This must be the "Yankee Version"....it's not bad, but it's not Red Eye Gravy! Real Southern-Style Red Eye Gravy does not have flour or added oil. It's basically just ham grease (cooked off a good country ham) and black coffee. Maybe a little water to stretch it a bit. And it must be served with hot grits and homemade Buttermilk Biscuits! Apple Butter and Fried Eggs, optional! Boy, I miss my grandmother. She made the BEST breakfasts! :-)
We liked this recipe very much...I used crushed red pepper...not too much...and make sure you add enough salt!!! Keep tasting until you get it right...it will be bitter if not enough salt!!! Thanks for sharing this!!!
Very disappointing recipe. Red Eye Gravy is made from the drippings of country (salt-cured) ham. It's not just red gravy. Country ham is not for wimps. You either love it or can't stand it.
Hoping some old Dixie gal will post her authentic method.
I always make changes, I cook for 40 Seniors every day. But this is a great base idea. I use really strong french roast, and sea salt. I also used honey ham.
The country ham my husband bought was very salty. I didn't add any seasonings because I knew the ham had enough flavor. The next time I would rinse off the ham with water.
Best ham I've had since i was a kid. Gravy is what gave it the good flavor and added to the tenderness of the meat. Gravy was easy to make. Good recipe.
Wasn't a bad gravy...think I was expecting something different. I've never made Red Eye Gravy before. It could be operator error:)
It was to soooo good!! Thank you so much for finally explaining it clearly. I can't believe I have never tried this before. I only wish it had made more. I would like to try to figure out a way to make more, Hogs just don't have a lot of fat on them these days. I am married to a farmer. I left out the cayenne because the farmer can't take spice, but I bet it's awesome with it. Next time i would probably add more fat to possibly double in the end? i had to add water a couple of times during the browning of the ham by the way. I just used a slice of ham which might be part of the lack of fat problem. Anyway it was worth it and i will do it every time I make a slice of ham or a whole ham. Just amazing. Even Farmer Brown liked it and his palette is plain, lol Thank you so much for sharing!
I personally use country ham only! No other versions of ham will make red eye correctly. Get familiar with the saltiness of your ham, as they vary. May need to rinse if too salty AFTER cooking. Real country ham doesn’t take long to cook at all. That being said, I personally use bacon drippings to start with, in order to have grease at the end. Ham will flavor bacon fat.Cook ham in bacon grease and pour grease into bowl afterwards. Pour strong black coffee into the iron skillet, I hope you are using. Reduce and sometimes I add a pinch of brown sugar. Pour into bowl, and pour reserved grease in that. Grease will float to the top, this the name red eye. Over CRISP biscuits are my favorite.
