This SOS Meal Has Saved Me 100 Times!

My mom was the master of simple meals. With three kids running around and a full-time job. I don’t think we ever ate anything that took longer than thirty minutes to cook. One of the meals I dreaded the most growing up was “hamburger gravy over toast.” Whenever she said we were having this, it took everything I had not to cry. See, my family was one that didn’t allow you to have something different if you didn’t like what was being served.

You ate what was there, or you didn’t eat. It took me many years to warm up to this dish, and now that I am a busy mom myself, I look forward to making it for my family. I have one daughter that wasn’t too keen on it, so I suggested trying it over potatoes or rice instead. What a game changer!

Now that I make it like this, there are never any complaints from the table. I have even changed the way that I eat it now. It’s good any way really. It’s also super simple and affordable. You can’t really go wrong.

Recipe courtesy of Nutmeg Nanny. Photo credits to Kelli’s Goodies.

THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INGREDIENTS

Quick Tip: Serve on toast, potatoes, or rice.

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221 comments

Yep that was the Army way of doing it. Since time in the Army for my husband and me neither one of us will eat it LOL

My Dad was in the Navy in the 60’s and they had it all the time w/hamburger. Sometimes chipped beef. He loves the hamburger one best.

i was in the USAF and for breakfast, it was over toast, can’t remember if it was dried beef or burger. it was a white gravy though (breakfast only) so i think it was dried beef. at any rate, i would always put copious quantities of tabasco on it and the guys, at first questioned why i did that. i told them to try a couple of drops and see. it wasn’t long before they ALL used a bunch.

now, at home, my mother always fixed what she called slum gullion. burger, onions, mushrooms if you got ’em, and onion, browned in the pan and then gravy (not with the sour cream like stroganoff) was made in the pan while the meat was still hot. served over boiled potatoes mashed with your fork. then the gravy over them.

we started with flour gravy but then Ma (she preferred Mom or Mommy but i had to rebel) showed me how to make cornstarch gravy (just as good only lucent). while in the USAF, a coworker would come to our apartment to do my wife’s hair and i would make slum gullion which he insisted on as it gave him a taste familiar in his home in iowa.

My father-in-law had it with chipped beef in the navy, no fond memories of the food there, and my dad would do it with leftover roast beef and gravy on toast. Its not called SOS because it’s a quick, go to, save your family from starving kind of meal, its also meant to be $#!t on a shingle!

As a military cook where do you think the nickname SOS came from the words “Sh*t on a Shingle.” According to the Military regs on meal preparation we had to use the cheapest meat possible to keep the cost down that means ground beef and not chipped beef which was heavily salted and more expensive.

My dad was an Army cook, during WWII. He served in Europe and stormed the beaches of Normandy. . He made it with chipped beef or beef roast.. Never with hamburger.. Have to say it was my favorite meal.. He said that is how he made it for the Army.

I was a cook in Ft Irwin, Ca. US Army 1968-1969. That’s how I made it with ground beef.
Creamed Beef (SOS – Army Style 1968-69)

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cube beef bouillon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Brown beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in flour, bouillon, salt and pepper. Saute all together for about 5 minutes or until flour is absorbed. Gradually stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce. Bring all to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened,
about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot on toast!

You gave away the secret to the process…. adding the flour the beef to absorb the flavor of the meat before adding the liquid.

They alsobdid it w dried beef. I guess it depended where in the US you were. Now youve had sausage gravy? Heres one…cook bacon in pieces. Remove crisped bacon and make your gravy out of the bacon grease. Pour over toast or biscuits and top w crisp bacon. If you have leftover bacon grease – which I save every drop for cooking – make your gravy with that and you have a super cheap meal!
Sos = shit on a shingle. Thanks daddy ?

My husband called it Sh___on a Shingle too – but each time I would make the SOS for lunch or dinner, my kids would say they smelled it miles down the road and always showed up to finish it off. So guess it wasn’t so bad – still it is tasty.

My dad was in WWII and made this all the time. I still love it and make it. S__t on a Shingle is what we called it and my boys would remind me I shouldn’t swear (S__t)!

