breakfast essentials: old sawmill gravy

How To Make breakfast essentials: old sawmill gravy

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  Step 1
  PREP/PREPARE
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  Step 2
  Chef’s Note: Per one story, the origins of “sawmill” gravy comes from the fact that it was served to the lumberjacks working at the sawmills in the timber-rich mountains of the East. It was a simple dish using bacon drippings, and ground cornmeal; however, it was nutritious enough to keep the men on their feet until lunch. Sometimes, if the gravy was too thick, the men complained that the cooks must have put sawdust into the gravy.
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  Step 3
  Chef’s Note: If you are curious, here is an original recipe for sawmill gravy from an 1867 cookbook: Sawmill Gravy • 1 tablespoon bacon drippings • 3 heaping tablespoons white cornmeal • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 2 cups milk • dash of pepper I have been told that this original recipe is still being served to lumberjacks up in the Pacific Northwest.
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  Step 4
  Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
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  Step 5
  Add the chopped bacon to a saucepan, over medium heat.
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  Step 6
  Cook until the bacon fat melts into the saucepan, about 3 – 5 minutes.
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  Step 7
  Add the crumbled sausage.
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  Step 8
  Continue to cook until the sausage begins to brown.
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  Step 9
  Chef’s Tip: Keep the saucepan active by stirring regularly.
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  Step 10
  Add the flour.
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  Step 11
  Stir until completely incorporated into the sausage/bacon mixture, about 2 – 4 minutes.
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  Step 12
  Chef’s Note: Cooking the flour for a couple of minutes, will help to eliminate that “flour” taste.
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  Step 13
  Add the milk and cream.
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  Step 14
  Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook until it thickens, about 5 – 7 minutes.
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  Step 15
  Add the vinegar, and then season with the cayenne, salt, and pepper, to taste.
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  Step 16
  PLATE/PRESENT
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  Step 17
  Serve over a couple of freshly-made buttermilk biscuits, with a bottle of hot sauce on the side. Enjoy.
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  Step 18
  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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