I'm Looking For A Good Southern Biscuits & Gravy Recipe

Well, I am just a southern girl so what do I know!!!!

THE KEY to good pan gravy, any kind, is the PAN!!! You have to use a VERY seasoned cast iron pan.

The rest just happens naturally if you know how to cook southern

[CoreyD]

Originally Posted by Christiel49

Well, I am just a southern girl so what do I know!!!!

THE KEY to good pan gravy, any kind, is the PAN!!! You have to use a VERY seasoned cast iron pan.

The rest just happens naturally if you know how to cook southern

Wade I'll go to Christies and watch how she cooks it and take notes and then come back and show you and your wife how she done it.

[OLS]

OMG, I can't believe I left out BACON!!

As to the funny comment about pouring off so much grease (75%), after frying up a
pound of sausage, 25% of the grease is PLENTY to make gravy with, lol. Trust me.
It won't hurt your health or your status as a southerner. In fact I meant to footnote
ALL my replies with a disclaimer..."Warning...ALL of these recipes have officially been
deemed not just bad for you, but hazardous to your health." Especially red-eye, lol.
but if your gravy doesn't look delicious enough, it stands to reason that, WHO EVEN NEEDS
sausage on the plate?? Just crumble ALL of it back into the gravy and serve over biscuits.

[pektel]

You ain't kiddin...

[shilala]

My old lady bangs out the best sausage gravy I've ever jammed in my face. I don't much care about the biscuits, but the whole deal needs four runny side up eggs slopped on top.
That mess right there stands as one of my top three favorite meals.

I think the only thing she does special is that she uses Jimmy Dean loose sage sausage. Maybe not, I don't know. All I know is that it's sheer heaven.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by shilala

My old lady bangs out the best sausage gravy I've ever jammed in my face.

TMI. but still, TMI.

[Volusianator]

Originally Posted by T.G

TMI. but still, TMI.

[pektel]

Originally Posted by T.G

TMI. but still, TMI.

lmao. I resisted commenting on it. Glad someone else did.

[Subvet642]

Originally Posted by T.G

TMI. but still, TMI.

TMI?

[pektel]

Originally Posted by shilala

but the whole deal needs four runny side up eggs slopped on top.

.

I like my biscuits n gravy with poached eggs.

[Volusianator]

Scott, on our next trade, you'll have to send me a batch!

[shilala]

Originally Posted by Volusianator

Scott, on our next trade, you'll have to send me a batch!

It'll have to be when the frozen tundra returns. When's that, like sometime in August up there?

Rewrite on the sausage the boss uses. It's Bob Evans Sage loose sausage.

[Volusianator]

Originally Posted by shilala

It'll have to be when the frozen tundra returns. When's that, like sometime in August up there?

No, week after next.

[OLS]

I don't eat breakfast sausage, I just plain don't like the standard blend of spices used to come up with the
general genre. BUT, when I was at Camelia Grill in NO two mornings running, they had some sausage links
that were PHEnomenal. I asked the waiter to ask the chef, and he said it was just a SYSCO deal he thought.
They were an inch thick rather than the standard Bkf Sausage...man were they terriffic. I need to find out
how true that BS was........sysco dot com....lessee.

[kydsid]

Originally Posted by OLS

I don't eat breakfast sausage, I just plain don't like the standard blend of spices used to come up with the
general genre. BUT, when I was at Camelia Grill in NO two mornings running, they had some sausage links
that were PHEnomenal. I asked the waiter to ask the chef, and he said it was just a SYSCO deal he thought.
They were an inch thick rather than the standard Bkf Sausage...man were they terriffic. I need to find out
how true that BS was........sysco dot com....lessee.

Would it help if I said I know a regional sales manager for Sysco? I'll ask him if it sounds familiar.

[dadof3illinois]

Originally Posted by OLS

I don't eat breakfast sausage, I just plain don't like the standard blend of spices used to come up with the
general genre. BUT, when I was at Camelia Grill in NO two mornings running, they had some sausage links
that were PHEnomenal. I asked the waiter to ask the chef, and he said it was just a SYSCO deal he thought.
They were an inch thick rather than the standard Bkf Sausage...man were they terriffic. I need to find out
how true that BS was........sysco dot com....lessee.

You should be able to find a local butcher that can fix you some sausage any way you want it? We get whole hog sausage made every winter. We have half a hog processed with normal cuts then the entire other half made into breakfast sausage and all the bacon is fresh side uncured.....man I'm hungry now!!!

