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Sawmill Gravy

Source of Recipe

From "Big Food Big Love" by Heather Earnhardt


Recipe Introduction

"Some folks in the South call sawmill 'milk gravy,' but for me, it means white gravy with sausage. The name supposedly comes from Appalachian lumberjacks. Some say the camp cook had to use sparse ingredients to feed a lot of hungry men, and a gravy flavored with meat drippings gave them less to complain about. Others say the name comes from the cook adding cornmeal to thicken the gravy, which caused the loggers to think there was in fact sawdust in it. No matter where the name comes from, sawmill is the backbone of all Southern gravies. Wandering Goose's version is made with seasoned pork sausage, chicken stock, and milk. I add hot sauce and Worcestershire for taste and color. The chopped fresh sage and freshly grated nutmeg add an additional flavor layer. This makes a lot of gravy, but you can refrigerate the leftovers, heating up a portion for breakfast each day; the gravy will keep for a week. To reheat it, just add a little bit of milk and taste again for seasoning. Or invite all your friends over for a biscuits-and-gravy brunch with sides of country ham and bacon. This is a spicy gravy so cut the amount of hot sauce in half if you don't like spice."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 ½ pounds ground pork
â—¦ 3 tablespoons Sausage Spice Mix (recipe follows)
â—¦ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
â—¦ ¾ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 4 cups whole milk
â—¦ 1 ½ cups chicken stock
â—¦ 3 tablespoons hot sauce
â—¦ 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
â—¦ ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Recipe

In a large bowl, put the pork and spice mix. Using your hands, mix them together, breaking up the pork and evenly distributing the seasoning. Line a plate with paper towels.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until it's shimmering. Add the pork and cook, stirring, until it's no longer pink inside, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer it to the lined plate to drain. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan, leaving any browned bits in the skillet.

Melt the butter in the same skillet. When it bubbles, increase the heat to medium high and whisk in the flour. Cook it slowly until it starts to smell nutty and looks golden brown, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk slowly, 1 cup at a time, to avoid clumps. Once the gravy starts to thicken, about 2 minutes, whisk in the chicken stock. Add the pork back to the skillet along with the hot sauce, Worcestershire, sage, and nutmeg. Add the salt and pepper to taste and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook until thick and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt or pepper as needed and serve immediately, or keep warm until company comes.

Makes 6 cups,
Enough for 6 to 8 biscuits



Sausage Spice Mix:

â—¦ ¾ cup kosher salt
â—¦ 3 tablespoons chili powder
â—¦ 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
â—¦ 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
â—¦ 1 ½ tablespoons white pepper
â—¦ 1 tablespoon cayenne
â—¦ 1 tablespoon ground coriander
â—¦ 1 tablespoon ground cumin
â—¦ ½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
â—¦ 1 ¼ teaspoons dry mustard powder

Sift all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
The spice mix will keep for up to 3 months stored in a lidded glass jar or ziplock bag.

Makes 1 ¾ cups