Kenny’s Country Gravy

When you live in the South, country gravy is a must for breakfast. If you visit Kenny’s in Chattanooga, Tenn., you’ll experience Chef Kenny Burnap’s gravy; one so good, we can’t get enough. The spicy, hearty gravy is incredibly smooth and pours like a velvety sauce. Try this gravy recipe at home over some buttermilk biscuits for a delicious Southern breakfast.

Ingredients

¼ cup rough-chopped yellow onion

• 2 tablespoons fresh sage
• 4 tablespoons bacon fat
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

¼ Benton’s ham hock

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• kosher salt
• ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of bacon fat over medium-low heat. Sweat the yellow onion, ham hock,
2. sage, black pepper, and crushed red pepper until the onion is translucent.
3. Add cream and milk and steep over medium-low heat, careful not to boil. When the cream is
4. hot, turn off the heat and let it rest for 30 minutes.
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6. In a cast iron skillet large enough to hold the gravy, make a roux by melting the remaining
7. bacon fat and whisking in the flour until smooth. Ladle the milk mixture into the roux over
8. medium heat. Whisk constantly until smooth before adding more hot liquid.
9. After all the liquid has been added and thickened, strain it into a clean pan that has a lid so
10. you can keep it warm. Season generously with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Serve
11. hot!

Pro Tip

1. If the gravy is too thick, you can thin the sauce by adding a small amount of milk. For the
2. perfect consistency, the gravy should just coat the back of a spoon.

Notes

From the Lodge Cast Iron cookbook I picked up during my visit to the Lodge Museum of Cast Iron in South Pittsburg, Tennessee (June 2026). Contributed by Kenny Burnap. Recommended cookware: Classic Cast Iron.