Coffee Gravy?

Re:Coffee Gravy? (speechpeach)

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:56:22 GMT

My mother made red eye gravy from country ham drippings with added coffee and pepper. We used to pour it over biscuits, grits, the country ham and/or lettuce when we had the breakfast items for dinner.

Re:Coffee Gravy? (Adjudicator)

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 19:27:12 GMT

MellowRoast

Grew up on it. Dad made it from country ham drippings, and I loved it. No flour was used for red-eye gravy, though. We served it over hot biscuits, but it's good over grits and eggs, too!

Yes it most indeed is. Fresh corn pone with lots of butter and some redeye dippin' sauce is mighty fine also.

Re:Coffee Gravy? (wanderingjew)

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:27:25 GMT

Holly Moore

The way they used to serve biscuits at the Loveless Cafe, west of Nashville. Not sure if the management that took over continued such generosity.

When I was there back in 2005 they didn't. Unfortunately Loveless was one of my more disappointing meals on that trip (I was there for breakfast) besides the watery grits, the biscuits, were slightly colder colder than room temperature, did not taste fresh, but they were lighter that the typical biscuit that I'm used too. They only served me 2 if I recall with a very tiny tub of preserves. The only saving grace was their country ham which was very good

Re:Coffee Gravy? (Sundancer7)

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 07:03:38 GMT

I bought some great ham from Bentons Hams in Madisonville, TN. I got both the smoked and unsmoked. I cooked both of them in some Coca Cola and made some red eye gravy from the remains. Of course I used coffee and no flour. It was super over some home made biscuits from Mamaw Smith and some of her apple butter.

https://bentonshams.com/order/index.php

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Re:Coffee Gravy? (MellowRoast)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:56:17 GMT

That picture brings back lots of memories. I used to live in the neighborhood, and ate breakast at Loveless on weekdays to avoid the weekend crowds. They served up wonderful red-eye gravy and biscuits. You're right, lots of things changed with the new ownership, and I don't know if it still measures up to the old days.

Re:Coffee Gravy? (Holly Moore)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:46:18 GMT

The way they used to serve biscuits at the Loveless Cafe, west of Nashville. Not sure if the management that took over continued such generosity.

Edited to add: I was on my own that day. All for me, plus more biscuits later to go with the fruit preserves.

Re:Coffee Gravy? (MellowRoast)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:39:09 GMT

Grew up on it. Dad made it from country ham drippings, and I loved it. No flour was used for red-eye gravy, though. We served it over hot biscuits, but it's good over grits and eggs, too!

Re:Coffee Gravy? (edwmax)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:17:21 GMT

It was a way to use "old" coffee rather than throw it out. Wake-up gravy.. True "red-eye" gravy would be red, coffee will give the gravy a dark or black color all tho little to no added taste; ... and was a way to darken the gravy without cooking the four to a roue first. ... Yes I do it all the time when there is left over coffee in the pot.

Re:Coffee Gravy? (mayor al)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:05:06 GMT

Yep. It is an institution in the recipes for Southern Breakfasts... Usually uses ham drippings with the coffee and seasonings, but any sausage or Bacon or other breakfast meat will work!
Biscuits dipped in Red-Eye Gravy are something to be remembered with any breakfast on the road.

Re:Coffee Gravy? (Rusty246)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:58:09 GMT

Would that be like "red eye" gravy which is made from country ham?

Coffee Gravy? (lunasatic)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:37:49 GMT

Has anybody besides me encountered this? It's a very thin gravy made with the drippings from smoked link sausage, very little flour, black coffee, water, & liberal salt & black pepper. It's very thin, and will "sog up" the most absorbent biscuit for easy chewing or feeding to the baby. My grandmother raised us on the stuff, along with her "cathead" biscuits, but the meat was usually reserved for Grandpa when he came in from plowing, planting, and harvesting. I think it was the Depression Era way of "stretching" the meat flavor to feed a crew of ravening kids. I raised both of mine on it well after the Depression Era, and at the age of 55 am sitting here enjoying a bowl of buscuits and coffee gravy as I type!