Biscuits and Gravy [Recipe]

LTH,

Had a hankering for Biscuits and Gravy in the style my brother in-law Nick makes, he calls them Hunting Camp Biscuits and Gravy. Chunky, spicy, lots of black pepper, so I made a batch.

Nick's Hunting Camp Biscuits and Gravy.


Here's Nick's recipe, I don't change a thing, with the exception I make scratch drop biscuits instead of Jiffy mix.

Nick's Hunting Camp Biscuits and Gravy. (Loose recipe)

1 batch Jiffy Mix biscuits, or your own from scratch.

1-lb Tennessee Pride Hot breakfast sausage
Whole Milk
2-TLB black pepper, freshly ground, coarse
Flour

Crumble and cook breakfast sausage, preferably in a cast iron skillet, on med-heat.
Add 1-TLB black pepper at this point. (I also add crushed red pepper)
Do Not degrease.
Whole milk to cover.
Immediately sprinkle layer of flour on milk.
Whisk.
Add remaining black pepper

Simmer, with the occasional whisk, until desired consistency. You may have to add additional flour or milk.

Serve over split biscuits, bottle of Texas Pete on the side.

Enjoy,
Gary

Gary:

Can I substitute tofu for the sausage?

Just kidding.

That looks great and simple enough to make even on a morning after being overserved. How 'bout the biscuit recipe?

Antonius

Antonius wrote:That looks great and simple enough to make even on a morning after being overserved. How 'bout the biscuit recipe?

Antonious,

My go-to biscuit recipe is from one of my favorite bread book, Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads, Grandmother's Southern Biscuits, Page 546. It's easy to tell I like this recipe just from looking at the cooking stains covering the page.

Frankly, as good as Clayton's Grandmother's Southern Biscuit recipe is, if you have a favorite biscuit recipe it will work just fine with the biscuits and gravy.

I particularly like Clayton's recipes for Old Milwaukee Rye, Onion Rye Bread, Pain Ordinaire Careme, Brioche and his version of Poilane's magnificent bread. Another bread I find myself making, though not as often as I once did, is Sfilatino (Italian Baguette) from the IL Fornaio Baking Book by Franco Galli.

By the way, what I did not show in the pic was the cut up dead-ripe and juicy farmer's market tomato we ate along with the biscuits and gravy. Damn, now I'm thinking about that combination, lucky for my cholesterol count I'm out of breakfast sausage.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:By the way, what I did not show in the pic was the cut up dead-ripe and juicy farmer's market tomato we ate along with the biscuits and gravy.

Now I know what the "Mediterranean Diet" would be if Milwaukee was on the Aegean....

As you know, I'm very health conscious (ahem), so I'm going on Biscuits and Gravy diet STAT. My answer to cholesterol is to avoid having it measured.

Choey wrote:

My answer to cholesterol is to avoid having it measured.

A Dutch friend of my mother's used to say the same thing, as she slathered butter on her cheese. She's alive and healthy at 80+

[/quote]

The essense of Southern cooking is the certain knowledge that any dish can be improved through the inclusion of a pork product.

Yummy!

But where'd you get the Texas Pete's? It's hard to find down here, but I'd like to pick some up when I'm North next.

Geo

Geo wrote:But where'd you get the Texas Pete's? It's hard to find down here, but I'd like to pick some up when I'm North next.

Geo,

I've never seen Texas Pete for sale in Chicago. My stash, actually more of a small stockpile , of Texas Pete came from friends who were in an area where Texas Pete is sold (thanks Amata and C2) and freebies from the Texas Pete booth at the Fancy Food Show at McCormick Place in May.



If anyone knows where to buy Texas Pete in Chicago I'm all ears.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:
If anyone knows where to buy Texas Pete in Chicago I'm all ears.

Enjoy,
Gary

I've seen it at Wal-Mart and Meijers stores here in South Bend. Brisket needs some ears to chew on. Send him a couple and I'll pick you up a bottle.

