Logging Gravys

In Oregon, Logging Gravy is a thick, butter-flour roux, milk-based, sauce that is flavored by melted fats and crumbled-meats. It was designed to be cheap, calorie-dense, and capable of making hard, days-old "Shingle" biscuits palatable for Logging camp workers. 

Gravy Platters, a place famous for their Logging Gravy is actually a place called "Gravy" in Boise-Eliot, Portland, Oregon. When gravy is the star, it takes a certain place to name it a dish of its own, so that dish is "Gravy Platters", which is served with Eggs, Fresh Fruit, Braised Kale, House Potatoes, and/or Hashbrowns. Some argue that Hash has a different meaning in oregon due to the combination of words with hash on the Gravy menu that aren't only corned beef hash: there is salmon hash, roast beef hash, country fried steak, fried chicken, monte cristo gravy, chile verde braised pork shoulder, and grilled sirloin to that.

Browned-Hash, so what is inside one of these is usually a "Browned-Hash" that stands for "Hash brown", which is a little bit different than simply a hash that stands for any sort of potatoes. This had come from customers trying to describe the dish of Corned Beef Hash at "Cheryl's on 12th". While not known for its taste in great hash it was definitely a mix up of hash browns with another ingredient to be the perfect dish to eat with gravy. The food writers over at Oregon Live even mentioned that one would have to give in to a sauce like Ketchup in order to move forward with the meal, but surely this would only be the start, since hash brown hash is up there with peoples favorite oregon dishes.

Sawmill Gravy is a bit different in Oregon, because the bits of sausage are the ones the people ate years ago. It also contains an assortment of spices that don't break down in the white gravy to appear as sawdust, for example black pepper, crumbled roasted garlic, crumbled dried mushrooms. The came from the sawmills of the late 19th century from the Appalachian and Pacific Northwest Timber industry. Sawmills were the "defining symbol of Oregon for more than a century". Workers burning 6,000+ calories a day needed a "heavy lift" meal. This gravy provided the fat and carbohydrates necessary to survive a shift in the rain. (Oregon History Project).

Pork Sawmill Gravy: Blackline Pork-Fat, Lean Ground Pork, Beer (deglaze), Black Pepper, Sage, Thyme.

Elk Sawmill Gravy: Bacon-Fat, Lean Ground Elk, Lean Ground Pork, Stout Beer (deglaze), Worcestershire, Black Pepper, Sage, Thyme. The beer and sea salt is strategically used to deepen the wild, gamey notes of the elk.

Bellyburg Gravy is when butter-cornmeal roux, cream-based, crumbled smoked cauliflower and less desirable cuts of the pork. The 'Belly-Burglar' was the camp’s most hated figure—a cook accused of stretching the rations. This version uses a cornmeal roux (cheaper than flour) and 'less desirable cuts' (offal or neck meat). The grated cheese on top is a modern nod to the legend that cooks used sawdust to mask the lack of real protein.

Coursewood Gravy (Various)
Mushroom Coursewood Gravy is elevated, due to those who seek out its unique flavors. Oregon is one of the best place for mushrooms in the world or as a ingredient desired from vegans. Mushroom Gravy, when specified to Oregon regional cuisine is sometimes mentioned from cooks as Coursewood Gravy. The reason behind that is if you are reading a report from the Oregon Department of Forestry, there won’t be "dead logs", but Coarse Woody Debris in reference to where Mushrooms grow. To make a true gravy of this sorts it takes a nod at the Czarnecki family. Several ingredients are used to create a deep-wood color, fermentation-flavor, and a way to cut the bitterness, by using Soy Sauce, Sea Salt, and Sugar. 

Shiitake Mushroom Gravy (Scio, Oregon) come from the Japanese name shiitake (椎茸), a compound word composed of shii (椎, Castanopsis), for a dead log of a tree (Castanopsis cuspidata) which it is typically cultivated, and take (茸; "mushroom"). It has a strong earthy, meaty flavor, and was used to be an alternative to savoriness of pork. This creamy baseline was popularized by non other than Pine State Biscuits to go well with sandwiches, breads, and starches.

Porcini Mushroom Gravy
Dried Porcinis are simmered in water (20 minutes) until the liquid reduces. The mushrooms are puréed directly into the liquid for a condensed forest-flavor reduction. It is a earthy-brown, dirt-color, that is enhanced with cheese. Sometimes Verboort Sausage can be added for an even more flavorful gravy.

Lobster Mushroom Gravy
Grated Lobster Mushrooms simmered in butter, Ginger, Onion, and add to a Oil-Roux, Roast Crustacean Shells (250°F) until they are brittle and have a roasted smell. Blitz them in a spice grinder with a pinch of salt, garlic, and Fresh Thyme. As a Shrimp-Pork Stock to further flavor the sauce.