Biscuits and gravy are a popular breakfast, lunch, dinner, or middle of the night snack; especially in the South where it’s considered an adequate substitution for water. I apologize in advance for any smack talking aimed at the southeast section of the country.

In their defense, biscuits and gravy do taste really good. I mean, it’s not at all healthy, but it tastes great and that’s what really matters. Wait, back up a second.

I’m specifically talking about homemade biscuits and gravy. While I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s acceptable to purchase premade biscuits in a tube (those things still scare me when they pop) from the cooler section of the grocery store, I can’t give store bought sausage gravy the green light. I’ve yet to come across one that I could positively identify as real sausage gravy.

Also, keep in mind that when I say ‘biscuit’ I’m not talking about the English biscuit which is more like a flat dry cookie. I’m talking about the American thing that’s more like a scone.

So with that being said, here’s a little history lesson.

Some of the early European settlers in the United States introduced an easier style of cooking, based on ground wheat and meat and gravy. The pigs that were carried from England to Jamestown, Virginia in 1608 ended up becoming quite popular as home-grown animals. That’s because they tasted real good.

Biscuits and gravy ended up becoming a distinct regional dish after the American Revolutionary War. Food supplies at the time were in short supply and breakfast had to be the most substantial meal of the day in the South for anyone working on the plantations. In addition to all this, the lack of money and supplies meant the meals had to be cheap.

While the ‘gravy’ in biscuits and gravy almost always refers to sausage gravy, there are a few other varieties. Tomato gravy is white gravy mixed with diced or crushed tomatoes. There’s also egg gravy, but I don’t think I care to put the effort into explaining what that is. It just involves eggs and bacon grease and then adding flour and milk to make gravy. Or you can make a roux and add eggs or something. I don’t know. I don’t like that way.

Present day biscuits and gravy consist of soft dough biscuits smothered in a meat gravy. The gravy is made from the drippings of cooked pork sausage, white flour, and milk. Some gravies contain bacon, ground beef, or additional bits of sausage. Black pepper is often used to flavor the gravy. I like to add a dash of Tabasco Sauce to my sausage gravy.

Without a doubt, my way’s the best. It’s the absolute tastiest recipe one can find outside of the contiguous United States while still remaining in America.

Check out the recipe here: Sausage Gravy