Southern Gravy Recipe
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Knowing how to make good gravy is like having that perfect strand of milky pearls you can put on in a moment’s notice. It dresses up even the most humble of meals and graces southern tables.
And those who know me, know how much I love the term, “Good gravy.” It can be used to show my frustration. Like when I get a big drop of tomato sauce on my favorite white shirt right before company arrives for dinner. Good gravy would surely fit the bill in that situation.
Southern Gravy Recipe
It can also be used to show disbelief. For example, when a friend calls to tell me she saw my favorite perfume being used at a dog groomer’s in Atlanta. Believe me, that makes your hand pause when you reach for your perfume bottle the next morning.
So the term, “Good gravy” means a heck of a lot more than just that you make good gravy. But when this southern gal achieved the status of actually making good gravy, I should have written it down in the family bible. It was that big of a deal.
I’m not quiet sure how old I was, but I remember the skillet and my grandmother’s green milk glass bowl that I used to make it. I remember her standing patiently by my side telling me I needed to reduce the heat even more and to move the wooden spoon through the gravy in the pattern of an eight. And I remember the pride of placing that bowl of gravy on the table beside a plate piled high of biscuits. And I remember my grandmother smiling across the table at me and saying, “You made really good gravy.”
How to Make Southern Gravy
Here’s how she taught me to make it.
Fill a bowl with 2 parts milk or cream and 1 part water to equal the amount of gravy you want.
Reserve the grease after frying beef, pork, or chicken. I’d made Cubed Steak and used the leftover drippings.
Pour in enough flour to cover the bottom of the skillet.
And stir, being sure to get all the little bits of goodness in your skillet.
Cook it until it is nice and browned.
Pour in your milk and water.
And stir. Cook over low heat until the consistency is thick like… well… gravy.
Southern Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- Milk
- Water
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups reserved meat drippings
Instructions
- Pour 2/3 part milk and 1/3 water equal to the amount of gravy you plan to serve into a bowl.
- Set aside.
- Mix together flour, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat meat drippings, pour in dry ingredients and cook until browned.
- Stir constantly.
- Reduce heat to low and pour in milk and water.
- Stir well until mixture has thickened.
- Remove from heat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Serve with southern buttermilk biscuits and a loose waistband.
Enjoy!
I made the recipe looks beautiful just like gravy but tastes like flour. What did I do wrong and how can I fix it next time I make it?
Hi Stephany,
You may need to reduce the heat when you are cooking your flour to make sure that all of the flour is well-cooked throughout. Sometimes if rushed, a portion of the flour may get browned while other areas of the flour may not cook as it should.
Good country gravy makes everything taste better!
That’s right darlin’, you tell them. Making good gravy is truly a right of passage 🙂 Oh and by the way…nummy!
Gravy was one of the first things I ever learned to make after getting married. Yum!
Yummo! I learned to make gravy when I was kid…nothing like biscuits and gravy or chicken fried steak and gravy!
Or all three! 🙂
You are killing me over here with all this delicious stuff! Can you come over and cook for me? 😉
Looks like what my mom makes….so good, so fattening…..who cares! You only live once, what’s life without gravy? Dry.
Yes, making “good gravy” is just as southern a kitchen skill and making sweet iced tea. I think every southern cook has his or her own way to make gravy, mine’s a little different from yours, but what matters is that your family loves it! That homemade gravy alongside some mashed potatoes or biscuits is truly something magical.
You are so right, Lana.
Oh my – now you’ve gone and made me homesick! It’s a family joke that my Dad married my mom for her gravy! They’ve been married 50 years now – so I guess it stuck! 🙂
See, making good gravy can definitely be life-changing.
Southern style biscuits and gravy are very delicious and good I Love Southern Style Gravy alongside homemade biscuits
Me too! Delicious for sure! Thanks, JJ!
Just said to Tickled Red tonight that I once had biscuts and gravy in Kentucky – like 15 years ago and still THINK about them!! I have nothing southern in me…and no southern friends, and nowhere around me anyway serves food like this, I so need to make this and satisfy my craving! Even better yours comes with a wonderful memeory/memories and is made with love 🙂
Oh, it’s definitely time for more biscuits in gravy then! 15 years – oh my! Way past time.
Hi! Do you have a recipe for southern tomato gravy? I have looked on line and can’t find one! Thank you so much! Gail