Biscuits and Gravy

Most people have had biscuits and gravy in their lifetime, and some people can't go a single day without eating it. Recipes for biscuits and gravy range from dumb as a bag of hammers simple up to needing an advanced degree in chemistry difficult. Now, I'm sure some old southern gal will roll over a couple times in her grave from me saying what I'm about to say; at the end of the day all the recipes taste pretty much the same...relatively bland (for the most part) and extremely rich, regardless of how much or little effort goes into making them.

I was never a big biscuit and gravy guy growing up opting for traditional eggs and bacon instead. But a while back we had a pot luck breakfast at work, and one guy said he was going to bring biscuits and gravy. My first thought was "Whoop-tee-doo" (not). This guy kept telling me about how his gravy was the absolute best...just like the eleventy-seven bazillion other people who say the exact same thing.

Breakfast day rolled around (I made eggs benedict) and this guy kept pestering me to try his biscuits and gravy. He was relentless. I finally caved and agreed to try some of his dish. Holy cow!! He was right, it was the absolute BEST biscuits and gravy I'd ever had! In fact, I couldn't get enough of this stuff! Naturally I asked him for the recipe, fully expecting some guarded excuse about it being a 300 year old "secret" family recipe. To my surprise he said it was simple, very simple.

The recipe...

1lb Italian Ground Sausage - 50% cooked (fried) until it will crumble. (Sweet or Spicy variety sausage only, not just regular Italian)
2 Packages of "Pioneer" Biscuits and Gravy mix - Made per the instructions.

Combine the partially cooked ground Italian sausage (juices and all) and add the prepared biscuits and gravy mix in a crock pot and let it cook overnight. The next morning crack open and bake a bunch of Pillsbury Grands biscuits and split in half. Serve. That's it!

It is absolutely the best biscuits and gravy you will ever eat. The Italian sausage gives it a fantastic flavor and it takes away the gut-bombing richness most associate with regular biscuits and gravy.

Try it sometime, you won't regret it!

Note - you can also make it without frying up the Italian sausage first, but I like it browned a little bit.

Note 2 - It absolutely HAS to be the "Pioneer" brand biscuit and gravy mix, no other substitute will do! (available at Walmart and most grocery stores).

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

This sounds delicious!

The best biscuits and gravy I ever made was with breakfast sausages from Chompie's. I had ordered them with my breakfast, but the waiter forgot to bring them with my meal, so I took them home with me. It was the best biscuits and gravy I ever made...

Until I make it with Italian sausage??? We'll see this weekend!

Thank you!!!

Here's one for you: One of my best friends in school was Italian (her parents emigrated here) and her mother made everything from scratch. They even had their own olive trees and harvested and pressed their own oil! Anyway, her mother would make scrambled eggs with (Italian) sausage and marinara sauce for breakfast... it was sooooooooooo yummy! I've never been able to re-create her sauce as delicious as she made it (and I was young and stupid at the time so I never got her recipe) but I still make it for myself with my own sorry sauce every so often.

originally posted by: Boadicea
Here's one for you: One of my best friends in school was Italian (her parents emigrated here) and her mother made everything from scratch. They even had their own olive trees and harvested and pressed their own oil! Anyway, her mother would make scrambled eggs with (Italian) sausage and marinara sauce for breakfast... it was sooooooooooo yummy! I've never been able to re-create her sauce as delicious as she made it (and I was young and stupid at the time so I never got her recipe) but I still make it for myself with my own sorry sauce every so often.

Do you have a food mill? That's one thing that most people don't do at home when making tomato sauce is to process it into a even texture.

a reply to: Boadicea

The secret of this recipe is the Italian Sausage. You can use either sweet or spicy ground Italian sausage, I've done it both ways and it's great either way. What's interesting is if you make it with sweet Italian sausage the end result is completely different than if you use spicy. I'm generally not a sweets kind of guy, but I almost like the sweet sausage better than the spicy. If you just use regular Italian sausage it won't come out as good for some reason; you have to use either sweet or spicy.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Got it!

Thank you again... I'll try to remember to come back and let you know how it goes.

I made a note to use Pioneer gravy as well, which is no problem. That's my brand of choice. Their brown gravy is also delicious.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Do you have a food mill? That's one thing that most people don't do at home when making tomato sauce is to process it into a even texture.

No, I sure don't! But now that I know (thank you!) I'm going to have to correct that!!!

I am checking them out now. Any tips or suggestions?

My daughter-in-law bought me an InstaPot. And I feel terrible because I haven't even tried it yet. Seems to me this might be a good time to improve my sauce and put that InstaPot to good use. I need to make a batch of barbecue sauce too, and I was thinking the InstaPot might be good for that as well.

originally posted by: Boadicea
No, I sure don't! But now that I know (thank you!) I'm going to have to correct that!!!

I also use them for making pureed potatoes etc. It gives you a restaurant style puree as long as you use a decent amount of cream and butter.

