Selecting the right sausage

Part of the secret of good sausage gravy is the FAT. Sorry folks, but the lean “good for you” kind of pork sausage just won’t make good sausage gravy. If you are worried about the fat and cholesterol . . . eat something else!! Select a good brand, just the same. My favorite for making gravy is “Aberdeen” brand, but any brand with a good balance of meat and fat will do. If you have a good meat market in your area where they grind their own sausage, tell the butcher to grind you some with plenty of fat left in.

Pre-measure your milk and flour and have it ready next to the stove, as well as about a liter of water. Heat a deep skillet to medium high heat. Fry up the sausage with about half a teaspoon of hot sauce, until it is well browned and has rendered all of the fat. Break up the sausage into small bit as it fries, so that it is the size of small peas. Lower the heat just a bit, then add the flour to the pan. Mix into the sausage until the flour is totally coated with the rendered grease. You should not be able to see any more bright white flour. If there is not enough grease to coat all of the flour, add vegetable oil or lard until there is. You should now have little brownish sausage/flour nodules. Add salt, to taste, and the black pepper. Add the milk and about a cup of water. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the nodules that have formed. Keep stirring and breaking up the nodules until it begins to smooth out. It will get very thick; add water until you get a nice, smooth, creamy consistency. The only lumps in the gravy should be the sausage! If the flour was well coated with grease, it will not be lumpy. Keep heating and stirring until it stops getting thicker and you have the consistency you want.

Variations

Some folks make their gravy with corn meal instead of flour. I like corn meal gravy, but gravy made with flour comes out smoother and allows the flavors of the sausage and pepper to predominate. The corn meal takes over and gives it a flavor and texture that’s totally different. Give it a try!

I prefer to use the “mild” sausage and decide for myself the type and kind of spice to add. Although it’s hard to make something too hot and spicy for me, my family does not share my taste for hot food, so I have to tone my cooking down for normal humans. Plus, the hot kind just doesn’t make good gravy . . . it’s good for sausage patties or biscuit sandwiches, but not for gravy.

If you want to make “Red-Eye” gravy, add fresh-ground red pepper, and dilute it with coffee rather than water. Some folks love it . . . I’m not one of them. I am a coffee lover, but it just doesn’t fit in with the pork . . . ham or pork sausage are the traditional bases for Red-Eye gravy . . . and to me, the flavors just don’t mix well.

I have tried this recipe with venison sausage as well, but venison is too lean to make good gravy, so you have to add vegetable oil or lard to make up the difference.