Copyright 2002 Blacks Culinary

Preheat Oven to 325* To Cook the Ham: In a large roasting pan place your precooked smoked ham.  Add the apple juice to the bottom of the pan. Tent foil over the top, trying to avoid the foil touching the ham. Place into the oven and roast for 3-4 hours or until the Ham is tender and chunks pull of easily. This can take as may as six hours for larger hams. To Make your Grits: The main thing to remember is the ratio of grits to water. For traditional uncooked grits (not instant) use a 4 parts water to 1 part grits. Start by bringing your water up to a boil. Add the grits and season with salt. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. I like to add a lid for the first few minutes then finish my grits uncovered. Remove the lid and cook to your desired texture. For me its somewhere around 10-12 minutes for regular grits and as much as 30 for stone ground and artisan grits. To finish your grits add a small amount of real butter and season to taste with Salt. (some cooks also like to add cheese or cream here) To Make the Gravy: The secret to a good Red Eye Gravy is simplicity. Reduced Pan drippings, black coffee and water are pretty much all it takes. At times I will add a bit of Tabasco or Franks Red Hot to spice things up, but most of the time I keep it simple. In a small saucepan add your reserved drippings. Bring to a boil then reduce to a strong simmer. Simmer the juices until reduced by half. What you are looking for is the color to deepen. Add the coffee and season to taste. Thin gravy is traditional so you can serve it at this point or you can choose to add additional seasonings or thicken the gravy.  Some people will thicken the gravy with a flour based roux others prefer cornstarch. If you choose flour the gravy will be opaque. Cornstarch will produce a more transparent gravy.

Red Eyed Gravy 1/4 Cup Fresh Brewed Coffee 1 Cup Reserved Ham drippings 1/4 Cup Fresh Brewed Coffee 1 drop of Kitchen Bouquet 1 heaping tsp Cornstarch, dissolved Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper