Take it from a South Carolina girl. Cracker Barrel sausage gravy is NOT real Southern sausage gravy. It's too thick and gummy, for lack of a better way to put it. And, I've heard that they put liquid smoke in it. Yuck! Until you've had the real homemade stuff, you really didn't get a proper taste. And biscuits here aren't really the same thing as scones. They don't contain sugar, (I usually add a pinch if I'm making them for strawberry shortcake) and they're very buttery and flaky. The scones I've had, even when visiting the UK, tend to be more dense and a bit dryer. I'm not saying anything bad about them. I enjoyed them a great deal with jam and clotted cream. But the two are very different. I suppose Cracker Barrel gave you a rough idea of what the dish is, but it just can't compare to homemade. Great video! 😊
@@bobbiejojackson9448 Firstly....Thanks for watching. I need to head to the south and have some proper Biscuits and Gravy. I didn't realise it was a predominately southern dish and chain restaurants are never going to be the same as proper home cooked or a mom and pop restaurant.
@@MarcRalph If you do head down South, just find you a medium sized town and ask the locals where to get the best biscuits and gravy. They'll steer ya in the right direction. And here's the key... Don't ever feel awkward about asking "strangers" in a Southern town. As my grandpa used to say, "Ain't no sech thang". HaHa Maybe you've heard of Southern hospitality? Well, it's not a myth. Southern folk are the most helpful, polite (chatty) people you'll ever meet! Hell, they might even join ya for breakfast! Or invite ya over t'house and cook it up for ya! 😂
For the 734th time... an American biscuit really isn't very much like a scone, except in shape. Totally different texture, consistency, weight, and purpose.
You have to remember they aren't used to our biscuits or anything with much flavor that didn't come from India. 😅 They did go all around the world in search of spices only to never use them in their cooking😅 their idea of breakfast is beans on toast. But hey they are trying something new and it will have a positive effect of them. Shame they tried this a cracker barrel instead of a real southern restaurant. Cracker barrel is ok but it isn't the most flavorful biscuits and gravy in the world. 😅
@@chadcrigger3101our idea of breakfast is real bacon, sausage, black pudding, haggis, potato scone, fruit pudding, mushrooms, tomato, fried bread, fried egg, fried potatoes and beans with toast and tea.
I'm American, and I've had friends visit from England and Ireland. When I made biscuits and gravy, they both said they didn't want any. After they smelled it, they decided to give it a try. They both went back for seconds. The Irishman said it was one of the best things he ate here.
@@MarcRalph I've never eaten at Cracker Barrel, so I can't say. To make it for the family, I normally used a 16 ounce package of breakfast sausage. After the sausage was all brown, I added a few spoonfuls of flour to absorb the melted fat and let that cook for a minute or two. I stirred in about two cups of milk and let it thicken. A little salt and pepper, and you're done! You can put that over scones since you don't have biscuits there. This makes a meaty, delicious gravy.
I do like Cracker Barrel in general. However, home made biscuits and gravy (not everyone can make it) are on a complete different level. If you have a mother/grandmother that can make it home made, it’ll ruin you for store bought. You will become a total B/G snob haha
@@timmills5598 Similarly I ruined Swedish meatballs from IKEA when I started making them from scratch at home. Actually the Swedish meatball gravy is a little similar to the gravy for biscuits and gravy, similar technique with just a couple different or added ingredients.
Hilarious! A chain restaurant might be good for an introduction, but, please, go to a small town family owned diner to try any one of a hundred versions of 'the real deal'. Any place with grandma cooking the desserts will have a better bisquits and gravy than a chain restaurant.
Well, this was, in fact, "just an introduction," so seems as good a place as any. Home cooked will always be better, of course. That's not in dispute. ;)
Similar to some other comments, a small family owned restaurant will be best for quality biscuits and gravy. Ask around about that in particular and folks will lead you to the right place nearby. Some places will have really good biscuits, or really good gravy. But both together will be a gem of a restaurant.
