I'm Looking For A Good Southern Biscuits & Gravy Recipe

[Volusianator]

OK, I'm from WI so we don't have good biscuits & gravy around here. My wife has tried a few times to make it, it's not bad, but it's also not southern. I know some of you may not feel it's the greatest, but I fell in love with Bob Evans. Anyway, if you have a good biscuits & gravy recipe, please feel free to post it here! It'd be much appreciated y'all!

[kydsid]

Many people have asked me for my Mom's recipe over the years. I don't call it one though, its all in the technique. Heck my moms recipe is sausage, flour, milk, pepper, and black strap. It really is all about just watching and adding a little here and there.

Best advice is that if from scratch the gravy is a labor of love. Stir, stir, stir and stir again. Once I add the milk and start the flower I don't leave the stove till it's done. Trial and error is how I learned from Mom.

Use good sausage, Jimmy Dean at the least. And fry it with Molases, syrup or something sugary. Gives it that little extra to me at least.

For biscuits I just use a plain baking soda roll recipe I take off the internet when I need to or grands biscuits when in a rush.

I don't know if that helps at all. I have taught it to quite a few cause no one ever leaves leftovers of this at all.

Good luck.

[awsmith4]

That sounds like good gravy :tu


I will have to check what recipes i have when I get home. We used to make big breakfasts all the time but now with the two little ones we never seem to have time.

I also like red-eye gravy over biscuits but have never tried to make it, I've only had it served to me

[Volusianator]

What is "black strap"?

[awsmith4]

What is "black strap"?

Molases

[SvilleKid]

Molases

Un-sulphered. First run. Molassas!

There's Molassas, then there's black-strap!

[Volusianator]

I need to move to the South, it's where I belong.

[The Poet]

I also like red-eye gravy over biscuits but have never tried to make it, I've only had it served to me

When you come right down to it, red-eye gravy is easier to make than most others . . . IF you have access to some country ham. You fry up a fatty slice of that, then add coffee and a little sugar to the resulting grease. Stir over low heat. That's about it.

Now, where the hell you gonna get country ham in Wisconsin, beats me. :r

[Volusianator]

Thomas, my wife makes several hams that most men would be more than happy to eat. The woman can cook, just the biscuits & gravy thing she's not gotten yet.

[The Poet]

Hey, Wade, don't misunderstand. There's ham and there's ham, and much like sex I've rarely found some I didn't like. But real Southern-style country ham, be it salt or sugar cured, and smoked to the point that you could nail it to the wall and it would still be good to eat a year from now, is a porcine of a different color. Had I access to it here in Joisey, I'd mail you a slice or three . . . it would survive the trip just fine, believe me.

Perhaps if you called out a rebel yell to brothers south of the Mason-Dixon, they could hook you up.

[OLS]

Tot tell the truth, all you need for bisuits and white gravy is to cook up your breakfast sausage , pour off 75-80%
of the grease, add about two tablespoons of flour, stir and scrape getting it hot, KEEP IT MOVING, and get it hotter,
ever hotter without smoke or burn, and then douse it with a cup of milk and stir, stir, stir, and scrape, scrape, scrape,
cooking off some liquid as you go. Remember to stop at least one level (preferably two) of thickness SHORT of where
you intend to eat it, because it WILL get thicker as it cools. Salt and pepper to taste as you reduce the liquid down,
usually heavier on the pepper than the salt.

Biscuits are best left to you, you can buy mix off the shelf, as long as you roll out the resulting dough, fold it and
roll it, fold it and roll it, fold it and roll it, then roll it out to 1/2 inch thick, cut it and bake it on a cookie sheet,
lightly sprayed with some PAM if that. Floured certainly. Also look seriously at the concept of the "Drop biscuit'
which is deadly with gravy, in fact, much better with the sausage gravy than the standard flaky biscuit..

------------

Also, to edit, you can certainly add some garlic powder to taste, some people like Allspice, as stated, some like a little
See-ro blended in there, too. Brown sugar might work. I like more savory than sweet. Once you know the actual
physical constants, you can tinker with the spices. Also for a silkier texture you can substitute about 1/4 corn starch
for some of the flour.

[Volusianator]

Thomas, I have several Redneck (and I say that with a cap R as I have the utmost respect for them and they've given me the damn yankee title) friends that could certainly hook me up.

