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Country ham with red-eye gravy
Pan-fried salt-cured ham with a coffee pan gravy
Salt-cured, aged country ham is a pride of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia smokehouses, and on mountain breakfast tables it is pan-fried in thin slices, then the pan is deglazed with black coffee to make red-eye gravy, thin, salty and bitter-sweet, spooned over the ham, grits or biscuits. This is pork, and very salty, so the slices are soaked first. Chef's tip: soak the ham in water or milk for 30 minutes if your country ham is very salty, then pat dry.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 country ham slices (or thick-cut gammon)about 1 cm thick
- 1 tbsp butter or lard
- ¾ cup strong black coffee
- 1 tsp soft brown sugar
- cooked grits or biscuits (optional)to serve
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Soak the 4 country ham slices (or thick-cut gammon) in cold water for 30 minutes if very salty; pat dry and snip the fat edge every few centimetres so it doesn't curl.
30 minStep 2: Heat the 1 tbsp butter or lard in a heavy frying pan over a medium heat and fry the ham for 3–4 minutes a side, until browned at the edges and piping hot all through. A common mistake is a very high heat, which makes cured ham tough.
8 minStep 3: Move the ham to a warm plate. Pour the ¾ cup strong black coffee and 1 tsp soft brown sugar into the pan and boil for 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until slightly reduced.
3 minStep 4: Spoon the thin gravy over the ham and serve with cooked grits or biscuits.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does country ham with red-eye gravy take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of soft brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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