From a southerner, born and raised, from the DEEP DEEP SOUTH. Please tell all your European friends to not try biscuits and gravy at Cracker Barrel for their first time tasting. Cracker Barrel is amazing for the price once you find your go to’s, but their gravy is VERY middle of the road. Personally I don’t like it at all. Best is obviously homemade but you have to get the right recipe from a southern grandma. The packet powder country gravy and mix in your own sausage is even better than Cracker Barrel to me. Just my opinion but I know I’m not alone. Just don’t fancy their gravy, which is a shame that they don’t do it right. Edit: Waffle House is way closer to the taste of gravy you want for biscuits N Gravy.
And the sausage gravy itself is actually pretty easy to make. Brown up ground/minced sausage meat in a pan with some salt & pepper, maybe some other herbs/spices to taste (everyone's recipes/tastes are different), add in some flour, and mix until incorporated into the meat / drippings. Then add cream/milk a little bit at a time, and let it thicken up with the flour, until you've made your desired amount / consistency. Generally should be relatively thick but not too lumpy. Some prefer it slightly runnier, in which case slightly more milk/cream. But, generally, I tend toward the thicker side so it sits more in top of the biscuit rather than soaking in. Anyway, add a bit more salt / pepper to taste as needed. Split a biscuit and serve open-faced with plenty of gravy over the biscuits. Yum! Anyway, nothing too terribly difficult. Just browning meat, adding flour, adding milk/cream and stirring until thickened, and spicing to taste (salt & black pepper, mostly).
Glad you enjoyed it but next time, try the ACTUAL biscuits and gravy :). The gravy on the chicken fried steak is not the same as the sausage gravy used for biscuits and gravy.
Sure it is, at least at pretty much every diner I've been to. At some point it's all basically just "white gravy". Sure, with biscuits it tends to be "sausage gravy" with a bit of extra ground sausage meat thrown in. But otherwise, the gravy itself is basically the same "white gravy." Goes well on C.F.S., biscuit, mashed potatoes, etc. :) Looked perfectly fine to me... ^_^ But folks are particular about "their way" of doing things. So, one person's mom's recipe might not exactly match someone else's grandma's recipe, etc. But, looked to me like what CFS & biscuits & gravy should look like. And I've had plenty of both...
To be fair, we also eat biscuits with jam. Sometimes we use butter or honey as well and they are commonly used for sandwiches particularly with chicken, ham, or sausage.
Many people eat biscuits with an assortment of foods/dishes. We always have the option of biscuits, rolls and other types of breads with all holiday meals. We use biscuits in a variety of ways. Along with your list, people often eat them with soups, stews, casseroles or as a side with meat and potato meals, ie: meatloaf, steak, roast chicken, ham, you name it and most meals are enhanced with a biscuit or two. I even make mini pizzas, hot pockets, fruit pies, sausage rolls, pot pies, flavored bread sticks, breakfast sandwiches, mini burgers, money bread, quick cinnamon rolls or balls and every flavor biscuit imaginable. Many things I can make ahead and freeze. Biscuits unlike scones are extremely versatile. They are only limited by your imagination.
my old boss used to take us out to eat to cafes with huge portions for breakfast on winter morns from time to time. It is hard to get up on ladders and roofs after chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy, eggs, and hash browns. Your body just wants a warm fire and a couch at that point.
Generally when I've seen country fried steak with biscuits and gravy the portions are twice what you had there. Difference between local place and chain.
Most of the time we would have sausage gravy with our biscuits. That was plain gravy and not homemade. It is ok with steak or fried chicken but not usually eaten plain with biscuits.
If its a cracker barrel... They still use fat from their sausages and the breakfast sausage seasonings when making their gravy... So it does taste way better than it looks. But you are right.. Without the sausage in it; it just isnt the same. Its actually kind of sad they do it that way. And they also dont put enough in the biscuits.
Your first mistake was going to Cracker Barrel. I used to live in London so when I moved back to the US, I had a lot of English friends come visit me. I always took them to one of my favorite brunch places and had them try biscuits & gravy mainly because I knew how weird it would be for them. Every single one of them said that they had enjoyed it very much with even some of them saying it is one of the best things they have ever eaten.
