Biscuits and Chocolate Gravy

As I travel the country, I’m constantly searching for regional recipes. I also love to bring recipes from my home area with me to introduce to other places that may never have heard of the dishes, much less tried them.

Regional recipes like these are perfect for sharing at hunt camps around the country.

Biscuits and chocolate gravy make one of my favorite breakfast treats to serve to folks at hunting camps near and far. No one knows the exact origins of the dish, but the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America theorizes that chocolate gravy may have been created through a trading network between the Tennessee Valley and Spanish Louisiana, bringing "Mexican-style breakfast chocolate to the Appalachians.”

Chocolate gravy is an old recipe that might trace its roots back to old Mexico.

Wherever it came from, it took hold in both the Appalachian and Ozark mountains, but remains to this day a virtual unknown throughout the rest of the country. What is chocolate gravy? Its a blend of sugar, cocoa powder, and flour, along with a fat like butter, lard or bacon grease, that gets thinned with milk to create a gravy-like sauce. Think of it as a simpler version of a Mexican mole sauce. While chocolate gravy does contain sugar, it isn’t overly sweet, but has more of a rich roasted cocoa flavor.

Not overly sweet, this chocolate gravy recipe is perfect for camp breakfast.

Like the recipe says, I normally serve it over hot buttermilk biscuits, but it works pretty well on toast, or even pancakes or waffles.

While biscuits are the most common recipient of the gravy, you can also spoon it over pancakes, waffles or toast.

The fat you use is up to you, I’ve done all three and they all turn out well, but with a slightly different flavor. Try each and pick your favorite. The most traditional is butter.

You can use butter, lard, or bacon grease as the base to the gravy.

While it isn’t traditional, I’ve found that adding 1 tablespoon of espresso powder to the mix gives the gravy an even richer flavor. If you prefer the classic route, just leave it out. Feeding a crowd? The recipe easily doubles or triples. You can store extra gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Just gently reheat it in a pan on the stove top when you are ready to eat.

A spoonful of espresso powder, while not traditional, adds a nice flavor note to the gravy.

Mix the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, salt and espresso powder in a bowl. Set aside.

Mix the dry ingredients.

In a large skillet over medium heat, bring the milk and butter to a simmer or light boil.

Mix the dry ingredients into the simmering butte and milk mixture..

Add the dry ingredients. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and reaches a smooth, gravy like texture.

Stir until the gravy thickens and gets smooth.

Serve the gravy while hot, spooned over fresh-from-the-oven biscuits or anything else you’d like to try.