[chippewastud79]

Paula Deen is a winner in my book, never tried these, but that woman is about as southern for cooking as you can get. Lard, butter, shortening, bacon grease, sugar and lots of love, she cooks with them all. :tu


Looks like you could easily substitute sausage and sausage grease in the gravy recipe :2

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/biscuits-with-milk-gravy-recipe/index.html

[Smokin Gator]

Tot tell the truth, all you need for bisuits and white gravy is to cook up your breakfast sausage , pour off 75-80%
of the grease, add about two tablespoons of flour, stir and scrape getting it hot, KEEP IT MOVING, and get it hotter,
ever hotter without smoke or burn, and then douse it with a cup of milk and stir, stir, stir, and scrape, scrape, scrape,
cooking off some liquid as you go. Remember to stop at least one level (preferably two) of thickness SHORT of where
you intend to eat it, because it WILL get thicker as it cools. Salt and pepper to taste as you reduce the liquid down,
usually heavier on the pepper than the salt.

Biscuits are best left to you, you can buy mix off the shelf, as long as you roll out the resulting dough, fold it and
roll it, fold it and roll it, fold it and roll it, then roll it out to 1/2 inch thick, cut it and bake it on a cookie sheet,
lightly sprayed with some PAM if that. Floured certainly. Also look seriously at the concept of the "Drop biscuit'
which is deadly with gravy, in fact, much better with the sausage gravy than the standard flaky biscuit..

------------

Also, to edit, you can certainly add some garlic powder to taste, some people like Allspice, as stated, some like a little
See-ro blended in there, too. Brown sugar might work. I like more savory than sweet. Once you know the actual
physical constants, you can tinker with the spices. Also for a silkier texture you can substitute about 1/4 corn starch
for some of the flour.

:tpd:

Brad had it dead on until he added that "Edit" part. I also like to crumble some of the cooked sausage up in the gravy.

[mariogolbee]

I use a 1lb chub of Jimmy Dean sausage, either sage or maple, depending on the mood. I fry that on low-med. heat with a splash of water while crumbling it until it is no longer pink and is in small enough pieces adding a splash of water whenever it looks like my grease is evaporating. While the sausage is cooking I add lots of fresh ground pepper, a dash of salt, a generous dash of garlic powder, and ancho chili powder for the maple variety or chipotle chili powder for the sage kind. When the sausage is cooked I add some 1/2 and 1/2 or cream, maybe a cup or two, and let it warm up on low heat while stirring. Once nice and warm, I add a few table spoons of flour and IMMEDIATELY stir it in. At this point everything is done by feel. I continue adding 1/2 and 1/2 and flour in small amounts (1/2 cup-1 cup of 1/2 and 1/2 and tablespoon-pinch of flour) until I'm satisfied with the amount of gravy. Then I re-season to taste and add milk/flour until my spatula can push the gravy to one side of the pan it barely runs freely to refill the spot. The gravy shouldn't be to thin, but not too thick, because it will thicken upon setting and cooling.

This is what my mother requested for Mother's Day and it has swooned many a woman and satisfied many a friend. To kick it up a notch add fresh cut jalepenos while cooking.

As for biscuits, I usually use the Bisquick recipe on the box with the following exceptions. I add garlic powder, and a little extra milk. I also knead the dough about twenty times until silky and no longer sticky. The rest of the recipe from Bisquick works fine for me. In a way I'd rather have the buttery, flaky biscuits, but I don't think this is so much about the biscuits as what they are being smothered with. Just be sure the biscuits are moist and soft, not hard and dry.

I slice the biscuits in half and lay them on a plate open face up and let the gravy pour. A couple of scrambled eggs on the side and a cup of Florida oj not from concentrate and I'm good to go.

[OLS]

You got me, Brent, I went too far. I will add garlic cause I love it and add it to everything.
The other stuff I made up. Note to the OP-inator...This recipe is also useful for, and for me was first
tasted as, a FRIED CHICKEN recipe. When we were kids my mother made it one time, fried up a chicken,
poured off the grease and made what she called milk gravy. That and mashed potatoes was freaking AWESOME.
So we always asked for 'milk gravy', but she rarely ever made it. My old man liked creamed beef on toast
about 5-6 times a year, having loved it in the military. (he grew up poor):sh

But back to my point...
1.) Biscuits and gravy
2.) Fried Chicken and gravy
3.) Creamed beef on (whatever) I like hash browns, toast gets soggy and makes me gag.
3.) Fried fish and gravy

All the same technique...It's the gratin' on the bottom of the frying pan that makes the
recipe. The debris from whatever you fried makes the meat base, although like Brent
said, RICH people crumble more meat into the gravy after it's cooked for the most part.
We were too poor to use MORE meat in the gravy, lol.

