Red-Eye Gravy

Red-eye gravy is a popular American sauce with a thin consistency, typically consisting of fried country ham drippings combined with brewed coffee or water, although some Southerners claim that the real red-eye is made without coffee. In either case, the gravy is typically served with the ham that was used to make it in the first place. It is sometimes consumed for breakfast with biscuits, along with grits and fried eggs. The gravy got its name after the fact that the ham drippings look like small red eyes. When combined with flour and thickened, red-eye gravy becomes the base for another type of sauce called Sawmill gravy.