L’intermission – It’s All Gravy

Biscuit Pudding with Chocolate Gravy

By Chef Sam Jones | SamJonesBBQ.com | Author of Whole Hog BBQ: The Gospel of Carolina Barbecue

 

Serves 12 to 15

Ingredients:

Pudding

3 (9.5-ounce) cans Butter-Me-Not Biscuits or any canned biscuit with “butter” or “buttery” in the description
4 cups whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup salted butter, melted
4 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Gravy

1⁄4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of kosher salt
2 cups whole milk
1⁄4 cup cold salted butter, cubed

Directions:

To make the pudding, crack the biscuit cans open on the edge of the counter. (I thought it was so cool when my mom did that.) Bake the biscuits according to the instructions on the can.

Set the oven temperature at 350°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Combine the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, nutmeg, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor. Mix to combine.

Crumble the biscuits by hand into the mixture. Continue to mix until relatively smooth. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the pudding is stiff and lightly browned on top.

While the pudding is baking, make the gravy. Sift the cocoa, sugar, flour, and salt together into a 12-inch skillet. Slowly pour in the milk, while whisking, and continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium-high heat, while stirring, until the gravy thickens to the consistency of a thin pudding, about 8 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and add the cubed butter. Stir until the butter is melted and the gravy is smooth.

To serve, place a scoop of pudding into each bowl and top with a ladleful of gravy.

About Sam Jones

Third generation pitmaster Sam Jones began his career in the barbecue business at an early age, helping his grandfather and uncle sell chopped pork at the famous Skylight Inn in his hometown of Ayden, North Carolina. Sam’s grandfather, the late Pete Jones, opened the legendary Skylight Inn in the summer of 1947 when he was only seventeen years old. Under Pete’s and Sam’s leadership, Skylight Inn has earned national praise from National Geographic, People, GQ, and many others, and has become a destination for barbecue lovers across the world. In 2003, Skylight Inn received the James Beard Award for America’s Classics, earning the distinction of being the first barbecue joint to ever receive an award from the esteemed culinary organization. In 2015, Sam partnered with longtime friend and former Skylight employee Michael Letchworth to open Sam Jones BBQ in Winterville, North Carolina. Rooted in the tradition of North Carolina whole-hog technique that Sam has known his entire life, Sam Jones BBQ also offers a variety of new spins on smoked meats. In 2018, Sam earned a semifinalist nod from the James Beard Foundation Awards for Best Chef: Southeast, and in May 2019, he published his first cookbook: Whole Hog BBQ: The Gospel of Carolina Barbecue with Recipes from Skylight Inn and Sam Jones BBQ (Ten Speed Press). He plans to open a second location of Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2020.

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