Hi, Marc Ralph: Originally in the 18th century a biscuit was called a twice baked cracker in England and a biscuit in the colonies. Traditionally, about a hundred and fifty-five years ago, biscuits and gravy were made with a brown gravy called a farmers' gravy. In southern Appalachia in the late 1800's is when biscuits and sawmill gravy was invented. Sawmill gravy, i.e. sausage peppered gravy was a cheap calorie dense food that kept the lumber jacks going throughout the day. Your scones are a lot lighter, smaller and thinner than traditional american buttermilk biscuits, which are larger, and thicker and which are what is used in our biscuits and gravy. Our biscuits and gravy are a savory dish and never served with jam, nor clotted cream. Biscuits and Sauage gravy are normally served as a main breakfast dish, not as a side bread and they take up the entire plate. Often the biscuits served with Sauage gravy are so big that they can be served as a half order or whole order and the sausage gravy covers the plate. The gravy that is covering your food is more of a cream gravy and not a Sauage peppered gravy. Cracker Barrel, including Bob Evans offers a choice of smaller biscuits with a breakfast meal. If you ever decide to order biscuits and sausage gravy, you won't want to order any other breakfast items, because even a half order is a lot of food.
Don't get me wrong cracker barrel is good. But, homemade sausage gravy is better by a mile. It's super easy to make. Brown sausage in a pan. Add flour to sausage and grease. Stir until lumps from flour are gone. Add milk to pan. Low heat until it's the consistency you like. Mine is middle of the road. Not thick, not runny. Just a perfect balance of both. Add a ton of pepper and some salt to taste. Takes less than 10 minutes.
@@br4524 looking back I forgot one of my families favorite ingredients. After the sausage is brown and before the flour add maple syrup. Enhances the sweet with savory.
I heard you say something about the BIG PORTIONS. You have to remember, most of us work hard every day and it does not take long to work off that big meal before it’s time for the next one. Now not everyone had a hard working job. Many sit behind a desk. But many work outside all day from morning till after dark. We get hungry. I love my biscuits and gravy.
Biscuits and scone are similar, yet very different. Biscuits have a hard flaky crust and are soft in the middle. Biscuits are also light...Scones from what I understand are dense, and most contain egg where biscuits do not.
scones: egg & sugar [slightly denser/heavier/sweeter] biscuits: no egg nor sugar, just flour, butter and baking soda/salt/milk, etc. [slightly lighter fluffier, more buttery/savory]
@@MarcRalph It might not apply to all of them, but I've found that people that don't really know how to cook or have someone that regularly cook good homemade food for them, will love a place like Cracker Barrel. It's nowhere near as good as homemade, but close enough if it's your only option, other than things like fast-food. You can find little diners that make really good homemade food, but it's hit and miss, either trying many places yourself or hearing from others about a good place.
Just dont get that stuff everyone reviews online as sausage gravy. There is like at most 1/2 cup of gravy and a pound and a half of sausage. It would be fine but the look is very akin to vomit. Sausage isnt the main ingrediant. The oil that comes out of the raw, then cooked sausage is what makes or breaks sausage gravy.
Biscuits and gravy are different from country fried steak and gravy .......just saying ... Biscuits are like fluffy and airy bread with sausage gravy ....
It was always called Chicken Fried Steak but changed to Country Fried Steak because idiots thought it was CHICKEN!!! It’s just beef fried like chicken and it’s fabulous!!!
Im a grandma.....in Tennessee.....i make VERY good Sausage Gravy and Cat Head biscuits (big fluffy biscuits..not hockey pucks from Cracker Barrel)...a full on Southern breakfast is...sausage or bacon...2 eggs (any way i prefer scrambled) and bisciuts and gravy....for dessert...buttered biscuit with jelly/preserves/or better yet...apple butter!! This IS breakfast in my house 😊
I am from Arizona (Southwest, not the South) so I did not grow up with biscuits and gravy. I'm taking this opportunity to ask a real Southern grandma a couple of questions. 1. I always thought that homemade biscuits and gravy where a side to a breakfast that would already have meat. The fried sausage patties or links would be served separately with the gravy made from the sausage drippings, fond, any crumbled pieces. This would be different than the large amount of chopped up sausage we see in restaurants and online. 2. My impression is that biscuits do not have sugar unless you're making up a special batch for making strawberry shortcake. Any thoughts? I'm willing to be wrong.