I believe that is chipped beef and gravy, but some call it sos, my dad was in the Navy and they made it then with Hamburger and gravy, SoS

Actually that’s called Chipped Dried Beef on Toast. The sauce was a white sauce made from Flour. The dried beef used to come in plastic packages years ago.

Came across this today. We used dry beef and called it chipped beef but s.o.s we made with ground beef. Both are yummy do you remember chicken a la king? Lol memory lane

My Mom made it that way, but called it Dried Beef Gravy and Biscuits. Her Sunday breakfast favorite before Church and the out for a big lunch out after Church.

In the military SOS was made with ground beef (army). In the Navy we called it FOT (forgive me but ‘foreskins on toast’) that was made with sliced dried beef.

There were both chipped beef and creamed beef and they were very different. The creamed beef was made with hamburger. I don’t know what the chipped beef was made with and I never like it although I love creamed beef (better know in the military as S.O.S.)

I was educated at our local “Fleet Resever” club that chipped beef was (FOT)foreskins on toast, and sausage gravy or hamburg gravy was (SOS) shit on a shingle. Having said that my mother, a midwest farm kid/housewife of the 60’s called oir hambjrg gravy on toast SOS, hell I lovee it as a kid and wish i could accurately reproduce moms recipe

I always knew it by a vastly different first “S” moniker that the GI’s assigned to it. Made with dried chipped beef or jerky, ground beef, sausage, or any other chunky meat available, or even a combo of left overs. I always added a dash or two of Worstershire or sometimes TOBASCO Louisiana Hot Sauce, is good served over any fairly bland base including pasta and biscuits. It wasn’t just a Mess Hall staple, but also a depression era stand by that many of us grew up with.

You are right, it comes from what was served to our armed forces and they used dried beef, which unfortunately isn’t readily available anymore. My dad, a WWII vet used to make it for us. You can chipped/dried beef via Amazon if you want and it lasts forever. I buy it once a year or so.

Absolutely. I’m a PA Dutchie… My great grandmother used to use the hamburger. My Dad wasn’t from Berks County but he was in the Navy so he made it with dried beef. I have made both and instead of flower I prefer cornstarch to thicken it. Also I often use onions or other veggies to dress it up. I prefer it over home fries. A great staple.

It is, we spent summers at my grandparents cottage and Leo slop was a regular 2 days/WK .it was served over potatoes. Add peas and put over noodles and voilà “hamburger helper”. They way people act is like they come from families that missed the Great depression. That’s part of our history,guess it’s almost 90ys ago so they delete most of it to be able to highlight the technical advances of video games. Like music in their parents generation, this generation can list every video game made

That was made with strips of dried beef that came in a jar. Had a totally different flavor and especially texture. I was born in 1949 and I adored it when made with ground beef. I loved almost everything my grandmother made. She had a heart like a family hearth and when you were with her you were always home.

Unfortunately, the dried beef sold these days is chopped and formed meat; and then sliced. Not the same texture as the beef that used to be dried whole and then sliced. Both the Hormel and Armour brands that come in the small glass jar at the supermarket, are made this way now. I’d love to find real dried beef, because I always have enjoyed creamed dried beef on toast!

If you live around a Kroger, they sell it in the refrigerated section. It’s pretty good. If you are anywhere near Philadelphia that big market downtown that has all the booths, there is an Amish meat seller there that has the real dried beef. And that is outstanding!

There are different ways of making it but my Dad work on WWII navel ship hence the name SOS or **it on Shingles. He made it with hamburger and gravy no onion just fry burger, salt and pepper, and flour use excess grease to make gravy. We always have it on buttered corn bread and fried potatoes. My family loves this meal.

You can do this with ground beef, with dried beef, ground turkey, or with pork sausage, in which case you’d probably call it “sausage gravy” and serve it over biscuits.

I’ve also done it with leftover ham that’s been chopped very finely in the food processor, or shredded finely with a knife. It, too, is really good.

