Turkey Gravy

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Domestic Goddess

Senior Cook
Joined
Jul 25, 2005
Messages
167
Location
Marshfield, Wisconsin
This is the gravy I make after I've prepared the http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f15/herb-roasted-turkey-52425.html (Baked in Oven Cooking Bag), and may I say it's some of "the best" tasting gravy I've ever had. I let the pan drippings sit overnight (in a glass bowl with a lid) in the refrigerator. The next day the fat hardens and comes to the surface of the bowl, which I then scrape it off, and make the gravy. (See *Note before preparing the gravy.)


Turkey Gravy

2 cups turkey drippings

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk

Combine the turkey drippings, pepper, poultry seasoning, and bouillon granules in a 1-quart saucepan; simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

While the pan drippings and spices are heating, combine the flour (the 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) along the milk, in a jar with a tight fitting lid; shake until ingredients become smooth.

Slowly add the milk mixture into the simmering broth; stirring constantly with a spoon.

Continue to cook and stir, until the gravy is thick and bubbly, then serve.

Yields: 2-1/2 cups of gravy

*Note: If I roast a 19 lb. bird, I am able to double the gravy ingredients, and then I'll add the already cooked, cut-up turkey meat into the gravy. The gravy and turkey meat taste great served over hot-cooked mashed potatoes. Also, whenever I double the recipe, I then prepare the gravy in a 3-quart saucepan.
 
Never used milk in gravy unless it was for white, sausage gravy to pour over biscuits.
They use milk a lot here in the south for gravy. Many just call it milk gravy.

I use the stock associated with the meat I am serving. Today it will be turkey stock to make turkey gravy.
Its actually a combo of chicken and turkey stock.
 
I know what you mean. When I first moved to Texas, I used to make pan gravy for the chicken fried pieces of meat. Brown the flour, make a roux and add water with a little Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet. My neighbor thought I was crazy. She had never seen anyone make brown gravy for chicken fried anything. Everyone used milk. I just told her it was how crazy Yankees cooked. :angel:
 
Milk gravy is another word for béchamel sauce. Have you ever made cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese? That's a variation of béchamel.
 
Milk gravy is another word for béchamel sauce. Have you ever made cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese? That's a variation of béchamel.

Most of what I'd call gravy is a simple pan sauce, a bit from a real béchamel, although made with a similar process. What I consider as gravy starts with fat and fond from cooking meat, not with melted butter. Add flour to the fat to make your roux, then either water or milk (my mother used milk for chicken and turkey gravy, but water for pork and beef) and season to taste.

Gravy can also be made without a roux if there is a lot of flavorful juices in the pan, by making a slurry of water and flour and adding that to pan drippings, whisking as it's added to the drippings to avoid clumping the flour, then simmering for about 20 minutes to be sure that the flour is cooked.

I see béchamel as a much more pure sauce, made from a roux of butter and flour, then adding milk, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then again simmer for about 20 minutes to ensure that there is no raw flour (this is the béchamel recipe from my Silver Spoon bible of Italian cooking). Most of the time, I only modify it with additional flavors after this point. For a garlic pasta sauce, I add garlic directly to the roux so that it sautées and infuses the butter. I also vary the thickness of the sauce depending on usage.
 
I make your basic roux. I use 5 parts dextrinized APF and 5 parts unsalted clarified butter. Escoffier recommends equal parts. This gives the roux a grainy texture. I chill the roux before adding it into the hot turkey stock. Stirring constantly. No lumps happen.
Season with white pepper and Kosher salt.
That's it.
 
I make your basic roux. I use 5 parts dextrinized APF and 5 parts unsalted clarified butter. Escoffier recommends equal parts. This gives the roux a grainy texture. I chill the roux before adding it into the hot turkey stock. Stirring constantly. No lumps happen.
Season with white pepper and Kosher salt.
That's it.

You don't incorporate the pan drippings???
 
Over the years I've created my own way of producing pretty darn good turkey gravy. Let me explain.

Before I even cook the turkey I first salt and pepper a couple of pounds of turkey necks, then roast them until they're nice and brown. Once browned, I add them and any of the roasted pan crumbs to a pot with enough water to cover. The necks are simmered until the meat falls off the bone.

