Thanksgiving Gravy Tips
 

Everyone always seems to fret about the gravy. It's not hard if you follow a few simple rules. I like my gravy a deep, rich brown. One of the extra steps that I take a few days before the holiday, is to chop some veggies, onions, garlic, any chicken that we may have had this week and put it all in a pot with some water and make a stock. (Ie: clean out the fridge.) After it's done, I take out the solid pieces and put them on a flat baking tray. I add a few more veggies. mushroom stems, etc. to the tray and then bake it all at a fairly high heat until everything is a dark, umber brown. I take it out of the oven, scrape it all off the bottom of the tray, de-glaze the pan and put everything back into the stock that I made. The stock then turns a deep, rich brown and the smell is amazing. Strain it, put it in the freezer, or fridge. On Thanksgiving day, when I'm ready to make the gravy, I use the strained stock to add it to my gravy makings, along with the turkey bits and drippings. I also add some stock from my turkey necks and gizzards. So, so good!

Please share your tips and suggestions.

Turkey necks are readily available leading up to Thanksgiving. I buy a few, add veggies and make a stock. I simmer for hours, watching the water level, and adding sherry, or wine, whatever I have on hand. I then strain it and freeze. I make a butter/flour roux, add my pan drippings, and stock, then adjust the seasonings as necessary. Family likes it strained, with nothing in it. My mom would make it like this, except she would add shredded turkey neck meat to hers.

Turkey necks...nice! I haven't seen them where I shop. I also make a roux and like adding a little white wine, or sherry to mine. My SIL and I love adding chopped giblets and neck scraps to our finished gravy. The rest of the family, not so much, so I make it "smooth."

My mom just used to make simple turkey gravy. While the turkey was removed from the roaster to set a bit, she would just take flour and add it to the drippings in the roaster and stir it in until there was no fat floating free from the flour (sometimes needed to add a bit more flour). Then she would just start to add milk and/or water a bit at time, stirring and scrapping up the browned bits from the pan. She would bring it to a slow boil, adding a bit of liquid if it was too thick, then it would go through a big strainer...(unless it was fairly smooth...small lumps did not bother anyone). She might add a bit of salt and pepper....that was it. Just remember it being good. Very little fuss to make except the roaster covered two burners on the stove as we always had a big turkey.

I will freely admit that I was a certified chef, working in the restaurant industry for over 30 years and I can't make gravy to save my life!

Watson

turkey gravy

Make gibbet broth by boiling 2-3 turkey bullion cubes with turkey neck, giblets, liver, heart, etc. set aside.

Make a roux of flour & water and brown , add gibbet broth and turkey drippings.

roast gravy

I pressure cook a large potato with my roast after searing the meat it good.

When done, I take the roast out and put the potato with some water in my blender, then add it to the roast water to thicken and make gravy. Then I add my chopped potatoes to the gravy and just bring up to pressure and take off the stove, they are done and tender. The gravy is so good, it does not have the meds after taste that store bought gravy does.

Watson! Making a smooth gravy is a rite of passage for a chef. You'd better practice this holiday season. ;D

The secret to beautiful brown gravy is to add caramel color to it after it's made. Dark Caramel powder does not add taste, only color. On jar will last you for decades. The only problem is that is turns rock hard. Mix it with hot water to form a paste and keep it in the fridge. Less then 1/8 teaspoon is all you need per pan of gravy. It's used to make dark bread, beer, soda, anything that need a dark color.

My mom used to be a cook for a lot of restaurants' around here. she used to roll her eyes at anyone suggesting taking flour and water and shaking it together. Flour doesn't make lumps as long as it is mixed with the drippings in the pan well while they are still hot and then adding the additional liquid slowly while stirring and heating. Her position was to make the gravy as quickly and simply as you could as there was more than enough other nummy's to get on the table.