It is this recipe just swaps out the dried beef for ground beef,but now days buddig dried beef is wayyyy cheaper than ground beef

sos and hamburger gravy are two different things. sos is creamed dried beef and hamburger gravy is hamburger gravy I realize some people call hamburger gravy SOS but how can two totally different meals be called the same thing? I just made hamburger gravy a couple nights ago.

I think it depends where you come from. We used to call that SOS and then we just referred to the other one as dried beef gravy. My poor brother (RIP) from the time he was a baby until the day he passed would literally gag when it came to dried beef and gravy. lol

Yes Kathie, you are correct. It was a common meal in WWII for the US Navy. My dad served and through him it became a family favorite upon his return. It was milk gravy with bits of dried beef. A few of my brothers drizzled mustard on it.

It is dried beef in a cream sauce as long as I can remember. I think it got it’s name from Army guys eating it during war time. It’s short for Sh*& on a Shingle. But it sounds good with the hamburger too.

it is chipped beef I never could eat that stuff…not sure if it was the flavor of the chipped beef cause it always seemed so salty or just the name there was this one pie he called dog tick pie and I could never look at that pie again

We called it Forty to One. Ground beef, gravy, potato chunks over bread. That is one piece of meat to 40 pieces of potato. Making things stretch a little.

Exactly and love it. US Army had to switch to ground beef… dried beef was to expensive for mass meal like. the Army serves. Sausage is very greasy…. suggest you go back to dried beef over this recipe

You are right. It is dried beef in a white sauce over toast. And biscuits and gravy is pork sausage in a white gravy on biscuits.

Dried beef gravy was the best SOS, this hamburger gravy was called the poor-mans SOS. We never put onions in it. my mom tried it and it was gross, to everyone so she never tried it again.

Instead of gravy, add your fav spaget sauce and serve over noodles…. WOW , you just made spaghetti with meat sauce…oh the possibilities of ground beef. Why do you think a pound of ground beef sells for the same as most roasts and cheaper cuts of steak??

I love to make this using ground sausage ( like Owen’s) and putting it over biscuits. It is fast, cheap and can feed a crowd quickly. Sometimes after getting off of work, I fix this with either hamburger or sausage. Then I can relax and put my feet up for the evening. Yummy!

Yes, we usd to put it over biscuits, too. Sometimes with hamburger, sometimes with dried beef. I had forgotten all about this.

Exactly, biscuits and gravy with sausage. The other SOS is dried beef over toast and my dad was army and he cooked it in the army. And for his army of kids he and my Mom had. 11 kids so this food went a long way. We still make it and love it!

I tend to do it the way you do. I add the flour to the beef and little butter and then let it brown a little then whisk in hot milk. Browning the flour and beef and butter first makes the gravy much tastier in my opinion.

My mom raised 10 kids. SOS was a weekly staple. Ground beef browned with onion. Flour or cornstarch adding water instead of milk, salt and pepper over white rice. Try it you will love it. Leave the milk for sausage gravy over biscuits.

My mom raised 9. Grew up eatting this and still make it. With flour and cornstarch over mashed potatoes. Ummmm

I learned to make this from my husband’s cousin using ground beef, served over rice n mashed potatoes. I remember eating this in elementary school.

I grew up eating something similar, but we just opened a can of condensed cream of mushroom, cut the water by half and added it to the cooked meat. Sometimes with frozen peas/corn/carrots. We called it ‘Slop’…. Not a very glamorous name. I love it on rice!

We used to have slop too… I’ve never met anybody who called it that lol although our family’s recipe for it differs from ur slightly, just a tad tho

We used cream of mushroom soup, too, and ate it with rice or mashed potatoes. It looks unappetizing, so when my sister started cooking, she added green food coloring!!! Didn’t help. Green meat just looks nasty!

Dice a green pepper instead, and put it in with the meat after it’s been browned and the fat drained. While the meat is cooking, (on medium heat. Remember: high heat hardens protein) boil water and cook a package of medium egg noodles, drain and add to the hamburger mixture. This has been one of the meals I grew up on. It was many in a category of “Depression dishes”: makes a lot, but doesn’t cost very much. It was enough for a family of five, with second helpings. You didn’t walk away from the table hungry!