@chrisstevens410 yes....gravy is made from the drippings at HOME....I'm sure restaurants have their own way....I just don't know bc I don't eat theirs 😆 As for sugar in the biscuits....nope not mine unless for Strawberry shortcake....even then I make more of a pound cake for that.... My biscuits are Flour...Crisco and buttermilk....that's it! We call them Cathead biscuits bc the are huge and fluffy 😊❤️
Are you referring to the way the woman was eating? If so there was nothing British about the way she was using her cutlery, or the way she just threw it on the plate when she'd finished her meal. Embarrassing to say the least, like a couple pigs at a trough! 🤦🏻♀️
@violetlilly9644 No, the way they were both eating. The two different styles of eating with utensils. The woman is American style, and the guy is British style.
The scones they have in the UK basically are biscuits, just with more butter and they add sugar. What we call scones here they have another name for...
Have you seen Jolly's video of them trying biscuits and gravy in South Carolina? That's an authentic American biscuits and gravy experience .... and then some!
I’m from the South of the US in Tennessee and I prefer jam and butter on my biscuits as well. Occasionally I’ll go for gravy, but I rarely eat a hearty breakfast meal like this. It’s too heavy! If I ate a big breakfast I wouldn’t be able to eat until late at dinner time. 😂
My grandpa raised bees, so we'd get gallon jars of honey from him, so we ate a lot of butter and honey on our biscuits! Biscuits are so perfect for most any topping- put any of those things on a piece of bread, it might be edible, but it wouldn't be the delicious, tender goodness with the biscuit!
Why? Why? lol. I know I'm probably alone on this but I don't want any other foods distracting me from enjoying my B&G. On occasion, I will add a side of potatoes or hash browns. But just give me a plate of B&G and I am happy! I save the endless variety of breakfast options for another day. B&G gets all the attention when I make it or order it in a restaurant. And I can eat it any time of day, morning, noon or night. And, like you mentioned, a snack. Can you tell it's a favorite? I just wish I could eat it more often. lol.
Well, then good thing this was in fact a full American breakfast... :P ;) [Did'ja watch the video before commenting?] He had C.F.S. [Country-/Chicken-Fried Steak] & gravy, biscuits and gravy, eggs, hash browns, coffee, etc. Seems like a pretty full breakfast to me. Only thing "fuller" might be if it came with buttermilk pancakes or french toast in addition to, or in place of, the C.F.S.
A very heavy breakfast, originally made for rural farm workers that had to expend a TON of energy and work from sunrise (or earlier) to lunchtime before eating again. I love chicken-fried steak or biscuits and gravy, but only once in a great while and one or the other.
Scones and American biscuits are similar but not exactly the same. Scones are made with eggs and biscuits or not. Scones may have a flavoring added to it and it has more sugar. American biscuits has less sugar and no flavoring added to it. If they are made right, the texture is light and airy.
Sorry dude you did not have "biscuits and gravy". Putting some gravy from a county fried steak on biscuit is not "biscuits and gravy". If you really want to try "biscuits and gravy" you need to order "biscuits and gravy". As far as he hash brown casserole being cheesy, um... yeah that's how casseroles in the US work
Love it!! It's all in what you're used to. You weren't brought up on this so one can't expect you to be over the moon when you try it. I read a couple of the comments and the Grandma restaurant one's are right. A tiny small town diner will have your best biscuits and gravy. If you don't see, hear or even feel the word "slathered", they're probably not done right. Lots of black pepper makes them yummy. 😋
Thank you very much for the kind words. I will be looking for some proper mom and pop made ones next time I’m around. Meatloaf is also on the agenda! Who knows what I’ll make of that?
@@MarcRalph Oh, thank you. It's my pleasure. I do think that you will enjoy meatloaf. Most don't really have much of an aversion to it. I never cared for it or much of my mother's cooking. My Grandma could cook anything. Czech food, southern goodness down home food, her mother's food and anything recipe put in front of her. And she and my Papaw loved meatloaf.
