Place your heavy cast iron skillet on the stove over medium to medium-high heat. Don’t add any oil or butter-the country ham has plenty of fat already.

Lay the 2–3 thick country ham slices flat in the hot skillet. Cook without moving them too much, allowing them to develop a deep brown crust. After 5–6 minutes, flip the ham slices with tongs or a spatula. Continue cooking and turning occasionally for another 6–8 minutes total. You’ll notice the fat rendering out and the ham becoming darker and crispier around the edges. The meat will look almost jerky-like-firm, browned, and shrunken. This is exactly what you want for authentic Brenda Gantt red eyed gravy with country cured ham.

Once the ham is thoroughly browned with crispy edges and the skillet bottom has gorgeous browned bits (called fond), transfer the ham slices to a serving plate. Leave the burner on medium-high heat-this is crucial for the next step.

Look at your skillet-if there’s more than 2–3 tablespoons of melted ham fat, carefully pour most of it into a small heat-safe bowl, leaving just a thin coating and ALL those precious browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

With the skillet still on medium-high heat, pour exactly 2–3 tablespoons of cold water into the hot pan. It will sizzle violently and create steam immediately. Working quickly, use your spatula to scrape and dissolve all those browned crusty bits from the bottom. This deglazing process takes only 10–15 seconds but captures all the concentrated ham flavor.

Pour the water mixture (now golden brown and full of ham essence) from the skillet into your bowl of reserved ham fat. Stir them together gently. The mixture will look thin, separated, and watery with reddish-golden fat droplets floating on top-this separated appearance is the signature “red eye” look that gives this copycat Brenda Gantt red eyed gravy recipe its name.

Split open hot biscuits and place them on plates. Give the gravy a quick stir to partially combine the fat and liquid, then spoon a small amount over each biscuit half-remember, a little goes a long way with this intensely flavored gravy. Serve the country ham alongside (it’s traditionally eaten with your fingers like jerky or crumbled over the biscuit). Add fried eggs and buttery grits to complete your authentic Southern breakfast spread.