[kydsid]

:tpd:

Brad had it dead on until he added that "Edit" part. I also like to crumble some of the cooked sausage up in the gravy.

He had me until he said "pour off 75% of the grease". I question his southern roots with that statement. :sl:r



I will agree their is a difference though between Biscuits and Gravy VS Sausage Gravy with Bisuits AND agree that its all about scraping that pan over and over after frying your sausage.

With as cheap as Jimmy Dean can get, less than a dollar for the regular tube if you are using coupons and watching deals I say make the latter.

Oh if we talking being poor. Poor is using the coffee can bacon grease from the stove to make the gravy. ;)

[CigarNut]

...Oh if we talking being poor. Poor is using the coffee can bacon grease from the stove to make the gravy. ;)
Bacon grease makes great gravy! (still need to add the sausage bits if you want perfection :))

[Christiel49]

Well, I am just a southern girl so what do I know!!!!:noon

THE KEY to good pan gravy, any kind, is the PAN!!! You have to use a VERY seasoned cast iron pan.

The rest just happens naturally if you know how to cook southern :r:r

[Subvet642]

Maybe I'm lazy, (OK, I'm definitely lazy) but I love KFC's biscuits and I love their gravy. I know it's not the same thing, but this thread got me thinkin' about it. Damn, too bad they don't deliver...

[T.G]

Maybe I'm lazy, (OK, I'm definitely lazy) but I love KFC's biscuits and I love their gravy. I know it's not the same thing, but this thread got me thinkin' about it. Damn, too bad they don't deliver...

I'm from California, and even I want to slap you for that Darren. :D

Did you like the plastic cow too?

[awsmith4]

I'm from California, and even I want to slap you for that Darren. :D

Did you like the plastic cow too?

The sporks kick ass though


Emailed my Mom to get you a biscuit recipe, just waiting on a reply

[Subvet642]

I'm from California, and even I want to slap you for that Darren. :D

Don't you like the Colonel? Yeah, and tell me that you don't dip the biscuits in the gravy. How about an extra crispy, chicken skin sandwich on a biscuit with mashies and gravy? Yeah baby! :dr:=:


No plastic cow for me, soda or bug juice.

[OLS]

OMG, I can't believe I left out BACON!!

As to the funny comment about pouring off so much grease (75%), after frying up a
pound of sausage, 25% of the grease is PLENTY to make gravy with, lol. Trust me.
It won't hurt your health or your status as a southerner. In fact I meant to footnote
ALL my replies with a disclaimer..."Warning...ALL of these recipes have officially been
deemed not just bad for you, but hazardous to your health." Especially red-eye, lol.
but if your gravy doesn't look delicious enough, it stands to reason that, WHO EVEN NEEDS
sausage on the plate?? Just crumble ALL of it back into the gravy and serve over biscuits.
:r

[T.G]

The sporks kick ass though


I http://www.dyframix.com/images/graphics/smiley_heart.gif sporks. Greatest invention ever. Ranks right up there with penicillin, atomic power, the iPhone and the wacky-wall-walker.

Don't you like the Colonel? Yeah, and tell me that you don't dip the biscuits in the gravy. How about an extra crispy, chicken skin sandwich on a biscuit with mashies and gravy? Yeah baby! :dr:=:


No plastic cow for me, soda or bug juice.

No, not really a big fan of Khemical Fried Chicken and I'd rather eat a pile of their napkins than their gravy. Actually, I think they might in fact be the same product, just pureed with some salt.



Bug juice was the bomb, especially when they got the ratios wrong. TWANG!

[Subvet642]

I http://www.dyframix.com/images/graphics/smiley_heart.gif sporks. Greatest invention ever. Ranks right up there with penicillin, atomic power, the iPhone and the wacky-wall-walker.



No, not really a big fan of Khemical Fried Chicken and I'd rather eat a pile of their napkins than their gravy. Actually, I think they might in fact be the same product, just pureed with some salt.