@@MarcRalph Oh, you will have to try svickova, pork knuckle and for sweet, please find nut kolache. Not poppyseed although it's very good but nut is so much better and I think if you try both you will agree that nut kolache is tops. It's not like a biscuit/cookie sweet, it's a different sweet. I've never had anything from the homeland. Will you take some dirt and throw it towards Ohio? Maybe I'll catch it. LOL When you are there you will find many bread and potato dumplings. So good!! I hope you have the best time!!
The real test of biscuits and gravy is homemade, using sausage gravy. Restaurant white cream gravy is made in a factory and shipped to be heated in a microwave or in bags to be heated a pot of hot water and does not consist of sausage.
If you don't have a southern Grandma or Mom and you don't know a good local mom and pop restaurant, if you've got to go with a chain restaurant Cracker Barrel is probably your best choice.
Always cracks me up when Brits treat "biscuits & gravy" as some alien-inspired concoction. It's a French Béchamel, one of the French "mother sauces," with pepper instead of nutmeg (optionally with breakfast sausage crumbles if you're having it for breakfast).
Scones are in both countries. Why wouldn’t you be comparing scones? Why biscuits when they’re totally different. It’s odd! Like comparing scones to apples, have it make sense 😂😂😂 another thing scones here in America are usually triangular shape, sometimes glazed, but are lightly sweetened with fruit or nuts
Marc, if you're ever in the American Midwest, be sure to have a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. They're a regional specialty. I grew up in the Northeast. I'd never heard of tenderloins until I moved to Iowa in 1990.
“Scones are made with cream and eggs,” said Katina Talley, owner of Sweet Magnolias Bake Shop in Omaha, Nebraska. “They're sweeter, drier, and may contain fruit. Biscuits are typically made with buttermilk and not sweet”
Biscuits and gravy is more of a southern US thing. I live in the west and have eaten biscuits all my life but it wasn’t until 2017 that I had biscuits and gravy and that was on a cruise ship. Another way that we eat biscuits is with jams, jelly or preserves just like the BRITs but also we might use maple syrup or just plain butter. it all depends on your individual preference. As a kid we commonly would have biscuits on a plate for syrup on the plate and dip the biscuits in the syrup. As an adult I eat it more with either just plain butter or jelly. Side note: in the US, jelly is not gelatin. I know in some countries they call gelatin jelly. In America jelly is just like jam or preserves except it’s made with only the juice of the fruit so it’s clear and doesn’t contain the fruit pulp. It serves the same purpose as jam or preserves.
What's brave about it? Jumping out of a plane is brave. Scuba diving is brave. Running into a burning building to get someone out is brave. Eating at a nationally popular restaurant that serves delicious food, not at all. I guess maybe living your whole life eating bland food, with portions that my 3 year old granddaughter would need two plates to fill her up, and finally consuming food with flavor could possibly make someone a bit nervous. To say they're brave is a bit much.
@MarcRalph I stand corrected you are a brave man for trying something new. There should be a parade with fireworks to honor your bravery. I'll write, not only to our president but to your king to insist the president gives you a medal for your bravery and insist that Chuck knights you. Like you said, it's not that deep, mate. Have a great day too.. 🤣🙄🤦♂️
A cream gravy is a bechamel with whatever add ins you want. Bacon, sausage, hamburger, chicken ECT. America biscuits are flour, salt, baking powder, fat (butter/lard) cold liquid ( water or milk or buttermilk) A scone is more like an extra thick & dense version of an American cookie 🍪 basically above but add sugar and eggs, vanilla and anything mixed in like currants ECT.
You ought to try southern style chicken pot pie. I recommend it with biscuits and chicken mixing over rice. Go straight down from the top like lasagna. It has the most wonderful texture with the flaky biscuit and the chicken pot pie part just seeps into the rice (or mashed potatoes). Best on a cold dreary day.
I used to get that when you could get fried Catfish with it, Cracker Barrel has gotten cheap. Steaks used to be much better to, used to be tbones now you get a fat free lean Ribeye.
