A Red-Eye Gravy Even Paula Deen Can't Beat

Red-eye gravy is a ham gravy common in Southern American cooking. At the most basic level, strong black coffee is used to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of a pan after a fatty piece of ham has been cooked in it. The resulting sauce is then served alongside the ham as gravy.

Though the red-eye gravy can be cooked until it reduces and thickens slightly, our ham gravy recipe uses a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour (added to the rendered ham fat to create a roux) to thicken the sauce. It also adds a beef bouillon cube for even more depth of flavor. If you don't have a bouillon cube on hand, or want to make a more traditional red-eye gravy, simply leave it out.

If you want to try this Southern American staple, click here for our delicious red-eye gravy recipe.

Kristie Collado is The Daily Meal's Cook Editor. Follow her on Twitter @KColladoCook.