What is Red Eye Gravy
In my travels, I had definitely heard of red eye gravy, but didn’t realize that it had a legend to go with it.
“According to legend and not necessarily facts, Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), 7th President of the United States, who was an American General at the time, called his cook over to tell him what to prepare. The cook had been drinking “moonshine” corn whiskey the night before and his eyes were as red as fire. General Jackson told the cook to bring him some country ham with gravy as red as his eyes. Some men nearby heard the general and from then on, ham gravy became “Red Eye Gravy.”
I checked out a few recipes for it and learned that one ingredient that makes this gravy so different is the addition of coffee. And if you want to give it a try… I found a simple recipe for you to try.
1. Fry a slice of country ham about 10 minutes per slice. Flip and cook the other side for the same amount of time.
2.Remove ham from pan
3. Add a teaspoon or so of strong coffee per slice of ham and then turn up the heat. Stir the drippings and the coffee together and allow to simmer. After a few minutes, you have honest to goodness Red Eye Gravy.
Tags: red-eye-gravy, Southern Byways, Southern FoodRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Southern Byways, Southern Food
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