Bug juice was the bomb, especially when they got the ratios wrong. TWANG!



Mmmm, pureed napkins...

http://blog.usaseopros.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/homer-simpson-drooling.jpg


Bug juice. Our nukes used to use it to clean the Engine Room bilges. It makes your poop green.

[pektel]

It makes your poop green

So does too many green olives. But now we've gone way off topic.

[Subvet642]

So does too many green olives. But now we've gone way off topic.

That's a lot of damned Martinis!

[pektel]

You ain't kiddin... :chr

[T.G]

Bug juice. Our nukes used to use it to clean the Engine Room bilges.

Hell, we used to use cadets for that.

[Subvet642]

Hell, we used to use cadets for that.

Damn, we never had Middies. The Torpedo Room bilge was my job, a lot of stuff was my job.

[T.G]

Damn, we never had Middies. The Torpedo Room bilge was my job, a lot of stuff was my job.

It's not just a job, it's an adventure.


Remind me to someday find the guy who came up with that slogan and strap him down to the prop shaft for maneuvers.

[Subvet642]

It's not just a job, it's $415.00 a month.


Remind me to someday find the guy who came up with that slogan and strap him down to the prop shaft for maneuvers.

Fixed it for ya.

I'll help with the other thing. :tu

[Volusianator]

Yeah, and tell me that you don't dip the biscuits in the gravy.

Hell yeah, I usually order a small side gravy just to dip my chicken and biscuits in!

[Volusianator]

Maybe I'm lazy, (OK, I'm definitely lazy) but I love KFC's biscuits and I love their gravy. I know it's not the same thing, but this thread got me thinkin' about it. Damn, too bad they don't deliver...

:banger:banger:banger

[T.G]

Fixed it for ya.

I'll help with the other thing. :tu

:r:r:r

[Subvet642]

:r:r:r



See? Wade digs KFC too, I knew I wasn't the only one! Ha! :r

[Subvet642]

Hell yeah, I usually order a small side gravy just to dip my chicken and biscuits in!

Me too! Hell, I even use the gravy for Thanksgiving. My mother-in-law thinks I'm a genius (I, of course, know better).

[T.G]

See? Wade digs KFC too, I knew I wasn't the only one! Ha! :r

Yeah, but he's from Wisconsin. :r;s

[Volusianator]

Yeah, but he's from Wisconsin. :r;s

Easy now, we are the home of Super Bowl XLV Champion Green Bay Packers! :banger :=:

[T.G]

Easy now, we are the home of Super Bowl XLV Champion Green Bay Packers! :banger :=:

Huh... I didn't realize that bowling was that big a sport.

[Volusianator]

Huh... I didn't realize that bowling was that big a sport.

LOL, actually in WI, it's almost religion, and yes, I'm speaking of bowling.

[shilala]

My old lady bangs out the best sausage gravy I've ever jammed in my face. I don't much care about the biscuits, but the whole deal needs four runny side up eggs slopped on top.
That mess right there stands as one of my top three favorite meals.

I think the only thing she does special is that she uses Jimmy Dean loose sage sausage. Maybe not, I don't know. All I know is that it's sheer heaven.

[Volusianator]

Scott, on our next trade, you'll have to send me a batch!

[T.G]

My old lady bangs out the best sausage gravy I've ever jammed in my face.

TMI. :xxx but still, TMI.

[Volusianator]

TMI. :xxx but still, TMI.

:=::=:

[OLS]

I don't eat breakfast sausage, I just plain don't like the standard blend of spices used to come up with the
general genre. BUT, when I was at Camelia Grill in NO two mornings running, they had some sausage links
that were PHEnomenal. I asked the waiter to ask the chef, and he said it was just a SYSCO deal he thought.
They were an inch thick rather than the standard Bkf Sausage...man were they terriffic. I need to find out
how true that BS was........sysco dot com....lessee.

[kydsid]

I don't eat breakfast sausage, I just plain don't like the standard blend of spices used to come up with the
general genre. BUT, when I was at Camelia Grill in NO two mornings running, they had some sausage links
that were PHEnomenal. I asked the waiter to ask the chef, and he said it was just a SYSCO deal he thought.
They were an inch thick rather than the standard Bkf Sausage...man were they terriffic. I need to find out
how true that BS was........sysco dot com....lessee.



