No meal consisting of country ham is complete without Red-Eye Gravy. Red-Eye Gravy's name comes from an American slang term for its principal ingredient ... coffee ... a
ka "red-eye". Prepared traditionally, when coffee and grease are not combined until the end the coffee and grease form a heterogeneous mixture, with the water-based coffee sinking to the bottom and the oil-based grease forming the top layer. In a round bowl the mixture looks much like a red eye, the coffee giving the red hue and the grease looking like a human iris. Less traditional preparation techniques do not always result in the "red eye" appearance, leading to folk legends surrounding the origin o
f the name. For instance, that former United States President Andrew Jackson requested ham with gravy as red as his cook's eyes, which were bloodshot from drinking the night before, or that the black coffee in the gravy will keep people awake.
The basic recipe for red-eye gravy is quite simple. After the ham has been cooked, the grease is removed from the pan. Black coffee is then used to deglaze the pan. The coffee and grease are then poured into the same container in a one to one ratio.
Other recipes exist, using water instead of coffee, or adding coffee with grease still present in the pan. When the coffee is added to the grease in this manner, a homogeneous mixture may result that lacks the "red eye" appearance.
ka "red-eye". Prepared traditionally, when coffee and grease are not combined until the end the coffee and grease form a heterogeneous mixture, with the water-based coffee sinking to the bottom and the oil-based grease forming the top layer. In a round bowl the mixture looks much like a red eye, the coffee giving the red hue and the grease looking like a human iris. Less traditional preparation techniques do not always result in the "red eye" appearance, leading to folk legends surrounding the origin o
f the name. For instance, that former United States President Andrew Jackson requested ham with gravy as red as his cook's eyes, which were bloodshot from drinking the night before, or that the black coffee in the gravy will keep people awake.The basic recipe for red-eye gravy is quite simple. After the ham has been cooked, the grease is removed from the pan. Black coffee is then used to deglaze the pan. The coffee and grease are then poured into the same container in a one to one ratio.
Other recipes exist, using water instead of coffee, or adding coffee with grease still present in the pan. When the coffee is added to the grease in this manner, a homogeneous mixture may result that lacks the "red eye" appearance.
~ Chef Wilkinson ~
