Ingredients

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

　　3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cooking fat from the fried chicken

　　3/4 cup all-purpose flour

　　2 cups whole milk

　　1 tablespoon kosher salt

　　1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1 tablespoon soy sauce

　　

Step 1

1. After the chicken has fried for 8 minutes and is ready to turn, carefully remove the fat needed to make the gravy from the skillet. Put 3/4 cup of the fat in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir in the flour to make a roux, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the gravy, stirring occasionally to be sure that you don't have any lumps, for 15 minutes to cook out the taste of the raw flour.

　　

Step 2

2. Add the salt, pepper, and soy sauce, then whisk in the remaining tablespoon of cooking fat to make the gravy glossy. The gravy can be kept warm, covered, over the lowest heat for up to 20 minutes.

　　From Heritage, by Sean Brock, copyright © 2014. Reprinted by permission of Artisan, an imprint of Workman Publishing.Buy the full book at Amazon.