red-eye gravy

noun

, Southern Cooking.

1. a gravy made from the pan juices of fried country ham, thickened with flour and sometimes containing coffee for color and flavor.

Word History and Origins

Origin of red-eye gravy¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Other eateries include Rolf and Daughters, whose chef was named a 2022 James Beard finalist, and classics such as Loveless Cafe, known for its biscuits, country ham and red-eye gravy, and Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, where the spicy Nashville craze started.

From Washington Post

Butter Cafe, the second cafe from Amelia Hatchard and Marcos Hernandez, focuses on breakfast, brunch and lunch; the smothered cowboy burrito has coffee-braised pork belly, poblano, caramelized onions, eggs, cheddar cheese and red-eye gravy.

From Washington Post

“Biscuits were a treat,” Taylor says, and she ate them with ham steak and red-eye gravy, traditionally made from ham drippings and coffee.

From Washington Post

One advertised a church group’s all-you-can- eat breakfast — tubs of grits and vats of red-eye gravy.

From Salon

There’s one dish that evokes Bragg’s Southern childhood above all others: red-eye gravy over diced tomato and biscuit.

From New York Times