Sausage gravy, also known as sawmill gravy,[1] is a classic breakfast dish of the American South. Most often served over biscuits or cornbread, sausage gravy was initially a creative way to stretch humble ingredients—meat scraps, flour, and milk. Sausage gravy emerged as a regional dish in the American South during the Revolutionary War [2], and actually predates the modern Southern soda-risen biscuit by nearly a century. The recipe hasn’t changed much in the centuries since.

Ingredients

½ lb breakfast sausage
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

It is best to use fresh breakfast sausage for this dish. Use savory breakfast sausage mixes including fennel or sage, and avoid sweet breakfast sausage mixes (such as maple) in this dish. If your breakfast sausage comes in links, de-case the sausage before cooking it.

Add the sausage to a dry pan and cook it over low heat, breaking the sausage meat up into small pieces. The sausage will fry in its own rendered fat, so keep the heat low to minimize splatter. Cook until the sausage is completely cooked through and has begun to crisp, about 10 minutes.

Our aim is to combine the rendered sausage fat with flour to form a roux, which will thicken the gravy. We are looking for about 2 tablespoons of rendered fat in the pan. If you have a particularly lean sausage which looks to have rendered less than 2 tablespoons, add some butter or pork fat to bring the total amount of fat in the pan to 2 tablespoons. [3]

Add 2 tablespoons flour to the pan and stir it into the fat to make the roux. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the flour is no longer raw. Then pour the milk into the pan, stirring rapidly and continuously. Bring the gravy to a simmer, and continue stirring so no lumps form. Simmer for about 3 minutes, or until the gravy thickens. Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper, and serve over biscuits, cornbread, or a carbohydrate of your choice.

Substitutions

You can substitute sweet Italian sausage or meatless sausage for the breakfast sausage. If you’re using meatless sausage, you will have to use 2 tablespoons butter or oil to make the roux. If you want some spice to your gravy, either use a spicy sausage or season with some cayenne pepper.

[1] The name “sawmill gravy” is most likely came from the logging camps of the Smoky Mountains in the 1800s, where sausage gravy—a cheap, filling meal which could be made in large batches—was often served to lumberjacks and sawmillers.

[2] The American Revolutionary War was fought from 1775 to 1783.

[3] In some regions of the American South, bacon fat is used in addition to the rendered sausage fat. This results in a darker and richer gravy.

Recipe

Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 15 min Total Time: 20 min

Difficulty: 1/5

Heat Sources: 1 burner

Equipment: pan

Servings: 4

Ingredients

½ lb breakfast sausage
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. De-case the breakfast sausage if necessary, and cook it in a dry pan over low heat, breaking the sausage meat up into small pieces. Continue cooking until the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

2. We are looking for about 2 tbsp of fat to have been rendered from the sausage. If you have a lean sausage which renders less, supplement with butter or pork fat, up to a total of 2 tbsp of fat.

3. Add the flour to the pan, and stir it into the fat to form a roux. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Add the milk to the pan and bring to a simmer, continuing to stir continuously. Simmer for about 3 minutes, or until the gravy is thickened.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve over biscuits, cornbread, or home fries.