Southern-style Biscuits and Gravy

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L

Lost_sheep

Guest
#1
This is one I have wanted to publish for a while but never had the where-with-all to have the camera close by or the energy to stage everything to take pictures. That being said, this is another family recipe that has been around for a long, long, long time.

Ingredients:

1 package (1 pound) sausage. We use Jimmy Dean regular, but feel free to use what you like.
1/3 cup (approx. 3 TBSP) all purpose flour
3 cups (24 oz.) cold milk. Feel free to use whatever kind you like, but I drink ONLY whole/vitamin D milk.
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 package biscuits. I use the jumbo flaky kind, but use what you like or make your own from scratch. Whatevs...



Procedure:


In a deep walled skillet or large saucepan over medium heat, add your sausage and onions. Cook until the sausage is cooked and the onions have softened.


After the sausage and onion mixture is cooked, add your flour and stir to incorporate. Cook for a few minutes to cook the flour taste out.


Add your milk and STIR CONSTANTLY. Stir all over the pan, the sides, and keep stirring at all times. Not real hard, but keep the gravy moving.


Continue stirring over medium heat until the gravy begins to behave like it wants to boil. Continue cooking and reduce the heat. Gravy will ONLY thicken to it's final state once it has come to a boil. Not a hard boil because you don't want to risk curdling the milk, but it must come up to temperature to thicken and to cook the last of the flour taste out otherwise it will taste like glue.


Cook your biscuits according to package directions, then split open, spoon gravy over them, season to your liking with salt and pepper, and enjoy!

Notes:

If your gravy seems too thin after it has come to a boil, you can either:

1. Continue cooking to drive off the moisture to hopefully thicken it up

2. Make a small batch of slurry with flour and milk and drizzle a small amount into the gravy and continue to cook until it has thickened to your liking.

Similarly, if your gravy gets too tight before it comes to a boil, add a few TBSP milk at a time until it gets to the right consistency.

Variations on a theme:

You can make Bacon gravy, Hamburger gravy, ground pork gravy - all the exact same way.

Final thoughts:

Fat, flour, milk comprise a basic white sauce. The basic white sauce is one of those considered a "mother sauce" and you can take that white sauce any number of different directions. Add cheese to make a creamy cheese sauce for homemade Mac-n-cheese. Add salt, pepper, a dash of nutmeg and a type of white, neutral cheese to make a Beschamel sauce. Take your white sauce and add chopped dried beef to make creamed chipped beef. Add peas and new potatoes to the cream sauce to make creamed peas and potatoes. The list goes on and on. If you can master a mother sauce, a whole 'nother level of cooking opens up to you.
 
Feb 7, 2015
22,418
413
0
#2
Thank you... thank you... THANK YOU. This is my favorite food!
 
L

Lost_sheep

Guest
#3
You're very welcome. This has to be one of my personal favorites as well.
 
Feb 7, 2015
22,418
413
0
#4
The only place in this entire city that makes Biscuits & Gravy any where close to right is Hardee's. But with this, I can experiment some.
 
L

Lost_sheep

Guest
#5
I have no idea where this recipe originated, but I know it is at least 4 maybe 5 generations old. That would put it in the recipe book of my ancestors that were living in Kentucky or southern Missouri.
 
Feb 7, 2015
22,418
413
0
#6
I have no idea where this recipe originated, but I know it is at least 4 maybe 5 generations old. That would put it in the recipe book of my ancestors that were living in Kentucky or southern Missouri.
Most of my relatives are from right in that horizontal geographical belt, so this is probably what I grew up on. (Eastern TN to Western MO.)
 
H

HappyNewYear2016

Guest
#7
Awesome and varied cuisine style! :D
 
L

Lost_sheep

Guest
#8
I have a wide repertoire of recipes. I like good food, so I learn to cook a lot of different things.
 
S

skylove7

Guest
#10
Sigh
I loooove biscuits and gravy!
Do I have to leave this thread? :(

Ok cell on my pillow...
I'm staying in the biscuit n gravy thread all night long here! Lol
Just teasin'
 

Jan7777777

Active member
Oct 19, 2018
224
154
43
#11
This is one I have wanted to publish for a while but never had the where-with-all to have the camera close by or the energy to stage everything to take pictures. That being said, this is another family recipe that has been around for a long, long, long time.

Ingredients:

1 package (1 pound) sausage. We use Jimmy Dean regular, but feel free to use what you like.
1/3 cup (approx. 3 TBSP) all purpose flour
3 cups (24 oz.) cold milk. Feel free to use whatever kind you like, but I drink ONLY whole/vitamin D milk.
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 package biscuits. I use the jumbo flaky kind, but use what you like or make your own from scratch. Whatevs...



Procedure:


In a deep walled skillet or large saucepan over medium heat, add your sausage and onions. Cook until the sausage is cooked and the onions have softened.


After the sausage and onion mixture is cooked, add your flour and stir to incorporate. Cook for a few minutes to cook the flour taste out.


Add your milk and STIR CONSTANTLY. Stir all over the pan, the sides, and keep stirring at all times. Not real hard, but keep the gravy moving.


Continue stirring over medium heat until the gravy begins to behave like it wants to boil. Continue cooking and reduce the heat. Gravy will ONLY thicken to it's final state once it has come to a boil. Not a hard boil because you don't want to risk curdling the milk, but it must come up to temperature to thicken and to cook the last of the flour taste out otherwise it will taste like glue.


