If using ham, its best not to cut the fat from the meat until after it is fried. The juices left in the skillet should be heated until they smoke before adding a little water along with the black coffee. Bring the liquid to a boil before removing and for that real southern flair, try your red eye gravy with some grits.

Remember that red eye gravy can be made using a variety of different recipes. Some call for brown or white sugar. Some recipes suggest using vegetable oil to help prevent the ham from sticking. Some recipes require that you bring the red eye gravy to a boil, while others advise against this. For the caffeine conscious, you may even use decaffeinated coffee to make your red eye gravy. A recipe that calls for salt pork or pork belly fat such as bacon that has not been smoked, you may need to be blanch by adding cold water, boiling, simmering for a few minutes and draining to ease up on the gravy's saltiness. The term red eye initially referred to watered down whiskey served back in pioneer day saloons. Perhaps that is why we still see the occasional recipe that calls for whiskey instead of coffee as the key ingredient. With coffee being the preferred flavoring some have speculated the term red eye is most likely making reference to one's condition on the morning after. In any respect, the old-fashioned, classic form of red eye gravy is still America's favorite with ham or grits.

For a more convenient way of having red eye gravy with your next meal, you can purchase our red eye gravy mix conveniently online. The easy, no-mess way to make the Southerner's favorite gravy.