ever since the British left they've all become very uncivilised, next they'll be making red eye gravy with cola.

Who WON??? Oh...I see, tryin to start an argument in the Food forum...are we?

 

[O' Be Joyful]

Ermm this is my kind of biscuit and gravy ... although when we do come over there I shall have your version on my to try list!

View attachment 304183

Mam'ma is a' spinnin'

 

[Steph-GB]

Mmmmmmmmmm cooooooookiesssss

 

[O' Be Joyful]

Country Ham and Red Eye Gravy are so good. There are several threads on it in Food Forum.

A very good article is from What's Cooking America

https://whatscookingamerica.net/History/CountryHamHistory.htm

Also has good recipe.

I knew...I could count on you @donna

 

[diane]

What coffee would you use though? Would you make up a cup of black coffee and just add that to the gravy? Or add the coffee straight into the gravy and mix up .. I can't quite picture measuring out coffee and gravy together

Oh, just pour it straight into the pan and start swirling with your fork. The bits will come up and be all full of flavor - just wonderful! (Be sure the coffee is strong enough to hold its own in a wrassling match...)

 

[Steph-GB]

Ooooo I'm going to test this out!! Now I just need to find a recipe for the biscuit to go with it!!

 

[Waterloo50]

Ooooo I'm going to test this out!! Now I just need to find a recipe for the biscuit to go with it!!

 

[Steph-GB]

Haha well I can't really do it with out kind of biscuit .. soggy cookies

 

[diane]

Here you go, Steph! (You're doomed now, Waterloo!)

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/original-calumet-baking-powder-biscuits.138102/#post-1637216