Everything is strained and I toss the bones and save the meat for nibbles or, sometimes, to add to our dressing. While the necks are doing their thing, the giblets get a simmer and strain and the liquid is added to the neck broth. Depending on how much time I have, I may reduce the liquid by about 30%. That's even better.

At the same time, I reserve the liquid from the potatoes that were cooked for mashing. Lots of good starch and flavor there.

When it comes time to actually make the gravy, I pour all the drippings from the bird into a large wide-bottomed pan or Dutch oven. Turn up the heat and stir and whisk until everything's nice and dark brown. Then I sprinkle in some flour. Don't really have a true measurement because it's governed by what is in the pan to begin with.

Again, whisk and stir. Much like making a roux for gumbo. Once that's done, I begin to slowly whisk in the broth from the necks/giblets. Lots of whisking and, maybe, a little more flour. Most of the time the original quantity of flour is enough to achieve the consistency I want. Usually, I'll add some of the potato water and whisk some more. I test for salt and add any if necessary. Usually just a little.

In the end, there's plenty of deep amber/brown gravy with a rich flavor. My family are gravy-aholics and I have been forced, over the years, to serve gravy in a huge china pitcher. Yep, they like their gravy. And, for heaven's sake, there'd better be some leftover for later.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
 
Last edited:
I didn't make enough gravy! Enough, meaning there should still be some leftover or until everyone is full!

I made one pan the day before with giblet stock plus 2 hacked up thighs browned before adding to the stock. 2nd pan of gravy made in the roaster with the drippings after the turkey came out of the oven. Added the previous day's gravy to combine and heat together. I use a slurry to make the gravies. I do not like lumps. Requires a lot of continuous stirring and boiling to cook off the raw flour taste before simmering it.

ETA: I wish I had read Katie's notes Like Yesterday. Better details. Although I should know this term-- Whisk! :)
 
Last edited:
My method is similar to Katie's. You concentrate and brown the pan drippings, deglaze the roasting pan with turkey stock and thicken with flour. Season to taste. This year my gravy came out perfect with no extra seasoning because of the flavors in the brine that ended up in the pan.
 
My gravy yesterday was the best I've ever done.

The turkey had been done on the Webber and the drip pan had an abundance of fatty drippings. Son didn't have a fat separator OR a turkey baster. I suddenly remembered how my late MIL did it and told him to dump ice cubes into the pan. The fat congealed around the cubes and we removed them with a slotted spoon, leaving all the goodness for the gravy. I used the excellent Trader Joe's boxed turkey stock, Gravy Master (better than Kitchen Bouquet) and flour shaken in a jar of broth.
Easy Peasy, and everyone raved it was the best gravy ever!
 
Good save, Kay. Sounds delicious, and I'm sure everyone was happy to have tasty gravy! I agree with you that TJ's turkey stock is excellent. :yum:

I seem to remember either my mom or grandmother using the ice cube method in a pinch too, but had forgotten about it until now.
 
Good save, Kay. Sounds delicious, and I'm sure everyone was happy to have tasty gravy! I agree with you that TJ's turkey stock is excellent. :yum:

I seem to remember either my mom or grandmother using the ice cube method in a pinch too, but had forgotten about it until now.

Ha! I thought I had totally forgotten the ice trick too Cheryl! Joey asked me how I thought of that and was glad to tell him the idea had come from his paternal grandma. It was a nice moment for both of us and we almost felt she with us.
The turkey was served on my mother's beautiful china platter, so I guess they both were there.
 
That's the best part about Thanksgiving, IMO - recalling memories of those who aren't with us at the table, with those who are.
 
You don't incorporate the pan drippings???
Of course I do. The pan drippings are part of the hot stock as is whatever fond there is on the roasting pan.
After I have removed any fat floating on the drippings I stir in boiling water to loosen the fond.
Then I pour this hot stock over the chilled roux while stirring.
I pour ALL the stock at once onto the roux. I don't like the wallpaper paste effect you get by dripping in the hot stock a little at a time.
 
Back
Top Bottom