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.

How I Learned to Make Gravy Instead of Wallpaper Paste

When Hubcaps and Gravy started getting requests on how to make gravy; and my husband asked me to write a blog with my gravy recipes, I know he thought it would be easy. Just include my recipes; and I’m done, right? Wrong! It’s not as easy as it sounds. You see, I was taught to cook by my mother and grandmother; and there were some things she taught me to make that just don’t have a written family recipe. Gravy is one of those things. So, I always make gravy without a recipe. That doesn’t help you make gravy though.

I’m sure by now you are thinking that I’m probably not the right person to be telling anyone how to make gravy; and maybe you’re right. However, it’s important for you to know that I am part of a large southern family just filled with excellent cooks. My grandmother, Lula Frances Grogan, was the best cook I have ever known. She knew the secret ingredient that makes everything taste better…Love. My husband always says he can tell when I’ve quickly thrown a dish together without putting in the love.

So, I don’t have the qualifications of a trained chef; but I’m a darn good cook if I do say so myself. I wasn’t always a good cook. If memory serves, I was nineteen years old when I first attempted to make gravy. I had cooked some sausage patties; and was using the drippings for my gravy. I was confident. Just put in the flour and milk, then stir until it thickens. So, I put in the flour…a lot of flour; and I poured in the milk. I stirred. My gravy thickened…quickly. I poured (translation: dumped) it from the skillet into a bowl; and brought it to the table with the spoon standing straight up in the middle. I could have used it for wallpaper paste. I was wondering what the heck happened. My mother and grandmother always made it seem so easy.

Several years and a whole lot of experience later I can now make all kinds of gravy like Sawmill Gravy and Frog-eye gravy (aka red-eye gravy) that is not only edible; but very tasty. Just in case you’re wondering, those are real gravy names. I didn’t make them up. Of course, I absolutely can’t leave out Chocolate Gravy, a southern treat. Here are the recipes:

Sawmill Gravy

1 pound of your favorite breakfast sausage

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

Crumble sausage; and cook in an iron skillet until golden brown and done. Remove the sausage and all of the fat except 2 tablespoons. Reduce heat to low. Whisk the flour into the fat; and cook for about 5 minutes. This flour and fat mixture is called a roux (pronounced: “ru”). Pour in the milk very slowly while constantly stirring it into the roux. Return heat to medium-high. Simmer and stir occasionally while the gravy thickens. Scrape up any brown bits that are stuck to the pan for flavor. Taste; and add salt and pepper as desired. Add the cooked sausage; and serve over hot biscuits.

Note: You can use this recipe after frying bacon, chicken, ground beef, pork chops, etc. Of course, don’t crumble in cooked sausage at the end.

Frog-eye Gravy (aka Red-eye Gravy)

According to folklore and not necessarily facts, Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), 7th President of the United States, who was an American General at the time, called for his cook to tell him what to prepare for the morning meal. The cook had been drinking "moonshine" the night before and his eyes were rimmed in red. Looking at his red eyes, General Jackson instructed the cook to bring him some country ham with gravy as red as his eyes. Some men nearby heard the general and from then on, ham gravy became "Red Eye Gravy."

Slices of salt-cured country ham
½ cup water
½ cup black coffee

Fry the ham in an iron skillet until done. Remove to a platter; and keep warm. Pour in the black coffee and water. Bring to a boil while stirring and scraping any browned ham bits off the bottom the pan. Boil for 1 – 2 minutes. Pour into heat proof pitcher. Serve with the ham, biscuits, eggs, and grits.

Chocolate Gravy

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup flour

3 – 4 tablespoons cocoa

pinch of salt

¼ to ½ cup cold water

2 cups milk

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients except the salt together in a heavy saucepan. Add just enough cold water to blend the dry ingredients together. Stir until there are no lumps. Stir in the milk until well blended. Place saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Cook and stir constantly until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the salt and vanilla. Serve over hot buttered biscuits. Great with fresh sliced strawberries.

Well there you have it. Just about any kind of gravy you could want to make. If you are looking for a recipe to make gravy to go along with the beautiful turkey you’re roasting for Christmas, click here. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Aunt Jean's Rich Chocolate Gravy Recipe

As a child, whenever I visited my Aunt Jean she would make her delicious rich chocolate gravy for breakfast. It only took one time for me to be hooked. Around the age of eleven, I began to have an interest in cooking. I asked my Aunt Jean for her gravy recipe; and I’ve been making chocolate gravy for breakfast ever since. I also discovered chocolate gravy is an easy chocolate dessert since the ingredients are staples in my kitchen. WARNING…I’m pretty sure the rich chocolate taste is what turned me into a chocoholic; so make it at your own risk!

Aunt Jean’s Rich Chocolate Gravy Recipe

1 c. sugar
¾ c. flour
3 T. unsweetened cocoa (increase this to make it more chocolaty, if desired)
cold water
8 T. (1 stick) butter, NOT margarine
4 c. milk
1 t. vanilla, NOT imitation – use the real stuff

In a heavy saucepan, stir together the sugar, flour, and cocoa until well blended. Add cold water, a little bit (about a tablespoon) at a time; and stir until you have a thick chocolate paste. Stir in milk, one cup at a time. Add the stick of butter; and place on medium heat. This must be watched carefully; and stirred constantly. Reduce heat if chocolate gravy starts to stick and burn. Continue to cook until the chocolate gravy is thick; and it reaches the desired consistency. Remove from heat; and stir in the teaspoon of vanilla. Serve over hot buttered biscuits. Makes 3-4 servings.

Just typing this chocolate gravy recipe makes my mouth water. This is so yummy for breakfast; but also, makes a great chocolate dessert. It’s so easy and delicious; you’ve got to try it. Be sure and let me know how you like it.