- Prep Time: 10 min.
- Cook Time: 15 min.
- Yield: 4 servings
I could barely look at southern biscuits and gravy when I first moved to Houston, let alone eat them. Years later, I’ve made a healthier yet very tasty version without the lard—I’m sure this recipe would make Paula Dean cringe!
Contents
You can buy ready-made bulk country sausage (and skip the first step of this recipe) or purchase ground pork and add the seasonings.
Some of the store-prepared versions are rather good, particularly from healthy markets. The first time I made it, I used double the sausage, and it was far too much for our liking, but experiment to find your ideal “porkiness”!
Ingredients
- 1/4-pound ground pork
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground hot red pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sage oil or 2 teaspoons ground sage
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, season the pork with the salt, black and red pepper, thyme, coriander, sugar, ginger, and sage. Set aside.
- In a large frying pan, melt the butter and fry the onion. Sprinkle the onion with a pinch of salt to allow it to sweat and cook without browning.
- When the onion is transparent and soft, add the seasoned ground pork to the pan. Stir and break up the meat so it fries in small crumbles. Cook thoroughly, stirring frequently.
- When ground pork meat is cooked, strain and remove the meat and onion mixture to a bowl or plate, reserving the butter or pork fat in the frying pan.
- To the frying pan, add the flour, coat evenly with the fat, and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly to prevent the formation of lumps. The sauce should be creamy and off-white in color.
- Add the cooked pork meat, stir to incorporate, and simmer for 5 minutes to warm up the meat.
- Serve immediately to individual serving dishes over buttermilk biscuits, chicken-fried steak, or other suitable southern American fare. Garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