I like it on egg noodles sometimes but I dislike green peppers. I’ll give your version a try but will use Red peppers since they are sweeter and less bitter than green peppers.

Jessie Mann. My husband Billy introduced S.O.S to me in 1963 he was home after His National Guard unit was drafted to Fort Polk La. During the Berlin Crisis. He used Ground Beef, flour, black pepper, milk and salt. I make it but add creme of mushroom Soup really like it with plenty of black pepper(om toast)

We did the same…we just call it Hamburger Gravy over Rice. We use condensed mushroom soup (1 can), milk (1 can), and 4-5 beef bouillon cubes. Never add thickener to ours. Still my favorite meal.
As for S.O.S (Stuff on a Shingle), I used Dried Chip Beef sauteed in butter til lightly crisped. Pour milk over to cover it, heat to light rolling boil. Then mix corn starch & milk into a slurry (in a mason jar) and stir into the heated beef/milk until desired thickness of gravy achieved. Then spoon over buttered toast. YUMMY!!
My mom has made a different version, called T.O.T. (Tuna on Toast). Also made with cream of mushroom soup & canned peas mixture…then spooned over buttered toast. Delicious!

i make it with mushroom soup…occasionally i make it with just making my own gravy but the one they all prefer is with mushroom soup. i have made it for 62 years. my husband loves it and will even ask for it. i dont put onions in mine either. im 81 and still make it

I make something similar except I don’t make milk gravy. I used Cream of Mushroom soup and add milk. It’s very good served on hamburger buns ala Sloppy Joe style.

My mum made this as well on the farm. She made it weekly and we loved it. Served it always over mashed potatoes. Thanks for recipes. Completely forgot about ut?

My Mom made this a lot while i was growing up, but we just called it hamburg gravy, although some people I knew also called it slop! As I got older and things such as packaged onion soup and then beefy onion soup became available, we would brown our meat with a package of the dry soup mix, then cover the meat with water, make a flour paste or corn starch in a jar with some water and after the beef and soup came back to a boil, we whisked the flour mixture into beef and water to make a gravy. We served ours with mashed potatoes. I still make it sometimes and I’m an old lady of 65! My mom also used to make cukes and sliced onion , salt and pepper, and a mixture of equal parts vinegar, water and sugar to soak the cukes …better if left to set at least an hour!…:)

My mom did something like this but instead of making the gravy from scratch, she would cut a can of mushroom soup with half a can of water and soya sauce and mix it all in the same pan with the cooked meat. Simmer for 10 minutes and laddle over mashed potatoes. Our form of fast comfort food.

I used to make something similar to this, but rather than using 2 cups of milk, I used Campbell’s Mushroom soup and diluted same with milk starting with a minimal amt and adding according to the consistency. Perhaps somewhat richer than this recipe.

I made this for my children and they called it dog food because “gravy train” dog food came on the market at that time and you added water to the pellets and it made its own gravy. That was not their favorite dinner yet one of them makes it now for her kids — and liked it!!

Our family version doesn’t include flour, milk or butter. We use mushroom soup. It is served over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

My mom made this a lot when I was little. I loved it. Don’t remember how she made it but we always drizzled a little vinegar over it.

See? I do not understand people calling it that at all? Perhaps they do not know they are saying something ugly?

We know what it means 🙂 The author of the recipe’s mother called it this and so did her grandfather. It’s a family tradition 🙂 Enjoy!

I have been making this since 1975. I just brown the hamburger meat, don’t drain, add salt & pepper and flour. Cook a bit, Then add whole milk or canned milk and water and cook till right consistency. Adjust seasonings. Serve over toast and with sliced tomatoes. My family always loved it. Still do!

Love it that way too……even without meat using flour and milk with whatever for the “fat/drippings”. Personally love it with bacon grease or even just butter. Good old milk gravy, but love it with most all the ingredients mentioned by others. Wonderful old recipe!

a spoon of instant coffee will darken the gravy – just use water instead of milk for those allergic to it

I love hamburger gravy over rice, bread or boiled potatoes! Grandma raised a bunch of grandkids, foster kids, ranch hands. We all ate it and loved it. My spoiled husband won’t touch it.