Would it help if I said I know a regional sales manager for Sysco? I'll ask him if it sounds familiar. :tu

[forgop]

This is my favorite:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bills-Sausage-Gravy/Detail.aspx

[pektel]

TMI. :xxx but still, TMI.

lmao. I resisted commenting on it. Glad someone else did. :r

[pektel]

but the whole deal needs four runny side up eggs slopped on top.

.

I like my biscuits n gravy with poached eggs.

[dadof3illinois]

I don't eat breakfast sausage, I just plain don't like the standard blend of spices used to come up with the
general genre. BUT, when I was at Camelia Grill in NO two mornings running, they had some sausage links
that were PHEnomenal. I asked the waiter to ask the chef, and he said it was just a SYSCO deal he thought.
They were an inch thick rather than the standard Bkf Sausage...man were they terriffic. I need to find out
how true that BS was........sysco dot com....lessee.


You should be able to find a local butcher that can fix you some sausage any way you want it? We get whole hog sausage made every winter. We have half a hog processed with normal cuts then the entire other half made into breakfast sausage and all the bacon is fresh side uncured.....man I'm hungry now!!! :dr

[CoreyD]

Well, I am just a southern girl so what do I know!!!!:noon

THE KEY to good pan gravy, any kind, is the PAN!!! You have to use a VERY seasoned cast iron pan.

The rest just happens naturally if you know how to cook southern :r:r

Wade I'll go to Christies and watch how she cooks it and take notes and then come back and show you and your wife how she done it.

[shilala]

Scott, on our next trade, you'll have to send me a batch!
It'll have to be when the frozen tundra returns. When's that, like sometime in August up there?

Rewrite on the sausage the boss uses. It's Bob Evans Sage loose sausage.

[Volusianator]

It'll have to be when the frozen tundra returns. When's that, like sometime in August up there?


No, week after next.

[Subvet642]

TMI. :xxx but still, TMI.

TMI? :confused:

[Starz26]

Thomas, my wife makes several hams that most men would be more than happy to eat. The woman can cook, just the biscuits & gravy thing she's not gotten yet.

When I am making gravy, I get a cup / glass, what ever, of milk and mix flour with it until is is the consistency of paste. Then when the sausage is done, I fill the pan with milk, when that is heated up I slowly pour in the Milk/flour misture from the cup into the pan with the milk/sausage.


Buy doing it this way I do not get any clumps at all.

I still have not been able to get the hang of mixing the flour with the grease then adding the milk, etc. Always end up with clumps and it seems I never have enough greese.

[OLS]

The trick to adding flour to grease is to add less than you think would make it thick and lumpy and stir and chop with the
edge of the spatula until it is smooth and thickly runny. That probably is worse, but if you stir like a madman, you can
get it there no problem. In fact, I would say that it's a ratio of 1:1....for every teaspoon of grease you think
is in the pan, add a teaspoon of flour. But based on what you say goes wrong everytime, I'd say add half of
the flour you think it needs and stir it down and add a little more til it get's "thickly runny". That presents a bit
of a heat problem, I SPEED-cook a roux in about 40 seconds. My mom takes 30 minutes. I go fast because
I know about how much flour I want to use by eye. In order to get your proportions right and still have time to
add the right amount before it overheats, you need to heat slowly. Once it gets the consistency of syrup,
FIRE IT UP...Only use the milk to STOP the process dead when it's the right color and temp, which is brown
and HOT, lol. Then just slowly cook the milk out, or the liquid, so to speak.

[SvilleKid]

Right proportion of flour to grease? I do this by eye. I almost always have to pour off at least half the grease (unless you want a really big pot of gravy!!). If the flour is NOT all absorbed, then, too much flour (this can easily be corrected by adding back some of the grease you pour off at the front-end - if you saved it!). If too runny, add more flour. Do this step over medium heat only!! Do not use Brad's "speed-cook" method unless you are an expert at gravy making! Brad is right in that this is only for the experts. And, if you can successfully pull this method off, you don't need this thread!

The gravy will NOT be lumpy if you cook the flour/grease to a non-lumpy stage and follow the rest of the method instructions! The benefit of medium heat is that you can easily adjust your flour/grease ratio while cooking/stirring, and NOT risk burning your flour. Cooking the flour for at least 5 minutes ALSO results in cooking the flour taste out of the mixture. Otherwise, you taste the flour, and not the sausage. That's another reason that roux's is done over an extended period. It cooks OUT the flour taste.

