Georgia Country Ham and Redeye Gravy

As a child, I remember my grandparents having a smokehouse. In the dead of winter, when it was well below freezing, a hog would be slaughtered and no part of it wasted. The fresh hams were then covered in a dry salt mixture, wrapped, and hung up for several months to cure. To cook, they were sliced and pan fried, sometimes with a tiny bit of lard, in a hot, black iron skillet. Hot, usually breakfast, coffee was poured into the skillet to deglaze it, making red eye gravy. Redeye Gravy gets its name from the appearance of the gravy after the coffee sinks to the bottom. Serve over biscuits or grits.

• Preparation Time: 5 mins
• Cooking Time: 11 mins
• Total Time: 16 mins
• Calories: 238 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 slice salt-cured ham
• ¼ cup strong black coffee

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Melt butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add ham; cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove ham from skillet, reserving fat. Pour coffee into the pan, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil. Serve gravy over the ham.n