I have been making this all of my life (73 years old). Learned it from my mom and grandma. It is wonderful over boiled potatoes served with diced onions and dill pickle spears!

I learned this from my Dad and grandpa (both career military men). We steam the hamburger meat with Italian seasoning so it tastes like sausage. Drain the fat. Stir in white sauce, heat and eat! And ALWAYS served with dill pickles! Will have to try it over potatoes and throw some diced onions on like you do/

I make el cheapo SOS using the thin sliced beef(think buddig) chopped into pieces…Then fry in some butter(or oil) til crispy then finish the gravy

I make this with buddig quite often. If you want to stretch and recipe a little, try adding some chopped up hard boiled egg and definitely some powdered mustard. Comfort Food!

my dad made S.O.S on sunday mornings for breakfast we would put it over pancakes made from scratch with bacon or sausage and eggs….. best breakfasts ever !!!

My dad was in the Marines, he fixed this all the time, called it SOS. He browned the hamburger meat and onion. Added some flour, then milk. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. He added soy sauce for color and flavor. He’d serve it on toast with a fried egg and fried diced potatoes. One of my favorite meals.

What does SOS stand for. We call this dish, (which comes from my traditional Mexican family) “Carne Picada”) and the sides we had with it were always, refried beans, fideo, which is “Vermecelli, and don’t forget my mother’s great homemade tortillas. Don’t forget the best, to make it complete, homemade spicy chili. You use the serano peppers, tomatoes and a dash of garlic. Brown the serano peppers and tomatoes on an iron skillet. Peel the tomatoes and mash them in what we call the molcajete. You’re ready to eat. Yummy. On what you call SOS, (carne picada) to give it a great flavor, we use cumin and garlic.

I use a little different version, brown the hamburger, add 1 can of Cream of Chicken, 2 can of water, put that over potatoes or rice, we call it comfort food!

I grew up with Budding, but Armour is a current alternative. It comes rolled in dry slices in a jar with a metal lid.

We always used Armour when I was very young but Hormel has also been making it for a long time. A lot of metro grocery stores don’t carry either but I’ve gotten it through Amazon.

This was a staple for us growing up, except using a can of tuna instead of ground beef. I make it for my Kids now and they love it! It is a very fast easy meal to get on tne table. You can also substitute hard boiled eggs. I lke to throw in some frozen peas too!

My grandmother and my mother made it with canned roastbeef and homemade gravy and placed over our bisquits. Roastbeef gravy is what we called it.it was delicious. My mom made it for us and i make it for my kids and hrandkids and they love it.

I grew up on this hamburger gravy mixture, but our recipe differed a bit and we just call it Hamburger Gravy over Rice. We use condensed mushroom soup (1 can), milk (1 can), and 4-5 beef bouillon cubes. Never add thickener to ours. Still my favorite meal.
We have different variations to the recipe, like:
As for S.O.S (Stuff on a Shingle), I used Dried Chip Beef sauteed in butter til lightly crisped. Pour milk over to cover it, heat to light rolling boil. Then mix corn starch & milk into a slurry (in a mason jar) and stir into the heated beef/milk until desired thickness of gravy achieved. Then spoon over buttered toast. YUMMY!!
Then there is a totally different version we’ve used, called T.O.T. (Tuna on Toast). Also made with cream of mushroom soup & canned peas mixture (just like the mixture for tuna noodle casserole)…then spooned over buttered toast. Delicious!

Also very good over egg noodles. Add a little sour cream and powdered mustard and it’s just like beef stroganoff. Or try adding a little red wine to the gravy. It’s such a simple recipe and you can change it up with just a few additions.

Let me set you straight, SOS is creamed dried or chipped beef over toast, not ground beef.
Hamburger gravy I use lean ground beef, one pound, 2 diced onions, brown, add one beef bouillon and plenty of water let simmer. Season with pepper and add a few shakes of gravy master then thicken with a flour mixture. Serve over mashed potatoes. A great anytime meal. In place of water and bouillon you can use a large pkg., of beef broth saving a little to mix with flour to thicken. So simple and delicious.