Once you have your flour and grease cooked and smooth, the next step is critical to avoid lumps. You have to have a contrast in temperatures. Hot roux, cold milk and/or water. You have to have this contrast. Turn the heat up to near high, keep the liquid in the fridge until time to use. Pour in enough liquid on the first pour to give yourself plenty, and time to mix it in, and be ready to add more liquid before the mixture in the pan turns to jello! The reason that cast iron pans work so well for gravy, is because they retain heat well, and you do not have to spend great time in bringing the pan back up to heat. The down side is that the gravy will "lock-up" quickly if you do not add enough milk at the start. I start with milk, with water as a second pour, then finish with milk. Remember that the gravy will NOT reach full consistency until it reaches a boil. So, you have the ability to play with the gravy a bit. If it looks too thin initially, just keep stirring, and give it time. I most often end up adding more liquid after the initial boil, so don't fret if it seems to thin initially!

Add the crumbled sausage to the gravy, and let it simmer on low heat for a few minutes will also enhance the sausage taste of the gravy. And, you can always stir in a little more liquid if it starts to thicken more than you desire.

Enjoy the cholesterol!! I know I do!!

[CigarNut]

Anyone have a good sausage gravy made without milk or cream?

[OLS]

Do not use Brad's "speed-cook" method unless you are an expert at gravy making! Brad is right in that this is only for the experts. And, if you can successfully pull this method off, you don't need this thread!
A more true statement has never been made. Everything the Kid said in his post is excellent.
Pay particular attention to the flour taste and why a lengthy cook is best. And the boiling part, too.
GREAT REPLY!
You are making sausage gravy, not thickened milk. You want the essence of the fat and spices to carry into
your gravy, and it it tastes like flour, you have failed, lol. This is why 95% of restaurants fail. Very few hire
actual chefs, they hire cooks. Cooks get it done, they don't create flavor experiences. That's what mama knew.;)
-------------
OOH, something mama also knows.....NEVER waste anything in burnt roux. Not shrimp, not milk. If you ever burn
a roux, you have to thoroughly clean your pan and start over. And if you did not save your grease, haha, you can't
even do that. Not burning it is especially important on a milk gravy. In a gumbo, you just have oil and flour in a pan.
In a milk gravy, hopefully you have many, many chunks of sausage, bacon, carmelized protiens, etc. They are the
nuggets of joy in your gravy. If you burn that roux, you lose ALL the gratin'. Starting from scratch in that instance
is costly.

[OLS]

Sorry, the boss came by, lol. Like I said, in a gumbo, you start your roux with oil and flour. If you burn it,
you have to start over, BUT you started with an empty pot, no big loss. If you burn your pan of sausage
leftovers, you LOSE ALL OF IT. All the little chunks of salty, greasy goodness. So work slowly on milk gravy.
In a gumbo, if you burn a roux, you haven't yet added anything of value (if you're smart), no shrimp,
no crabmeat, no onions. You can't SAVE a burnt roux. You can't cover it up with seafood, lol.
So keep that in mind, lol.

[SvilleKid]

One day, Brad and I will meet up, and there will be goodness in the form of milk gravy and gumbo roux flying all over the place!!!! Good point about NOT wasting any efforts or ingredients on a burned roux!! I forgot about that one, mainly because it's been too long since I made gumbo! hmmmmmm...... That gives me an idea :)

[SvilleKid]

Anyone have a good sausage gravy made without milk or cream?

Lactose intolerant? If so, I would guess that soy milk might work, though I've never tried it. The fat in the roux should be enough without the fat in the moo juice, I'd think? Just make sure it's not some flavored substitute that will get in the way of the sausage taste.

When I make gravy for my country fried steak-CFS (venison, actually), I use about equal portions of water and milk, so water would also work, though it will be a much less creamy, and a much darker gravy. I think I'd try alternative milk types before I'd go all water. The main reason I use half water in the CFS is because I let the steak simmer in the gravy for 30 minutes or so, and part water gravy doesn't tend to stick as bad as all milk gravy on a longer simmer. On a non-simmer application like sausage gravy, all or half water isn't necessary or desirable (for my tastes).

If not lactose intolerant, is it a problem with access to milk, like on a hike or camping? If so, consider powdered milk. I've successfully made good sausage gravy while camping using powdered milk many times.