For almost two years — if not longer — every time I asked what anybody wanted for supper, one of the kids would holler back the same three words: “Pork chops, rice, and gravy!” This is that gravy.

When I shared our pan-fried pork chops, I ended with a promise: the flavored oil left in that skillet is liquid gold, and the gravy was a story for another post. This is that post. One warning before we start: you won’t find measurements here. I don’t really measure anything — I play it by feel and by taste, and by the end of this you will too.

Start where the pork chops left off

Don’t you dare wash that pan, and don’t drain a drop of the grease — every bit of it stays. That’s exactly why the pork chop recipe only calls for a few tablespoons of oil: what’s left behind is just right to become gravy, no draining required.

Now, those big crispy pieces stuck around the pan — fish them out. What happens next depends entirely on how much time and patience the day has left me. Some days they stay out. Other days I chop them up real little, toss them back in, and let them fry a bit longer — they add to the browning and some of them get a little crispier, and that’s never been a bad thing.

Flour, a little at a time

Sprinkle in the flour a little bit at a time, stirring it into the grease as you go, until it comes together as a paste. Your job the whole way through is clump patrol: smoosh out every clump as you find it. Don’t dump the flour in all at once — a little, stir, smoosh, repeat.

The milk, and the moment of faith

Once you’ve got your paste, start adding milk a little at a time, stirring the whole while and still watching for clumps to smoosh. And here’s the part nobody warns you about: right when the milk goes in, the paste will suddenly seem thicker than it was two seconds ago, and it will absolutely look like you’ve ruined it.

You haven’t. I used to be so nervous watching that transformation from oil to gravy that I’d near about hold my breath the whole time. Just stick with it and have faith — keep stirring, keep adding milk little by little, and soon you’ll see everything start to come together.

Season it, then let it find itself

Keep adding milk and stirring until it’s creamy and a little on the thin side — thinner than you want to serve it. Then season: we use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, same as always. The gravy will thicken as it cooks down and everything melds together. If it reduces too far and gets too thick, just add a splash more milk to thin it back out. Taste it all the way through the reduction and season as you go — your tongue is the recipe card.

The smothering

Now nestle those rested pork chops right down into the gravy until they’re good and covered. Lid on, heat low, and let the chops and the gravy get reacquainted while the rice cooks — the chops drink up the gravy, the gravy borrows from the chops, and everybody comes out better for it.

Serve it over rice — the children have spoken, for two years running — and don’t count on leftovers.