Any good cracked pepper gravy recipes?

[Deleted]

I consistently make the worst gravy imaginable. In addition to being lumpy and generally unattractive, it's beyond bland.

Can someone help me with a good recipe?

(I can cook - I promise. I even enjoy it but gravy just escapes me for some reason.)

/VM

[Kathy]

Via, I don't measure or have a recipe for my country gravy with black pepper. I've been making it for so long; I just do it by instinct now.

So I found a couple of sites that might give you a better idea of how it's done. I make mine similar to the one I've posted except I put a lot of pepper in with the flour and I substitute milk for the broth or water. I don't strain my drippings since we like the little meaty pieces. I use a wire whisk for the whole gravy making process.

If you're using meat fat such as sausage drippings, I'd hold off on adding salt till you're almost done since sausage can be pretty salty.

For every cup of gravy, you are going to need approximately

2 Tablespoons of fat,

2 Tablespoons of flour

1 Cup of liquid; broth, water or milk

There are several ways to make gravy, but here is the easiest, and most fool proof.

After the meat is cooked, remove the needed amount of fat or drippings from the bottom of the pan the meat was cooked in. Run it through a strainer or sieve to remove any particles in the fat. Place this in a pot, which you can put on the stove.

Before you do that, you add the flour to the gravy. When making gravy, you always use equal amounts of fat and flour. This is very important, so always measure carefully. If you use too much flour, you will drown out the taste of the fat, which is where the flavor comes from.

Mix the flour and fat well. Then put them on the stove to cook on low heat. You must stir constantly. You need to cook this long enough that the flour is cooked. The mixture will turn brown and begin to bubble. If you don’t cook the flour long enough, it will have a raw taste, and ruin the flavor of your gravy. The next step, adding the liquid to the fat/flour mixture, is where most people get into trouble. If you just pour the water into the mixture, you may get lumps.

To be safe, bring the water temperature up before combining the two. To do this, put a little of the very hot fat/flour mixture in the water first to bring up the temperature of the water. Stir well to distribute the heat.

Take the pan off the burner, and then add the water, SLOWLY, stirring continually.

After the two are well blended, return to the burner, and bring to a boil for about a minute. Be sure and keep stirring, so that the fat does not separate from the liquid.

The flour is what is going to thicken the liquid mixture. You want to stir and cook until you get the consistency you like.

When you make gravy, you cannot leave the pan unattended. Have your seasonings nearby so you can put them in at the end while you are stirring. Even after you take the pan off the stove, it will still keep cooking for a while and will become thicker.

Continue to stir your gravy right up to the time you put it on the table. This is why the gravy is always done last. It is not hard, but it takes you constant attention.

Here's another how to make gravy site but I like the one quoted above best.
www.fabulousfoods.com/school/cstech/gravy.html

[Deleted]

Kathy, those are great directions - thank you. After reading through them, I think I might be using too much flour AND not cooking it long enough.

/VM

[Kathy]

viamedia said:

Kathy, those are great directions - thank you. After reading through them, I think I might be using too much flour AND not cooking it long enough.

/VM

Now the next question is-how's your biscuit making skills?? Good peppered country gravy screams out for some nice hot biscuits!! ;D

[starfire]

Lardy mercy!

Gravy and biscuits you both are making me hungry!
I have had good gravy and biscuits in such a long time!

[Deleted]

My biscuits aren't anything to brag about so I posted down in the bread/biscuit thread.

Unfortunately, I have had great biscuits and gravy so I know what I'm missing out on. That's good incentive for me to learn!

/VM