Country Ham with Redeye Gravy and Buttermilk Biscuits
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2000

Red-eye gravy is a thin sauce often seen in the cuisine of the Southern United States and associated with the country ham of that region. Other names for this sauce include poor man's gravy, bird-eye gravy and red ham gravy. The gravy is made from the drippings of pan-fried country ham that has been mixed with black coffee. The same drippings, when mixed with flour, make the flavoring for a white gravy. Red-eye gravy is often served over ham, cornbread, grits, or biscuits.

A common practice is to dip the inner sides of a split biscuit into the gravy in order to add flavor and keep the biscuit from being too dry when a piece of country ham is added between the two halves: the Southern "ham biscuit" (although the Appalachian ham biscuit is simply a biscuit with country ham). Another popular way to serve red-eye gravy, especially in parts of Alabama, is with mustard or ketchup mixed in with the gravy. Biscuits are then "sopped" in the gravy.

Red Eye Gravy's name likely comes from the appearance of the gravy. Prepared traditionally, when coffee and grease are not combined until the end the coffee and grease form a heterogeneous mixture, with the water-based coffee sinking to the bottom and the oil-based grease forming the top layer. In a round bowl, therefore, the mixture looks much like a red eye, the coffee giving the red hue and the grease looking like a human iris.

6 (1/2-pound) country ham steaks (uncooked)
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup very strong coffee
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Buttermilk Biscuits

Heat a large skillet over high heat and saute ham steaks 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and keep warm while you make the sauce.

Add butter and onions to skillet and cook until onions are softened, scraping up any browned bits on pan bottom. Add flour and stir well to combine. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add coffee and chicken stock. Whisk well to combine, then allow sauce to cook until thickened, about 6 minutes. Add green onions and heavy cream and cook 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve over ham steaks with buttermilk biscuits.