Loved it when I was a kid, loved it in the Army, and I still eat the stuff.
.Put it on toast or biscuits, mashed potatoes, eice or hash browns it’s all good. Sometimes we will use a can of cream of mushroom soup with it also. I remember coming home from Vietnam the day we left country we got a big breakfest and when i went thru the line the mess sgt asked if i wanted sos and i told ya just put it on everything, he smiled and did it.

Mom made this, called it soupy ground beef. We served it over fresh mashed potatoes. Mom darkened the sauce with ‘Gravy Master’, made it look better. The SOS I like is creamed chipped beef on toast. Mom made it pretty regular, and added peas to the sauce, giving us a veggie with the meal, LOL!

We had this fairly often when I was growing up. Mom would use dried beef (aka “chipped” beef) sometimes. The dried beef version was my favorite. Unlike the author, I don’t like this on anything other than toast or sometimes buttermilk biscuits when I have the energy to make them.

That is SOS alright. I lived on various forms of it when I was a kid. I just showed the pic to my son and he said ” Oh wow, you haven’t made that in a long time ,that was good” LOL. I upgraded it when I made it, darker gravy , mushrooms, and usually served over rice . If I served it over egg noodles , I told the kids it was beef strogonoff !

Eaten over toast in US Civil War, was pork n beans over toast, dried beef was used in WWII, unlike hamburger or Buddig, dried beef requires no refrigeration. My father would not eat rice after WWII, he couldn’t look at white rice without horror (if it moves, it isn’t rice). Depression era food, dried beef and gravy, very salty dish and greasy by todays standards. Can eliminate some salt by soaking the dried beef to remove some salt before hand. Sausage gravy and biscuits is a great staple, adding beef boillion to sausage gravy greatly enhances flavor and color. Great memories.

I like both the hamburger version and the dried beef too. A good way to serve the hamburger version is over sweet potatoes or yams, for the dried beef version I lightly butter toast pile on some scrambled eggs and smother with SOS.

I came from a family of 3 kids and have 6 kids of my own. My mother made it, but I make it better! I like it served on egg noodles. I call it slop!

OK, I confess from the start that I haven’t read all the comments, so maybe someone has already suggested this. For a different flavor, you could use wine (I’m thinking dry sherry) for some of the liquid. Add some mushrooms and this could be very much like a stroganoff. Serve over noodles.

I used to LOVE this in the Navy. They served it virtually every morning. They also had a variation with a light tomato sauce that I never grew fond of. But the country style beef gravy version? I make this all the time at home. I substitute the beef with ground mild pork for the country gravy variant, and use ground beef for the breakfast version. It’s great over english muffins, and a coupla of over easy or poached eggs and a few shakes of that new smoke chipotle tobasco sauce that McInerny just introduced and I’m in heaven.

This is one of the “Depression Dishes” my mom made when I was growing up. Thursday was shopping day so she was on a tight schedule and this is a quick meal to prepare. My sisters and I would always tease that we didn’t have to ask what was for dinner on Thursday because it was always this. I still make it. Serve over boiled potatoes with peas and pearl onions and hamburger dills. It’s easy, wholesome and brings back great memories!

This was always our version of sos. I also add chopped green pepper and we eat it over mashed potatoes. It’s really very good and one of my husbands favorites. Corn is good as a side dish.

Of course i enjoyed it when Mom made it, make it now, one of my son in laws love it and is always requesting my SOS. used chip beef, but have made plenty with hamburger and tuna. I really enjoyed reading all the accounts above. Seems to be an American favorite…thanks a bunch for the little visit down memory lane. sid

Buddig’s beef, available near the bacon and sausage in most grocery stores, it 79 cents a package here. I make this quite a bit, serve it on toast, and usually make some fresh English peas with it. One of my favorite quick, inexpensive dinners, although it’s equally good for breakfast or lunch.

My mother fixed SOS almost every Sunday evening for supper. We live in south Louisiana so this was served over open face biscuits and then a bit of Tobasco sauce over the gravey. After we finished supper then we watched Bonanza on TV. Life was great back then.