Cook your biscuits according to package directions, then split open, spoon gravy over them, season to your liking with salt and pepper, and enjoy!

Notes:

If your gravy seems too thin after it has come to a boil, you can either:

1. Continue cooking to drive off the moisture to hopefully thicken it up

2. Make a small batch of slurry with flour and milk and drizzle a small amount into the gravy and continue to cook until it has thickened to your liking.

Similarly, if your gravy gets too tight before it comes to a boil, add a few TBSP milk at a time until it gets to the right consistency.

Variations on a theme:

You can make Bacon gravy, Hamburger gravy, ground pork gravy - all the exact same way.

Final thoughts:

Fat, flour, milk comprise a basic white sauce. The basic white sauce is one of those considered a "mother sauce" and you can take that white sauce any number of different directions. Add cheese to make a creamy cheese sauce for homemade Mac-n-cheese. Add salt, pepper, a dash of nutmeg and a type of white, neutral cheese to make a Beschamel sauce. Take your white sauce and add chopped dried beef to make creamed chipped beef. Add peas and new potatoes to the cream sauce to make creamed peas and potatoes. The list goes on and on. If you can master a mother sauce, a whole 'nother level of cooking opens up to you.
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Kentucky Gravy Jan's style. :)

I found that if you use water ( instead of milk ) the flavor is better.....and if you brown it real brown, but not on high, low...cause it will burn, this is how I do it Kentucky style;

* let bacon grease get hot ( I use coconut oil sometimes, Mazda oil makes a good taste.

* add flour small amounts until it soaks up the grease but not too floury, make it be stir about to stir and it not be flaky, if you get too much flour then add more bacon grease. (or oil, whatever you prefer)

* let the flour/grease mixture get brown, real brown, on low, you may have to turn to medium then turn down to low when it starts getting brown ( no this isn't chocolate gravy, you use cocoa for that)

* when its real brown, pour in water and stir fast, I put a lot of water cause I don't like my gravy thick, salt after its cooked. the taste is really good, cause it browned so much, plus the salt makes it good too, if you put enough to tell its salted.
 

KD

Member
Nov 20, 2018
74
61
18
#12
I love biscuits n gravy! Here is a simple recipe for biscuits from scratch...

2 cups of flour
Tsp sugar
Tbs baking powder
Tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Whisk
Stick of cold butter cut into tbsp
Gently cut flour into butter “light hand”
When done cutting add 3/4 cup of buttermilk
Too wet-flour too dry-butter milk
Should fall out of bowl easily
Gentle knead
Cut with glass top
Drizzle with honey
Bake at 400 for 15 on parchment paper
 
G

Godsgirl83

Guest
#14
Never tried this before.
My kids love biscuits and gravy! I use to get a package mix, it was perfect combination, not to "spicy" (as my kids call the pepper flavors). But I haven't been able to find it in a long time so took to learning it from scratch. the first recipe I tried was the same as the OP here, only without onions. I add a little brown sugar (to taste, not to much or it'll be icky sweet which defeats the purpose, sorry I don't measure, just one of those things I "eyeball" and taste, maybe about a teaspoon) Oh and I use maple flavored sausage links cut up. Then cook up some Pillsbury Honey Butter Grands Flaky Biscuits (because that's my families favorite) It's a winner EVERY TIME! I have to fix my plate before everyone comes to eat or I won't get any, lol.
 

Hazelelponi

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2019
609
397
63
USA
#15
The only place in this entire city that makes Biscuits & Gravy any where close to right is Hardee's. But with this, I can experiment some.
You wrote this quite some time ago, but I thought to give you a couple pointers anyway...

The base of any gravy is a roux, which is equal parts fat and flour. For the fat you can use any fat you like, depending upon the flavor your going after.

I usually use butter. It needs to be actual real butter because its an actual fat, pretend butter is made from oil and doesn't work well for a roux.

Roux is equal parts fat and flour. So if your using 2 Tablespoons of butter, you need 2 Tablespoons of flour. For every 2 Tablespoons of flour, you need 1 cup of liquid for a good gravy consistency..

For white pepper gravy I normally use 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melt in pan, then add 4 Tablespoons of flour, combined with 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper then cook until you've achieved some browning...

At that point slowly, stirring constantly, add 2 cups of milk and continue stirring over medium heat until mixture has thickened - normally 10 minutes but if fire is low then can be up to 15 minutes.

You can put this on top of biscuits, or on top of potatoes or meat.. anything you like.

If you want chicken gravy use chicken stock instead of milk, if you want beef gravy use beef stock instead of milk.. I keep that "Better than Bullion" on hand, that stuff is quite yummy, and whenever you need to boost the beef or chicken flavor in whatever your making just add a little of that.

If you want to use pan drippings instead of butter for fat, then do so.. if you want to add meat like bulk breakfast sausage then do.

all you have to know is 2 parts fat to 2 parts flour to 1 cup liquid for a gravy.

The amount of salt and pepper in each combination of fat and flour can change depending upon the salt content of your fat and liquid. Anytime your using bullion add salt at the end to taste, because of the high salt content of bullion..

So this is basic gravy.. you can mix things up and do whatever you like with it.. it actually quite easy once you get the hang of it.

If you have non stick pans, get a high heat silicone whisk, instead of using metal to save your pans.