Bruce wrote:I've seen it at Wal-Mart and Meijers stores here in South Bend. Brisket needs some ears to chew on. Send him a couple and I'll pick you up a bottle.

Bruce,

How about a bag of rawhide chew toys, plus lunch at LTH, and you pick me up a case?

Enjoy,
Gary

Hey waita minnit! *I'm* the one who asked where to get it, don't I get in on this? I've got a whole live rabbit out there eating my wine grapes, can I send HIM?



Geo

Hi,

I have a small clutch of Texas Pete and Duke's mayonnaise.

Regards,

Geo wrote:But where'd you get the Texas Pete's? It's hard to find down here, but I'd like to pick some up when I'm North next.

You can buy TP's from Netgrocer (via Amazon or directly). Buck-fifty-five for 12oz, plus shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 9?v=glance


Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:

Geo wrote:But where'd you get the Texas Pete's? It's hard to find down here, but I'd like to pick some up when I'm North next.

You can buy TP's from Netgrocer (via Amazon or directly). Buck-fifty-five for 12oz, plus shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 9?v=glance


Best,
Michael

Or directly from www.texaspete.com , of course

No gravy, just biscuits this weekend. Craggy, buttery biscuits. With spicy butter on top (inspired by the Local Lemons blog)

Hi,

Last year, Natalie Dupree made biscuits with heavy cream and self-rising flour. I never gave this idea a shot until this weekend:

2 cups self-rising flour
1-1/4 cup heavy cream - maybe an extra 1/4 cup, if necessary.
3 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

I lined a heavy cookie sheet with parchment paper.

I combined cream and flour, which quickly came together. I kneaded it very lightly.

Rolled out dough to 1/2 inch thick, then began cutting out biscuits. Each biscuit top was dipped in melted butter, then arranged butter side up on the parchment paper.

All the scraps I lightly pressed together, then formed into rough biscuits.

Baked around 15 minutes.

We sliced these open, spread the insides with homemade honey butter and a slice of ham.

I knew it was more than acceptable when my niece asked if I would make biscuits for Thanksgiving. All the food she loves has to be on the Thanksgiving table.

Regards,

Hi,

I saw Nathalie Dupree make angle wing biscuits. Her technique was to roll out biscuit dough, then fold it over on itself. She then took a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. These biscuits were two layers, once baked and pulled apart were ready for some ham or butter and jam.

I have just enough self-rising flour to make a batch. I want to see these wings.

Regards,

Good gravy (pun intended)...this thread made me hungry and it was a nice cool day for baking, so I made this for lunch. I used this recipe, but amped up on the pepper and cayenne. Squeezed some oranges for juice to enjoy with it... cuts the heaviness for me.

This Christmas I promised to make Mr. Pie biscuits 'n' gravy for breakfast, but I am embarrassed to find I have no recipe. Does anyone have one to recommend? There are so many online I don't know where to begin.

Thanks!

I don't have any recipes, but I actually do make this pretty often. I use a two-pan method because it makes a cleaner-looking gravy - most recipes recommend using the same pan, but that always results in a muddy-looking sauce for me (it tastes great, but just doesn't look as good).

1. Brown some crumbled sausage in a pan, then pour it through a strainer. Set aside both the sausage and the strained oil. You can also deglaze the pan and add the crunchy brown bits back at the end if you wish, but I usually don't.
2. In a separate pan, make a roux with a tablespoon of butter & flour on low heat (or some combination of butter & the strained oil. I typically use just butter, as the oil tends to create a 'dirty' gravy).
3. When the roux is mixed well and just starting to darken, pour in about 1/2 cup of milk, and turn the heat up to medium low to medium, and start stirring.
4. Keep stirring until it starts to bubble and thicken, then turn it back down to low.
5. Add the crumbled sausage back in, plus a bit of the strained oil. Keep stirring.
6. Add salt & pepper to taste. I purposely wait until now to add this, because the sausage will make it hot & salty by itself, so it's very easy to overdo it if you season beforehand.
7. Keep stirring on low heat until it reaches the desired consistency.

