This classic Southern breakfast gravy is perfect for spooning over biscuits and more. This gravy is made by mixing the pan drippings from cooked ham with black coffee.
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 Cowboy Kent Rollins | 2020-09-23 19:30:00 |  410,437 Views |
Red Eye Gravy and Ham Steak | How to Make Red Eye Gravy
Serious Eats/Morgan Glaze
From my early childhood in southwestern Virginia preparing and enjoying big breakfasts was a regular part of every family reunion no matter what time of day it was. When one or more of us arrived home from a trip late at night or early in the morning tired and hungry we would make breakfast together with the appropriate fixings: eggs semolina biscuits or toast and after a quick thawing of leftover country ham from the freezer red-eye gravy a quick emulsion of hot coffee and slowly melted ham drippings. I grew up eating red-eye gravy this way a swirl of a hot spoon over an impromptu midnight breakfast even if I was a bleary-eyed member of the welcoming committee. For years I associated red-eye gravy almost exclusively with international air travel even before I had ever actually been on an airplane.
The name red-eye gravy probably has nothing to do with coffee or caffeine (or red-eye flights). While there are legends about President Andrew Jackson requesting red-eye gravy the color of his bloodshot eyes after a long night of drinking these are tall tales and not necessarily based on fact. I've found that the more fanciful stories about red-eye gravy are more likely to be found on internet forums about Southern food than stories actually shared at Southern dinner tables. It's more likely that the name derives from the glistening reddish hue where it collects around the "eye" or "aitch" bone of thinly sliced bone-in country ham.