I am checking them out now. Any tips or suggestions?

I only use All Clad since they have much more robust construction and can stand up to repeated use.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I'm a big fan of bacon gravy myself, but would be willing to give this a shot. Most sausage based gravies I've had have been as you said, a little bland and lackluster. Now when you throw bacon into the mix, it helps out a ton, that's just my personal experience though.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Try chorizo, ground rather than links obviously.

I've found good chorizo substitutes well for italian sausage in most things. I think you'll have to drain some of the fat. Chorizo tends to be very fatty.

You could also substitute coffee for any water for a red eye twist.

a reply to: Boadicea

Insta-pots ROCK!

I liked ours so much I bought a second one! You can make all sorts of different stuff in one of those things.

They will make the best steel cut oatmeal you've ever eaten!

a reply to: Hypntick

...but would be willing to give this a shot.

This will make you laugh at bacon! Is that even possible???

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I also use them for making pureed potatoes etc. It gives you a restaurant style puree as long as you use a decent amount of cream and butter.

LOL -- no problem there! I am a dairy junkie. Is it possible to have too much cream and/or butter??? I don't think so! (And no... I'm not a rolypoly!)

I only use All Clad since they have much more robust construction and can stand up to repeated use.

I should have known! You told me about All Clad on the turkey thread... my son and daughter-in-law gave me an All Clad stainless steel ladle for Christmas. There's a funny story behind the ladle that I won't bore you with. But I do love this ladle! Perfect heft so it's sturdy (doesn't bend when you scoop up some chili or stew) even though it's a good size scoop, and it's oval shaped instead of round so it's much more practical for ladling into mugs or smaller bowls. It's a perfect ladle. And I know it's rather pathetic that I even put this much thought into my ladle!!!

It is what it is

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Boadicea

Insta-pots ROCK!

You're giving me some inspiration and motivation here -- thanks!

They will make the best steel cut oatmeal you've ever eaten!

Ooooh... we've really been enjoying our oatmeal this winter. After an extra-hot summer, we're now having an extra cold winter. I usually dice an apple and simmer in water before adding to the oatmeal. Then add a little cream, brown sugar and cinnamon... yum!

It's starting to warm up now, but I'll have to give that Instapot a try before it gets too warm.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

It is absolutely the best biscuits and gravy you will ever eat.

Anyone with a Southern Meemaw or access to one can tell you that you have not lived
until you've had REAL southern biscuits and gravy. It has to be cooked in a cast iron skillet with
120 year old grease too.

I don't even like biscuits and gravy, but I like Meemaws biscuits and gravy! Don't forget a side of grits and
diabetes inducing sweet tea!

I make my own lose sausage, both italian and southern style, and both are highly seasoned. I get those up, throw in some flour to soak up the grease, then douse in hot milk and simmer. The thought had crossed my mind to try it with my italian sausage, maybe I'll give it a shot.

I have a real simple homemade biscuit recipe that I have been using for years, too.

originally posted by: Boadicea

I only use All Clad since they have much more robust construction and can stand up to repeated use.

I should have known! You told me about All Clad on the turkey thread... my son and daughter-in-law gave me an All Clad stainless steel ladle for Christmas. There's a funny story behind the ladle that I won't bore you with. But I do love this ladle! Perfect heft so it's sturdy (doesn't bend when you scoop up some chili or stew) even though it's a good size scoop, and it's oval shaped instead of round so it's much more practical for ladling into mugs or smaller bowls. It's a perfect ladle. And I know it's rather pathetic that I even put this much thought into my ladle!!!

It is what it is

They do make excellent tools as well, I have most of them. With the food mill you can make an excellent sauce (not marinara) which will have a more uniform consistency. In my mom's hometown they still process all of their tomatoes in the central square using a huge grinder and everyone gets a proportional amount of sauce for the quantity of fruit loaded into the grinder.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I'll offer my recipe.
Fresh sausage, 1 lb.
Brown sausage, remove from pan, save everything.
put 1/8 stick butter in pan and melt, add 2 heaping tablespoons of mosses chicken breader (seasoned flour)
Brown the flour/butter combo.
Stir in the grease from the sausage.
Use a wisk, and pour in about 1.5 cups of milk, maybe 2 cups. Stir the entire time and add salt & pepper to taste.
Once you have the consistency you like, add sausage meat. cover pan.
Pour over Pillsbury flaky layer buttermilk biscuits.

I like it.

a reply to: JAGStorm

There is literally a battle in my family over my 93 year old grandmothers cast iron skillet. She does make the absolute best I've ever had, and just eyeballs everything without measurement. She will whip up a batch on demand if given the slightest hint you're hungry around breakfast time. Which explains why all of her kids and most of her grandkids are overweight lol.

Gravy

I usually use 5 cups of milk

for each cup milk
2tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter

sage & pepper to taste

packages are cheating

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

LIES!!! These are all lies!!!

Pilsbury? Cmon man, have a f~~king soul.

I regret reading this.