Our family affectionately referred to it as hamburger glop. Especially on cold days, it was very comforting served over mashed potatoes. I still make it, but I doctor it up a bit more than Mom did. I’m such a rebel.

I’m so glad they’re finally calling it what it is… SOS IS s*it on a shingle IS creamed hamburger!!! Just look at it and you just know !!

Was in the Navy as was my Dad, don’t ever remember eating it in the Navy. At home is was dried beef and gravy on toast and called SOS. Now when we have hamburger gravy on potatoes, it is not the same thing.

Never heard it called SOS until I was in my 20’s, it was gravy whether made with sausage, hamburger, dried beef, or even chopped up hard boiled eggs (Eggs Goldenrod). Sausage gravy goes over biscuits. Hamburg, beef or eggs and I prefer well done toast. Gravy was a family favorite when I was a kid, Mom couldn’t make enough!
I’ve been a firefighter for 33 years and both chipped beef, and sausage gravies are two of our go to breakfasts

I am 83 years old and I have made this for at least 60 years, until recently. I made it with “real” dried beef. Now I cannot find real dried beef; it is “formed” beef or something like that. The taste is not the same, so I quit making it. I used to add chopped fine onion or dried onion flakes, Worcester sauce and mushrooms. It was a family breakfast favorite. We miss it.

Why the butter…why drain the beef… Just use enough flour to absorb the beef fat, then add the milk…it adds a lot more flavor, and the fat is not any worse than butter…

I add the onion when the beef is almost done – a bit more flavor. Never have measured anything. Stir in the flour, then add the milk slowly, stirring until well blended, and the gravy becomes the amount you want.

I made something like this when my kids were growing up, put everything but the kitchen sink in it and called it “Gunk on Rice” …good memories. Thanks for bringing them up. 🙂

I always thought it was dried beef gravy, too. I always liked both that and this, but when I order dried beef gravy in a restaurant, I ask for the gravy over my fried potatoes and the toast on the side. Then I can dunk the bread in it as I wish and it makes the potatoes easier to eat.

I made this a couple of times a month when my boys were small. We ate it over toast. Over the years I tweeked it to include mushrooms. I sauteed mushrooms in bacon fat and added them to the finished product. I have made it with ground sausage, too, but then it’s sausage gravy and not SOS. It’s a good, hearty meal that’s quick to prepare.

We ate this almost every week when I was growing up. With a single mother providing for two kids we didn’t have a lot of money. My mom always put some Worcester sauce in it and served it over mashed potatoes that had sliced green onions stirred into them just before serving.

I make it with dried beef or tuna fish.I also add some peas.
It’s delicious.My sons and grandchildren also love it…I make it for them quite often.

We still call it sh_ _ on the shingle. My brother was in the Navy during the Korean War and when he came home it made it for and we have lots of varieties to it..

We ate that as kids in the 50’s still eat it today in the Army I believe it was called shit on the shingles the toast being the shingles

I was stationed at RTC Orlando, Early 70’s. I caused a stir when I said the Hospital side cooks made a better version than main side Cooks. oh you should have seen the ladles Fly then. I still Think The Hospital Side was better.

Spent 25 years in the military and SOS was always on the chow line for breakfast and the first to disappear. Now in my 70s…eat it every other day over hashbrowns.

Our SOS consists of frying off hamburger, adding flour, seasoning, can milk & regular milk to make the gravy. Tear up toast, put a hard boiled egg cut both ways in an egg slicer on top, then covering that with the gravy. I’m 63 & that’s the way our family has made it since I can remember. It’s a breakfast, brunch & dinner.

Be glad your mom did not make tuna sos like mine made us eat. basically same thing but with tuna, peas, boiled eggs. and yes I cried when I had to eat it, I would sit at the table for 2-3 hours til my parents gave in. but I went to bed hungry

Have made it with bacon, sausage,ham,dried beef and hamburg, they are all good over toast, potato, sweet potato and biscuits.

My mother made a similar meal, but added Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Magic browning sauce, and served it over rice. I substituted Cream of Celery soup, seasoned the meat w/celery salt. Fast, easy, and very tasty.