I like serving it on tater tots.

Independent George wrote:I don't have any recipes, but I actually do make this pretty often. I use a two-pan method because it makes a cleaner-looking gravy - most recipes recommend using the same pan, but that always results in a muddy-looking sauce for me (it tastes great, but just doesn't look as good).

1. Brown some crumbled sausage in a pan, then pour it through a strainer. Set aside both the sausage and the strained oil. You can also deglaze the pan and add the crunchy brown bits back at the end if you wish, but I usually don't.
2. In a separate pan, make a roux with a tablespoon of butter & flour on low heat (or some combination of butter & the strained oil. I typically use just butter, as the oil tends to create a 'dirty' gravy).
3. When the roux is mixed well and just starting to darken, pour in about 1/2 cup of milk, and turn the heat up to medium low to medium, and start stirring.
4. Keep stirring until it starts to bubble and thicken, then turn it back down to low.
5. Add the crumbled sausage back in, plus a bit of the strained oil. Keep stirring.
6. Add salt & pepper to taste. I purposely wait until now to add this, because the sausage will make it hot & salty by itself, so it's very easy to overdo it if you season beforehand.
7. Keep stirring on low heat until it reaches the desired consistency.

I like serving it on tater tots.

Yea. I agree that you were doing great until you got to the Tater Tots part.

lougord99 wrote:Yea. I agree that you were doing great until you got to the Tater Tots part.

to be clear, i think the tater tot part sounds great

Isn't that just southern poutine? Sounds good to me.

Hi,

My gold standard for biscuits and gravy was from a Grandy's in Champaign/Urbana. There were two locations, which have both since closed. The next closest is Jasper, IN merely 266 miles away.

If you came for breakfast, they were continuously baking fresh biscuits. If JimInLoganSquare chimes in, he will advise a biscuit is good for about 30 minutes. Please don't entertain making your biscuits in advance, because they will have that warmed over feel.

A lot of restaurants sausage gravy is rather timid, Grandy's had a lot of black pepper.

I was planning to make 'em fresh for Christmas, then use leftovers for gravy. I figured that's how you used up your excess. Good to know.

lougord99 wrote:Yea. I agree that you were doing great until you got to the Tater Tots part.

I'm going to have to write another post on the 'proper' way to prepare tater tots. Namely: in a cast iron pan with a drizzling of peanut oil, cooked at high temp until you have a nice, golden-brown crust on each side. It's the best method short of a deep-frying them, but a lot easier. I typically toss it with salt, pepper, and malted vinegar, but smothered in sausage gravy is more than acceptable. Best of all, you can time it so that the tots are done just as the gravy is finishing.

Some bacon grease in the sausage drippings is nice.

Indeed, a biscuit out of the oven has a very short half-life; maybe 30 minutes, maybe less. It is impossible to extend that half-life through any artificial means. If they pull a biscuit out of a foil-topped pan, you have been HAD. More important is this idea that gravy is some means of preserving or reinvigorating a deceased biscuit. It decidedly is not. Don't try it. With all the things Greek diners (and most every diner in Chicago) get right -- and they get so, so many things just right -- biscuits and gravy is not one of them. Period.

Folks, the biscuit made right is a ridiculously cheap commodity. It needs to be baked fresh and served before it gets cool, just the way McDonald's does french fries. Just do this. It does not require hipster artisanal ingredients or recipes; it does not require much of anything. Every freaking diner or breakfast place south of I-70 does them right, with no seeming effort, and presents them like toast -- i.e., a free side dish, not something you have to hunt down and pay $3.00 for.

2014 JiLS BISCUIT RANT OVER.

You must continue the rant. Here's the thing. There's only two of us, so I make a whole batch for the holidays and we reheat them in the oven. You can't bake them to order because often the only leavener is baking soda. Otherwise, it's every day with this: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/biscuits-for-2