Biscuits and Gravy

[Friday]

I need a really good southern biscuits and gravy recipie.  We have a young kid (20s), southern transplant in our MN offices and I want to make breakfast and bring it in.

[jpcher]

I'm sure others will come up with better recipes than what I usually do (mine is done to taste, sorry, no exact measurements) but I just wanted to add my two cents worth . . .

Start with a really good sausage. I think this is key for the flavor of your gravy.

Personally I like the sage flavored (Jimmy Dean's is pretty good) but others like more of a peppery sausage. I would stick with a mild and stay away from hot sausage.


My recipe is pretty standard (I think)

Brown the sausage till thoroughly cooked. Here's another "key" -- Drain some of the grease as you cook the sausage into a bowl and set aside (you should have a good 6tbs+ of grease, or more, depending on how much gravy you make.)  Don't overcook your grease. Burnt grease makes burnt gravy. Once the sausage is done to your liking, remove from pan and set aside.

I like my sausage well done, so at this point I drain the well-done grease.

Return the pan to a high fire, add your grease 'till hot. Sprinkle in a few tablespoons of flour and make a roux. Stir constantly! until the flour and grease are well incorporated it should be pasty with no lumps.

Slowly add milk, a little at a time (start with 1/4 cup or so) incorporating it into the roux mixture, stirring constantly -- when there are no lumps, add more milk (you can add more and more milk each time as the roux thins, just make sure to stir out all lumps before adding more) Repeat until the gravy is a little bit thinner than you think it should be when served.

At this point add any spices (I usually just do salt an pepper.)

Once you're at this stage, rest your stirring arm and let the gravy come to a boil. In the mean time, crumble the sausage (I like lots-o-sausage. Just add what you feel is right.)

After the gravy has been to a full boil for about 2-3 minutes (flour will not thicken until boiled) stir well and lower the heat to a slow simmer. Add the sausage and let simmer for about 5-7 minutes (to cook out the flour taste) taste and adjust seasoning . . . and you're ready to serve!

For biscuits, I usually use the Pillsbury or Poppin' Fresh biscuits in a roll. (whenever I tried home made, they came out dry and crumbly. )

Serve with the extra sausage on the side.




Sorry if I got too much into "gravy-making 101" but it's not always just the ingredients that make a good gravy.

[Zilla]

The recipe above is pretty much what I do.  I use Alton Brown's recipe for biscuits.  Trick is to work the dough very little.


And the gravy, like the previous poster, brown your sausage till done.  Remove and drain.  Save about 4-6 tablespoons of grease and add same amount in flour.  Cook till well mixed and lightly golden and stream in almost 2 cups of milk while whisking briskly as you bring it to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.  Salt/pepper to taste.  Add back in sausage, stir and then spoon over biscuits.


If you are bringing it in to work, the sauce should be piping hot to put over biscuits. It isn't good at room temp. 

[Harriet Jones]

If you are bringing it in to work, the sauce should be piping hot to put over biscuits. It isn't good at room temp.

Crockpot would probably be good for this ...

[Hmmmmm]

I may gravy pretty much like the previous posters.  The only thing I'd add is too make sure you cook the roux until it has a toasty smell.  You want to make sure there is no raw flour flavor.  I also like to add a splash of worchestire sauce. 

For biscuits, I follow this recipe for flaky biscuits which I prefer.  I cut the biscuits into squares instead of a biscuit cutter so you don't end up with scraps and having to re-roll makin a tougher biscuit.  (Learned this from a restaurant in N. Carolina) The recipe also uses a combo of shortening to create a more tender biscuit and butter for the flavor.  If you remember, put the shortening in the fridge to make it cold too. 

1-2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup bread flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled
3 Tbsp. solid vegetable shortening, chilled
1/2 cup cup cold milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
3-4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine flours, baking powder and salt and mix well. Cut in the butter and shortening with fingers or pastry blender.  Add  the milks and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gather the dough into a ball and then rollout on a floured board into a 4" by 10" rectangle.  Brush lightly with some of the melted butter. Fold one-third of the long side over on the dough, then fold the other side on top to make three layers.

Roll out into an 8" square.  Then cut into 9 biscuits.  Bake in a 425 preheated oven for about 12 min. 

I'll admit I don't know how these will reheat as I've never had any left overs. 

If you don't want to make biscuits from scratch, there are some good frozen varieties, but we also like the Grands buttermilk biscuits from a can and I know those are fine reheated.

[Chip2]

Quick and easy buttermilk biscuits:

1 heaping cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons shortening (regular or butter flavored)
1/2 cup buttermilk

1 heavy baking pan or oven-safe skillet
1 tablespoon shortening

Turn oven on to 450. Put the shortening in the skillet and put the skillet in the oven.

Sift or stir together dry ingredients. Use a fork to cut the shortening into the flour mix; the consistency should be coarse. Stir in the buttermilk and mix gently with the fork and/or your hands. DO NOT KNEAD! Add a little more flour or buttermilk as needed; the dough should be soft and very slightly sticky. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into pieces the size of a golf ball, then pat down to about 1/4-1/2 inch thickness. The recipe should make 6-8 biscuits.

Take the skillet out of the oven and place the biscuits into the oil. Flip them with the fork and return the skillet to the oven for 8-10 minutes.

Edited to "1/2 cup buttermilk"

[Sheila Take a Bow]

Start with a really good sausage. I think this is key for the flavor of your gravy.

A really stupid question for you: 

I seriously know almost nothing about sausage (just not something I usually eat), so when you say "sausage," do you mean breakfast links, or can you do this with fully cooked sausage, or Italian sausage?

[Harriet Jones]

I think most people are talking about the tubes of uncooked sausage like this:

[Sheila Take a Bow]

I think most people are talking about the tubes of uncooked sausage like this:

Oh!  It all makes sense now.   I've seen those at the store, but I'm (obviously, I think) not much of a sausage eater so I never even thought about those. 

[jpcher]

I think most people are talking about the tubes of uncooked sausage like this:

Oh!  It all makes sense now.   I've seen those at the store, but I'm (obviously, I think) not much of a sausage eater so I never even thought about those. 

Yes. A sausage without a skin.

For biscuits and gravy it's normally a pork sausage like what Flydell pointed out.

Ground pork with spices added.

If you have a decent butcher or are well versed in sausage making you can get some ground pork, add your own spices (or go with the butcher's offering of sausage mix.)




I do like Jimmy Dean's . . . unwrap the roll and slice the meat into about 1/2-inch-thick patties.

[Sheila Take a Bow]

Could you use bacon instead of sausage for the gravy? We're more of a bacon household than a sausage one.

[Zilla]

Could you use bacon instead of sausage for the gravy? We're more of a bacon household than a sausage one.

I make bacon version of this all time to go with my chicken fried steaks. 

[Zilla]

I think most people are talking about the tubes of uncooked sausage like this:

Or square and my personal favorite,
     

[sparksals]

I have never seen sausage before in packaging like butter!

Friday - you can tell your coworker that Ernie's has a great brunch with southern style gravy that is TDF.