I need help with making sausage gravy

[chris629]

I have never been able (except the first time) make sausage gravy. I mean I can but it comes out thinner then I think it should.
Does anyone have any recipes that are foolproof or at least easy to follow etc to make sausage gravy? (the kind for over biscuits at bfast)
We are having company this wknd and would rather just make gravy then have to buy it (its not as good that way).
Thanks!!!

 

[SierraCook]

Cook the sausage in a heavy skillet until no longer pink. Then add flour one tablespoon at a time until a thick paste forms. Then whisk in milk 1/2 - 1 cup at a time until the gravy is at the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Depending on how much grease is in the pan after cooking the sausage, you may want to remove some of it. 3-4 tablespoons should be plenty.

 

[marmalady]

Good recipe, Sierra, with just a couple of suggestions - use warm milk (you can just nuke some in a measuring cup ), and after you add the flour and milk, be sure to bring the whole thing to a boil for maximum thickenilng; flour and corn starch won't thicken fully til they're boiled.

We always make ours with LOTS of black pepper!

 

[AllenOK]

I make mine with a couple patties of sausage, smashing them up as they cook. Once they are browned, I check to see how much fat is in the pan. Usually, I have to add a little, about 2 T of veggie oil. I then add about 2 - 3 T of flour, and whisk this around until the roux is evenly mixed. Then, I hit the pan with the milk. I was always taught to add cold liquid to hot roux, or hot roux to cold liquid, then boil. I'm not sure if this is an old wive's tale or based on fact. I usually don't heat the milk prior to adding it to the pan. Of course, since I only use about a cup or so of milk, with a hot cast iron skillet, it doesn't take but a couple minutes for it to come to a boil. I'll season the gravy with salt and pepper as soon as I add the milk, then whisk constantly with a flat whisk to ensure that all the roux in the corners of the pan is mixed. Once the gravy tightens up, I pull the pan off the heat and check the seasoning. I may need to add more pepper, but rarely more salt. Of course, this only makes enough gravy for about 3 people.

I've never really "standardized" this recipe and committed it to paper. It's something I just make from scratch, completely to taste.

 

[chris629]

Thanks girls! I loved making my own gravy, not that hard but I could never get it to thicken very well. So I just started buying it. Can't wait to learn and start doing it regularly.

 

[chris629]

Thank you to everyone that responded!!

I made it this morning for our guests and it turned out wonderful.
I cooked the sausage and since it is basically no grease I added just a little. I then once it all cooked added tbsp at a time until it made the thick paste, then added by 1/2 cup fulls at a time of milk till I got it to the place that I wanted it. I added tons of pepper (love black pepper on my sausage gravy) and then it was done. A lot easier to do it little at a time instead of just adding it (which is what i was doing before).
Sil said something how their mom adds about 2 tbsp melted butter too. So next time I might try that.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I don't need a recipe for that, that is pretty easy.

 

[Catseye]

Glad it turned out well. I have one addition: I add a fat pinch of sage to the sausage while it's browning. Not too much; the essence of sausage gravy is that it is not too fancy-schmancy, but a touch of sage wakes it up in an interesting way. And I agree about the pepper.


Cats

 

[chris629]

OH yummy sage, never thought of that. Yeah! I will try that next time. Thanks!

 

[Ekim]

I always cook my sausage, then take it out and let the grease drain back into the pan. Then I add the flour and cook the roux til it's a golden brown, then the milk (cold) and then the pepper. Lots of black pepper. Then I stir it up and look out for lumps. I use a low heat (don't have a cast iron pan yet) and bring it to a boil.

I get rave reviews from friends and family, so I'm not messing with success.

 

[luvs]

i came to remind you to add sage and black pepper, but it looks like i didn't need to,