Not all biscuits and gravy are created equal. The amount of sausage or bacon grease in the gravy makes a huge difference and most chain restaurants use a packaged mix (I don't know about Cracker Barrel). Diners are usually the best place for breakfasts, although there are definitely some good chains. You might try chicken fried chicken next time. Not quite as heavy as beef for breakfast but served the same way. I also like my hashbrowns not cheesy (but a little crispy). They seem to go with the over easy eggs better that way. Adding good green chile sauce to hashbrowns is also pretty special. Peace, Love!! Welcome to the States.
Country gravy on the chicken fried steak doesn’t have sausage. Find a hole in the wall diner that’s packed with cars on a Saturday morning, have the biscuits and gravy there.
@@MarcRalph they’re so easy to make. Some people have to practice the gravy a bit, but it’s pretty simple. Slow cooking is the best way. Nice and slow on Lowe heat
Had a friend visit from England years ago. My mother was from Oklahoma and made buttermilk biscuits and gravy almost every weekend. My friend loved it. Cracker Barrel biscuits and gravy is fine, but its not like homemade from a Southern cook.
Our buttermilk biscuits, which is what Cracker Barrel uses, go well with sweet jams too. I love them with a bit of butter and strawberry jam. But I do like the country gravy if I'm in the mood for savory. You made a good choice though with the steak and hash brown casserole. Both of these item are popular at Cracker Barrel. I adore the hash browns, but then I love cheddar cheese. At least you gave them a try. Thank you for not just outright hating on them.
Here in The South it’s also called gravy biscuit! One of my favorite foods!!! I do understand people from other countries (or even parts of the US) not liking local foods if that country or area, but the UK also has foods I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole!
Now come to the country area of the midwest and have some biscuits and gravy that are homemade! Nothing beats homemade buttermilk biscuits made in a wrought iron skillet and homemade sausage gravy 😊 its extremely unhealthy but i love it as an occasional treat...delicious!
Creamed chipped beef on toast ("sh!t on a shingle") is the exact same idea as B&G (biscuits and gravy) but with just a couple substitutions. Sub out the toast and sub in grandma's buttermilk biscuit, and sub out the chipped beef and sub in some minced pork breakfast sausage. They're very similar dishes, and both are quite delicious.
That's not really biscuits and gravy. That is the gravy you would put on the top of Chx Fried Steak. Biscuits and gravy would almost always have sausage in the gravy. Massive difference.
@@MarcRalph You may wish to ask for "biscuits and sausage gravy". You could also look that up here on RU-vid, and you will see the difference. If the gravy does not have sausage chunks in it, it is generally meant to be put on top of chicken fried steak. Take care.
I can promise you. A British scone and an American biscuit are very much alike, slightly different ingredients, but very similar. I have eaten plenty of scones to know.
As was mentioned if you ordered chicken fried steak and there were biscuits with it that's a separate meal order than biscuits and gravy.If you want a proper guide to U.k. people trying American recipes Mr.H and friends has a series on cooking American dishes.
What an American calls a biscuit is not a scone in Britain. They are two different things and both are found in America. They look alike but they are different.
A good biscuit is hard to come by at any chain restaurant. It should be light, fluffy, and buttery all on its own. Add some actually good gravy (not Cracker Barrel's sawdust gravy) and it's even better.
Looked like a pretty proper diner breakfast. Love Country-Fried (AKA, Chicken-Fried) Steak. The white gravy works well both on Chicken Fried Steak, biscuits, or mashed potatoes. Kind of a country/cream gravy as opposed to a meat juice/drippings brown gravy. Both are good for different things. :) Hash browns, sausage, eggs, etc. Love a good C.F.S. breakfast or dinner. :) Biscuits are in the same family as scones, but not quite the same. The main difference is eggs and sugar. Scones generally have them, biscuits generally don't. So a biscuit is a lighter flakier more buttery quick bread, whereas with sugar & eggs, scones are slightly denser & heavier, maybe slightly sweeter. Otherwise, they're *fairly* similar. Anyway, biscuits and gravy is just some nice "comfort food" (savory, buttery, carby bread, with a savory cream sauce). Quite nice. Might take a little getting used to, but IMO, it's pretty good. Next up, chili? [Con carne, southwest style, vegetarian, Cincinnati, etc.] With fresh corn bread?