In my day raising my family I cheated out using ground beef and mushroom soup. milk was expensive I found so I tried to avail recipes that called for much more than 1/3-1/4 cup. I mixed it with pasta but toast would have been good too I imagine.

This can also be made with chopped up hard boiled eggs. (For breakfast) I lived with a family for awhile that didn’t eat meat so they substituted hard boiled eggs in place of the hamburger. You can put it over toast or biscuits!

I was in the USAF and they made it with hamburger meat. My Mother made it different. She made it with dried beef or sausage and even canned tuna fish. I still make it today. My favorite is with the tuna fish.

This was almost always served in my family home with Bisquick biscuits. But when I got out on my own, I learned to make sourdough biscuits and that is the dish we had several times a month. There were always some chopped onions in the gravy and lots of pepper. We often had it for breakfast.

Being raised in Dutch country in Pennsylvania, we used Lebanon bologna on toast.. Living in Florida now, I long for that taste!

We eat sos with dried beef. Also add hard boiled eggs. Something my mother did to make the dish stretch. We also eat it with Hamburger…we call it hamburg gravy on potatoes. Both delicious.

what i think is great and even similar is you take
1 or 2 lbs of ground beef
3 cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 and 1/2 cans using the same cans
from the soup
2 or 3 cups of rice

cook the ground beef well
drain any fat
season with salt black pepper to taste and garlic powder
once the beef is well cooked and drained open your cans of cream of mushroom soup and add them then immediately add the milk and cook on medium heat till its warm and done and serve it over your cooked rice or over potatoes although I’ve never had it over potatoes?

Wow! Wow wow wow!!!!!
This is my favourite food ever. My mother makes this for me when I go visit her. It is best served on toast with black pepper on top. Mostly have it for breakfast. Great start to any day.
Her father would make this in the army when he was a chef during the war. SOS “Shit on a Shingle”. The shingle is the toast. What a great post.

We called this “Gravy Train”… only we used Cream of Mushroom Soup… If we used a white sauce, it was beef gravy. SOS is made with chipped beef and onions and green pepper. At least in my neck of the woods….*S*

SOS is chipped beef (no onions or green pepper yuk)
gravy over toast……..this is hamburger gravy and its really good over rice.

Ohhh, I have to admit, this was one of my guilty pleasures! Growing up we had a variety of meats in gravy/sauce and I don’t remember one I didn’t like. Even the oft jested at boxed Tuna ala King! My favorites were biscuits and gravy, Chicken a la king over rice and my mom’s beef stroganoff with her homemade egg noodles already inside.

We used to have this for breakfast or dinner when I was growing up. Mom would change it up when it was for breakfast by using sausage instead of hamburger. I still make it, brings back good memories.

My brother said this was served with toast when he was in the army, and it was called shit on a shingle. He said the name was fitting.

I never had it before the Army, and loved it! I’ve seen it made with either hamburger, chipped beef, or sausage. Now that I’m single and do all the cooking, I make it myself from time to time, but I think reading this recipe and comments, you are all going about it the hard way. I don’t add any shortening, oil or butter, simply use the drippings off the burger. Start the burger, I add cubed red potatoes and diced green onion, sometimes I add chopped bacon, cook it all with the hamburger, chopping at it with the end of the spatula, and mixing it. The only time I drain the fat off, is if I’m going to eat it without gravy. With gravy, I simply push the burger etc., off to one side, let the drippings drain to the other, add flour (not to much), mix it with the dripping until all the flour has absorbed some drippings to avoid lumps, add milk, stir it all together, it’s finished when it’s at desired thickness.

I might add, I do drain off some drippings if there is too much for the amount of gravy I want. You don’t want a lot of excess dripping than the flour can absorb. Makes brown gravy, way better than white.

My mom did it with hamburg in brown gravy over potatoes and biscuits. Always did like it and now my daughter and son make it for their families. Of course it’s called SOS

Been making this for years and in fact made it last night but added a bag of frozen mixed veggies and served it on real mashed potatoes…DELISH!!

My mother made this using tuna, and it was very tasty. We also saved bacon drippings and used them for the fat instead of butter when making the roux.

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