Country Sausage Gravy

Mmm, mmm, mmm, I luuuvvv sausage gravy.

The very first time I had this I was about 11 years old & my Grandma Hicks made it for me & she served it over texas toast. It was love at first sight for me & the gravy.

The ironic thing is my family roots grow deep in the country & looking back I can't believe it took me 11 years to have this stuff. The minute it hit my lips I felt I had been deprived.

After all, I knew at a very young age that fried pork chops, rice & gravy, butterbeans cooked with okra & seasoned with bacon grease, silver king corn & fresh tomatoes with biscuits or cornbread should be a staple in any good southern household. (Did your arteries just clog up reading that? Mine did, but my mouth watered too) How was it that country gravy never made it into the mix until 11 years in.

To add to this confusion it's now a breakfast staple at my dad's house on Saturday mornings? It never was when I was growing up.

Why does/did my mother or my Grandma Denmark never fix this delicious gravy? Why did they make me rely on the breakfast buffet at Shoney's to get my country sausage gravy fix?

These are questions I may never know the answer to. But the good news is I'm all grown up now & can fix this any time I want to.

Except when I'm having a "good" week on the low-carb lifestyle I try so desperately to follow.

And except when the hunk puts in a special request for it.

And as far as he's concerned this recipe is the best he's had. Ever since the first time I fixed this for him he refuses to have it anywhere else. And that is a great compliment.

And this is the last sentence I'm starting with the word "and" or else the grammar police are going to come after me.

So how do you fix this country sausage gravy that I keep talking about? Here goes...

Brown 1lb of sausage in a the same skillet you would use to make the gravy.

Remove the sausage to a plate to drain leaving some of the drippings in the skillet.


This next part is not for the faint of heart or the high of cholesterol. Don't say I didn't warn you...

This is bacon grease & were it's not essential to the gravy it sure does make it taste good & rich. Over medium low heat, add about a tablespoon of the bacon grease to the pan.

Let that melt down & scrape the pan to get the little bits of sausage left lingering.

Now add about 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.

Add a couple tablespoon of butter, 1/4 tsp of salt & a good amount of black pepper. Using a whisk continuously stir your flour, grease & butter mixture. 

The butter really should be added to the pan with or instead of the bacon grease, but I was a little late in grabbing it & throwing it in.



Lightly whisk this just until it browns a little, the flour is smooth, the butter is melted & it starts to bubble.

Add about 2 cups of milk to the flour, 1 cup at a time whisking between pours. Again making sure you are continuously whisking this until the flour is fully incorporated with the milk & it starts to thicken just slightly. And when I say whisk I don't mean like your beating an egg, more like just trying to keep the liquid moving so it doesn't burn or stick.

Lack of whisking can cause the flour and milk to scorch & nobody likes scorched milk & flour.

Add your cooked sausage & continue stirring, you can switch to a spatula or wooden spoon or utensil of your choice at this point.

Keep stirring until the gravy is thickened to your liking, you may add a little more milk if it gets too thick.

That's it, simple. You have country sausage gravy. Yum, yum. You can make this without the sausage also if you like.

Serve over quick-as-a-wink biscuits & you've got breakfast or lunch or dinner or a snack.

Whatever meal you have this for enjoy it & let me know how it turns out.

Enjoy!!

Country Sausage Gravy
Makes about 4-5 cups of gravy

1lb ground sausage
1 Tbsp of bacon grease (optional)
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all purpose-flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups milk

Brown sausage & set aside leaving some drippings in the skillet. Over medium-low heat melt bacon grease & butter. Add flour, salt & pepper. Continuously whisk flour mixture until just brown & flour has dissolved & starts to bubble. Add milk, 1 cup at a time, gently whisking until flour is fully incorporated with the milk. Just as the gravy starts to barely thicken add sausage. Continue stirring until gravy starts to bubble & is to desired thickness. If gravy gets too thick, add a little milk.