Chocolate gravy is an old Southern breakfast that runs deep in Arkansas and the Ozarks: a smooth cocoa gravy over big buttermilk drop biscuits, the kind Razorbacks fans know from their grandmothers' kitchens. It's a morning-kickoff dish, and at Razorback Stadium grills have to have covers, which is all this needs: biscuits in foil under the lid, gravy in a small pan.
At the lot: Warm the biscuits in foil packets on a covered grill and heat the gravy in a small saucepan in about 5 minutes. Homegating: Bake the biscuits and make the gravy on the stove for a morning kickoff.
Home gear: a baking sheet lined with parchment and a medium saucepan
45 MIN
At home
15 MIN
At the lot
12
Serves
Ingredients
Drop biscuits
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1¼ cups cold buttermilk
Chocolate gravy (about 3 cups)
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2½ cups whole milk
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Steps
At home
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the biggest pieces are the size of peas.
- Stir in the buttermilk with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. Scoop 12 mounds onto the baking sheet, about ⅓ cup each, 2 inches apart.
- Bake 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are deep golden. Cool them on a rack, then wrap them in heavy foil, 6 to a packet.
- For the gravy, whisk the sugar, cocoa, flour and salt in the dry saucepan until no lumps remain. Whisk in the milk a little at a time to keep it smooth.
- Cook over medium, whisking constantly, until it bubbles and coats a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla.
- Cool it, pour it into a jar and refrigerate. It keeps up to 3 days.
At the lot
- Heat the grill to medium. Set the biscuit packets on the cooler side and warm them 10 minutes, turning once.
- Pour the gravy into the saucepan and warm it over the hot side, whisking, until it's hot and pourable, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of milk if it's too thick.
- Split the biscuits and spoon the gravy over them.
Pack for the lot
Lot notes
- Fuel: about 15 minutes on any covered grill.
- The gravy is milk-based: the jar rides in the cooler until it's warmed. The holding rules are in how to keep food hot at a tailgate.
Can you make chocolate gravy ahead?
Yes. Make it up to 3 days ahead and keep it in a jar in the fridge. It sets up cold, so whisk it as it warms and loosen it with a little milk.
How do you keep biscuits warm at a tailgate?
Wrap them in foil packets and set them on the cool side of the grill for about 10 minutes before serving. Leave the packets closed until people are ready.
How much chocolate gravy and biscuits for 20 people?
Make 2 batches of each for 24 servings: 6 cups of flour, 3 sticks of butter and 2½ cups of buttermilk for the biscuits, and 2 cups of sugar, ⅔ cup of cocoa and 5 cups of milk for the gravy. Warm the gravy in 2 rounds or in a bigger pot.
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