Tips for Making Good Gravy or How to Avoid Making Wallpaper Paste

This week’s hints and tips article is a little bit different than most of our postings. Our company name, Hubcaps and Gravy, is sometimes misleading making people think we sell hubcaps; or we are a restaurant. If you have taken a look at our website you know that neither is correct. One person even asked if we are a country style restaurant that serves food on hubcaps. Weird, huh? Well, apparently an establishment exists that actually does offer up food on a hubcap; so I guess his question wasn’t too far fetched.

Given the confusion, we have had some requests for information on how to make gravy; so last week my husband asked me to write instructions for making gravy. Here’s some basic gravy making hints and tips to help make your holiday meal a hit.

Taste, Taste, Taste! This step is important when making anything. You have to add and taste constantly. Add seasonings or ingredients in small amounts, then taste. You can always add more; but you can’t take flavors out once they’ve been added.

Salt is the key to the best flavored gravy. Start with about 1/2 tsp. for 4 cups of liquid. Then sprinkle in a tiny bit at a time, stirring and tasting until it’s just right.

You only need a small amount of fat to make lots of gravy, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup.

The secret to dark, rich gravy is dark, rich pan drippings. Let the drippings evaporate into a dark brown glaze during roasting, but don't let them burn. Whenever the pan looks dry, moisten the drippings with more stock, wine, or water so they don't scorch. The darker and heavier your roasting pan, the darker and richer the drippings. Aluminum roasters make wimpy drippings.

Heat your stock or low sodium broth before adding it to your gravy. This may mean dirtying an extra pot, but it’s worth it. This is one of the best ways to insure that you won’t have lumpy gravy. Also, use a wire whisk to stir the gravy to avoid lumps.

General rule of thumb for gravy is 1 tablespoon of fat and 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour for each cup of liquid. The flour can be adjusted depending on whether you prefer a thicker or thinner gravy, more flour for thicker gravy. Per 1 cup of liquid, use 1 tablespoon flour for thin gravy, 1 1/2 tablespoons for medium-thick gravy and 2 tablespoons for thick gravy.

Turkey Gravy

Once you have removed your turkey from the roasting pan, pour the pan drippings into a fat separator. Leave any browned turkey bits in the pan. These add great flavor to your gravy. If you don’t have a separator just use a heat proof measuring cup. Let it sit for a minute or two until the fat rises to the top. Pour the turkey juices back into the pan. If you used a measuring cup skim off the fat with a spoon, then pour the remaining juices into your pan. Too much fat in the gravy makes it taste greasy. You need about 2 cups of juices for this recipe. You can add canned chicken broth to make 2 cups, if needed.

Place the roasting pan on your stovetop. It will most likely cover two burners. I place mine on the side of my stovetop with the largest burner. This way I can use just the large burner to cook my gravy.

Next, make a slurry. In a separate container with a lid, shake together 3 tablespoons of flour and 2 cups of cool broth. You can use cooled turkey broth or canned chicken broth. Either works just fine. If you don’t have either, you can use water. The important thing is that it is cool before you mix it with the flour. Adding the thickener to your gravy in this manner helps prevent lumps from forming.

Now, turn on the heat under your roasting pan; and bring the juices to a nice steady bubbling boil. Slowly add the slurry mixture to the pan while using a whisk to stir constantly as it is added. If your gravy starts to thicken too quickly, stop adding the slurry mixture. You may not need the entire slurry mixture. If your gravy is too thick you can add more broth; or if it’s too thin you can add additional slurry mixture.

Reduce the heat to a simmer; and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Undercooked flour tastes raw. Add salt and pepper to taste. If your gravy has lumps or you want to remove any turkey bits, you can strain it through a sieve before serving. Add cooked chopped giblets, if desired. Pour into a warmed gravy boat or pitcher, and serve.

Note: This recipe can also be used to make roast beef gravy. If you are making roast beef gravy, you can substitute canned beef broth for the canned chicken broth.

Use these hints and tips; and practice to become a great gravy maker. Click here for my recipes for Sawmill Gravy and the southern treat, Chocolate Gravy along with more information on how I learned to make gravy instead of wallpaper paste. You will also find my recipe for Frog-eye Gravy (aka Red-eye Gravy) and a great folklore tale.