Soul Saving Biscuits and Gravy

Now that we have all that out of the way, time to apply heat. I follow the lower temp instructions for the lower temp/long cook time on the biscuits. 325° F for 21 minutes. This is for timing, I like the biscuits to come out the same time the gravy is done.

While the oven does its thing, unpackage the sausage and start browning in a heavy bottomed skillet. I advise against non-heavy pans as we will be using oil and a sudden spike in temperature can cause unwanted flare ups. I use a medium-high heat to maintain control during this process. I don’t recommend high heat as this can either burn or cause inconsistent browning shanking the flavor.

Next, with the remaining sausage and bits stuck to the bottom, add the olive oil. You may want to lower the heat here. If the oil becomes to hot it will start popping, or worse, smoke and destroy the flavor. After about 2 min the sausage will have released it’s flavor into the oil and we can carry on.

Part of making this all work is being prepared. Have your flour premeasured and ready for this step. Grab a whisk, this will be your tool for the remainder of the dish. Add your flour and whisk in thoroughly. Be sure none of the flour stays in clumps.

After a few minutes, while still having your heat on medium to medium-high heat your new concoction of oil and flour will begin to bubble. I can write about this process for hundreds of recipes. I’ll have to put out a recipe for gravy’s and flavor development soon.

Start slowly pouring in the milk while you whisk thoroughly. For the newcomer to this event, it will be an emotional roller coaster. Hang on for the ride. As you pour the milk, this is going to hiss, and start to instantly thicken almost instantly. DO NOT STOP POURING. This is that part of the ride where you second think your decisions on the way down. If you get out of the car now… well… I get your best pans. This will all be over and smooth out just keep stirring. (Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming… close enough)

When you come to the bottom of the ride, you’ll have this milk consistency mix. The transition is over, now it’s time to clean the pan. Using your whisk, scrap the hell out of the bottom of the pan. Your goal here is to get all those tasty stuck bits into the mix. Do this until the bottom of the pan feels clean.

Now, the thickening… Keep whisking your mixture. As the milk comes to temp, the science of gluten starts to take hold and form this magical thickness. As you stir, you should start to feel the whisk pull at the bottom of the pan, keep stirring. Soon you will start to have a thickened mix. Dip a spoon into the gravy, it should coat like in the image and valley as you pull the spoon through it.

“If this is getting too thick, you can SLOWLY add more milk until you reach a consistency you appreciate. If this is too thin, you can thicken by adding a mixture of equal parts flour and oil. Do this with great caution. Add no more than a tablespoon of this mix, it is powerful and will make your gravy into concrete if you get carried away.”

Now, if you taste this base, I am sorry. It will not have much for the way of flavor yet, as this is the cream base. Find that bowl of sausage you set to the side. Do you have pets? Can you find the bowl? This happens in my kitchen from time to time.

Once you have found your sausage, fold it into the cream base and taste test. The Sausage carries its own salty properties and you may find it adequate. I prefer a bit more and a peppery finish. Add the salt and pepper blindly if you want to take the culinary trust fall.