Southern food has its own charm and there are classics you can find in the lower states that you don’t often find up north. Like fried green tomatoes or really great BBQ, there are some foods that just scream “Southern flavor”. Likewise this classic red eye gravy is a simple treat from the region that’s unlike anything else you’ve ever had.

To begin with you’ll need to get some ham steaks. These can be harder to find these days depending on where you live, but they are so tasty: thick and savory and filled with all that ham flavor.

The next thing you need is some strong coffee. This is crucial for this gravy to turn out well. I like to make mine in a French press so I can control the flavor better.

You fry up your ham steaks and then add the coffee to the same pan. It’s as simple as that.

There’s some debate over how the name came to be. When you think red eye you might think of overnight flights and if this was your dinner you’d certainly have some help staying awake to catch your plane.

But, some people believe the name comes from the little circles of fat that float on the surface of the gravy like round eyes. Personally I like the first explanation better!

This recipe is just about as simple as you can get, but the flavors are so good together. The tangy and slightly bitter coffee makes the perfect foil to the rich, thick ham slices.

To serve pour the gravy over each ham steak. Any extra you can pour into a creamer or gravy boat so people can help themselves at the table.

This recipe is best when served with some homemade biscuits, like these classic buttermilk biscuits. Add butter on your biscuits and you’ve got a hearty meal that doesn’t take a long time to make. And, because ham steaks are already cooked/cured you only need to brown them which is a big time saver.