[forgop]

This is my favorite:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bills-S...vy/Detail.aspx

[OLS]

The trick to adding flour to grease is to add less than you think would make it thick and lumpy and stir and chop with the
edge of the spatula until it is smooth and thickly runny. That probably is worse, but if you stir like a madman, you can
get it there no problem. In fact, I would say that it's a ratio of 1:1....for every teaspoon of grease you think
is in the pan, add a teaspoon of flour. But based on what you say goes wrong everytime, I'd say add half of
the flour you think it needs and stir it down and add a little more til it get's "thickly runny". That presents a bit
of a heat problem, I SPEED-cook a roux in about 40 seconds. My mom takes 30 minutes. I go fast because
I know about how much flour I want to use by eye. In order to get your proportions right and still have time to
add the right amount before it overheats, you need to heat slowly. Once it gets the consistency of syrup,
FIRE IT UP...Only use the milk to STOP the process dead when it's the right color and temp, which is brown
and HOT, lol. Then just slowly cook the milk out, or the liquid, so to speak.

[SvilleKid]

Right proportion of flour to grease? I do this by eye. I almost always have to pour off at least half the grease (unless you want a really big pot of gravy!!). If the flour is NOT all absorbed, then, too much flour (this can easily be corrected by adding back some of the grease you pour off at the front-end - if you saved it!). If too runny, add more flour. Do this step over medium heat only!! Do not use Brad's "speed-cook" method unless you are an expert at gravy making! Brad is right in that this is only for the experts. And, if you can successfully pull this method off, you don't need this thread!

The gravy will NOT be lumpy if you cook the flour/grease to a non-lumpy stage and follow the rest of the method instructions! The benefit of medium heat is that you can easily adjust your flour/grease ratio while cooking/stirring, and NOT risk burning your flour. Cooking the flour for at least 5 minutes ALSO results in cooking the flour taste out of the mixture. Otherwise, you taste the flour, and not the sausage. That's another reason that roux's is done over an extended period. It cooks OUT the flour taste.

Once you have your flour and grease cooked and smooth, the next step is critical to avoid lumps. You have to have a contrast in temperatures. Hot roux, cold milk and/or water. You have to have this contrast. Turn the heat up to near high, keep the liquid in the fridge until time to use. Pour in enough liquid on the first pour to give yourself plenty, and time to mix it in, and be ready to add more liquid before the mixture in the pan turns to jello! The reason that cast iron pans work so well for gravy, is because they retain heat well, and you do not have to spend great time in bringing the pan back up to heat. The down side is that the gravy will "lock-up" quickly if you do not add enough milk at the start. I start with milk, with water as a second pour, then finish with milk. Remember that the gravy will NOT reach full consistency until it reaches a boil. So, you have the ability to play with the gravy a bit. If it looks too thin initially, just keep stirring, and give it time. I most often end up adding more liquid after the initial boil, so don't fret if it seems to thin initially!

Add the crumbled sausage to the gravy, and let it simmer on low heat for a few minutes will also enhance the sausage taste of the gravy. And, you can always stir in a little more liquid if it starts to thicken more than you desire.

Enjoy the cholesterol!! I know I do!!

[OLS]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

Do not use Brad's "speed-cook" method unless you are an expert at gravy making! Brad is right in that this is only for the experts. And, if you can successfully pull this method off, you don't need this thread!

A more true statement has never been made. Everything the Kid said in his post is excellent.
Pay particular attention to the flour taste and why a lengthy cook is best. And the boiling part, too.
GREAT REPLY!
You are making sausage gravy, not thickened milk. You want the essence of the fat and spices to carry into
your gravy, and it it tastes like flour, you have failed, lol. This is why 95% of restaurants fail. Very few hire
actual chefs, they hire cooks. Cooks get it done, they don't create flavor experiences. That's what mama knew.
-------------
OOH, something mama also knows.....NEVER waste anything in burnt roux. Not shrimp, not milk. If you ever burn
a roux, you have to thoroughly clean your pan and start over. And if you did not save your grease, haha, you can't
even do that. Not burning it is especially important on a milk gravy. In a gumbo, you just have oil and flour in a pan.
In a milk gravy, hopefully you have many, many chunks of sausage, bacon, carmelized protiens, etc. They are the
nuggets of joy in your gravy. If you burn that roux, you lose ALL the gratin'. Starting from scratch in that instance
is costly.