Scratch-made comfort food that is made with love and care is a hard thing to pass up. This week we bring you Biscuits & Gravy, featuring all scratch-made breakfast sausage, ground from spare rib tips and pork butt, buttermilk biscuits cooked on the grill and creamy sausage gravy. Is your mouth watering yet?
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE
- Ground-at-home sausage: Spare rib tips and Boston butt fat cap, ground twice from very cold meat, make a rich sausage you can season to taste.
- Frozen, grated butter biscuits: Tossing grated frozen butter into self-rising flour leaves cold pieces that melt in the oven into tender, flaky layers.
- Fold-and-press layers: Cutting the dough into quarters, stacking them, and pressing out builds layers without much handling.
- Same-skillet gravy: Making the roux in the skillet where the sausage browned picks up the browned bits and fat for a deeper gravy.
Biscuits & Gravy
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 2 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
3
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Calories
2714
Start your morning with a hearty, delicious Biscuits & Gravy breakfast. This all-scratch-made recipe boasts succulent spare rib tip and pork butt sausage, while the buttermilk biscuits are cooked on an open grill to perfection. Then top it off with a creamy sausage gravy and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb ground pork (we used 80% spare rib tips and 20% fat cap from the Boston butt)
- 2 tbsp fresh sage, minced
- 2 tbsp black pepper, coarse fresh ground
-
2 tbsp Noble Saltworks Whiskey Barrel Smoked Finishing Salt
-
4 tsp Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 cups self rising flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)
-
Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-Tip Seasoning
- 1 1/4 lb sausage
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 4 cups whole milk
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust
For the Breakfast Sausage:
For the Buttermilk Biscuits:
For the Gravy:
Directions
To make the Breakfast Sausage, set up the Ankarsrum Mixer with the Meat Grinder Attachment and grind the pork using a medium sized die while the meat is very cold. Add all of the seasonings to the pork and quickly mix. Grind the ground pork mixture again. Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the mixture on medium until the sausage holds together well and becomes tacky to the touch. Transfer the sausage to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Grill to 425ºF set up for indirect grilling.
- To make the Buttermilk Biscuits, combine the flour and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and whisk well.
- Grate the frozen butter with a box grater, using the larger sized grate.
- Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Quickly toss the butter in the dry ingredients to coat and distribute evenly. Using a fork, form a well in the center of the mixture. Pour the buttermilk into the well. Mix the butter milk into the flour and butter with a fork until the dough starts to clump together. Dump the mixture out onto a floured work surface. Knead and press into a square. Cut the square into quarters. Stack the quarters. Press down and roll out into a rectangle. Cut the biscuits into 6 equal sized squares. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 450 until cooked through and browning around the edges, about 25 minutes.
To make the gravy, brown the sausage in a Lodge 12” Cast Iron Skillet. Remove the sausage from the skillet and set aside. Add the butter to the skillet and let melt. Add the flour and stir constantly until the flour puts off a nutty aroma and has just slightly darkened in color. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly until all 4 cups are incorporated. Add a shake of Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust (a little at first, then taste and adjust). Add the browned sausage back to the skillet. Let the gravy simmer until it reaches your desire consistency.
- Serve the Biscuits topped with the Sausage Gravy.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why grind the pork while it's very cold?
Cold meat and fat grind into distinct pieces. Warm fat smears, which makes the sausage greasy and pasty instead of crumbly.
Why grind the seasoned pork a second time?
A second pass mixes the seasoning evenly through the meat and gives the sausage a finer, more uniform texture.
Why beat the sausage until it's tacky?
Mixing until the meat turns sticky develops its proteins, so the sausage holds together and browns into firm crumbles instead of a loose scatter.
Why grate frozen butter into the flour?
Grating frozen butter gives you small, cold pieces that spread through the dough quickly without melting from your hands. In the oven they release steam, which makes the biscuits tall and flaky.
Why stack and press the dough before cutting?
Cutting the dough into quarters, stacking them, and pressing them down builds layers. It does this with minimal kneading, which keeps the biscuits tender.
Why brush the biscuits with melted butter?
The butter browns the tops and adds a little richness. The Tri-Tip seasoning on top adds a savory edge.
Why cook the flour in butter until it smells nutty?
That step cooks out the raw flour taste and darkens the roux slightly, which adds flavor to the gravy. Add the milk slowly while whisking so the sauce stays smooth.
What internal temperature should the sausage reach?
Ground pork needs to reach 160°F. Cook the crumbles in the skillet until they're browned and hot throughout, before building the gravy.
How long does homemade breakfast sausage keep?
Raw ground sausage keeps in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Freeze any extra in portions for up to 2-3 months.
What if the gravy gets too thick?
Gravy tightens as it sits. Whisk in a splash of milk over low heat to loosen it back to the consistency you want.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
5 out of 5. A regular oven bakes the biscuits the same way, and the sausage and gravy cook on the stovetop in the same skillet.
Recipe Highlights
Homemade breakfast sausage: Seasoned and ground to your taste.
Frozen-butter biscuits: Bake up tall and flaky.
Fold-and-press layers: Build flakiness with little handling.
Single-skillet gravy: Uses the sausage drippings for flavor.
Recommended Recipes
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 40.58 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 2714
- Carbs
- 164 grams
- Protein
- 168 grams
- Fat
- 147 grams
- Sodium
- 7440 milligrams
