I'll be making chicken stock gravy from this simple recipe I got on the web years ago (very similar to Azline's, I think), though I'll probably use avocado oil rather than butter. It's not rich turkey gravy, but easy and good from my homemade stock, and my go-to.

3 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt --
comments say go easy
1/4 tsp. pepper
Herbs to taste (opt.)

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt the butter, then add the flour and blend thoroughly. Slowly add the broth, salt and pepper and blend until mixture thickens. Serve.

dedtired, I use the wings. A grocery store near me sells turkey wings. I don't really know what happens to the rest of the parts, because they always only have wings. :)

Thanks, pillow and Cooper. Guess I will be braving the grocery store crowds tomorrow to look for wings and other stuff. I’ll be glad for the day when the only thing I have to make for thanksgiving dinner is reservations.

I make lots of things from scratch but stock isn't one of them. Maybe one day I'll change my tune like I have for other things. You never know.

Azline, I was only talking about my chicken stock being good enough for the gravy, without having to roast turkey parts. I hope you don't think it was aimed at you. I have no quibbles!

That said, the trick is to make a really big pot of stock and freeze it in useful sizes. And for that, having a spare deep freeze is useful. People talk about filling your freezer with water bottles to keep it more efficient, but you might as well fill it with stock, intead. :)

The recipe plllog posted is from triciae who I miss. It’s on the linked thread, along with a few others including lindac’s “maximum trouble” version which I’ve used with much success.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2491457/gravy-help#n=13

Oh, thank-you, FOAS!! I've added the attribution to the file.

With leg and wings you’re getting drippings from fattier, more flavorful pieces of the bird. What’s missing?

Ditto Gardengal.

Plllog not at all! I always look forward to your posts. I was answering dedtired. In the future I'll be sure to put their name first so it's clear who I'm talking to.

Here's my two cents: I make my stock ahead and roast wings, backs, and necks with onion, celery, garlic and carrots .. Once nice and golden I plop it all in a crock pot, let it simmer for about 12 hours then strain and refrigerate. The day of the meal I remove most of the fat from the stock and reheat sometimes I throw in fresh thyme and sage at this point. When the bird is done and resting I deglaze the roasting pan with white wine and add the drippings to the stock. I make a simple roux of butter and flour then whisk the hot stock into the roux a little bit at a time. Works great.

dedtired, this is the one I use.

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

3 lbs turkey wings (or combination of wings, thighs, leg)

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

1 cup water

8 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

3/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Salt, to taste

Heat oven to 400.

Arrange wings in a single layer in a large roasting pan. Scatter onions over top. Roast 1 1/4 hours until wings are browned.

Put wings and onions in a 5-6 quart pot.

Add water to roasting pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom. Add the brown bits to the pot. Add 6 cups broth (put remaining 2 cups in fridge) add carrot and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered. 1 1/2 hours.

Remove wings. Save wing meat for another use or discard.

Strain broth into a 3 quart saucepan, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible.

Discard vegetables. Skim fat off broth and discard. (If time permits, refrigerate broth overnight to make fat skimming easier.)

Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups broth until well blended.

Bring broth in pot to a gentle boil. Whisk in flour/broth mixture and boil 3-4 minutes to thicken gravy and cook flour.

Stir in butter and pepper. Add salt, to taste.

Serve or freeze up to 6 months.

Another way to add a punch of flavor is to use that removed liquid fat to make the roux.... instead of butter.

wow, so many choices. I am off to battle the crowds at the grocery store to buy turkey parts, etc. Can't thank you all enough.

I really miss Cooking Conversations and all my friends. Nice to see so many familiar faces here. (Hi Foas. I think of you whenever I use my garlic mincer)

Azline, thank you for the kind words. I always think an apology or explanation is never wasted, so I don't dither on the "was that me" and trying to figure it out, and go right to the I meant no harms. Early in my days online, I said something complimenting someone's post. She entirely misunderstood it and turned troll. Learned an important lesson. ;)

We don't do gravy, usually, except for Thanksgiving. I'm more likly to make the stock version for a pot pie, with an absense of drippings. Otherwise, we serve pan juices instead, since we braise the bird. While I agree with the drippings definition, it's easier to call it chicken stock gravy than chicken stock gravylike substance. :) As for Triciae's recipe and the others calling for the roasting of small parts, those are legitimate roasted turkey parts which give legit pan drippings, I just realized, it doesn't say, but I do season with poultry seasoning, and do gather the drippings along the way.

Oy vey, I think I have to make gravy this year. Dad has to go low salt so I can't just buy it like I have done in the past. No sense wasting the pan drippings. But geeze, it's so fatty! I don't have one of those fat skimming pitcher dealies. I could maybe use a low salt turkey stock to make the gravy, but I'm not going to make one in advance, we already are going to have more turkey than we will know what to do with I don't want to buy more for making a stock. I wonder if you can buy low salt turkey broth? I have not seen it in the stores but maybe around Thanksgiving it will show up. I wonder if I could do just low salt chicken broth and give it a couple of shots of pan drippings. Dad has to go much more low salt than low fat. I'm the one who has to watch the fat. Again, not fanatically, but some things are just too over the top fatty for me. Gravy tends to be one of them.

I bought enough turkey parts to make a turkey with six legs and four wings plus a couple necks. Now to figure out what I’m going to do with them! One of the above, for sure.

If you are going low sodium, I trust you will be sure to buy a bird that does not have solution added...
Pour the pan drippings into an empty can.....and then chill as fast as you can....immerse in ice water. The grease will rise to the top faster and be easier to remove a lot of it.
And that's a good reason to make the gravy ahead....you can refrigerate the drippings and the broth from boiling up the giblets and neck and when it's cool remove all the fat.....then just make a slurry with some of the broth and flour and cook....not as good as using some of the turkey fat....but healthier!

I am always a little torn between aiming for two mutually exclusive goals.

I don't really like turkey gravy made from just turkey stock. It's so bland and lacks depth of flavor compared to the gravy that I get from the drippings. And making amazing gravy from drippings is so easy. It's almost fool proof. Deglaze (I like to use apple cider, but other liquids work to). Remove most of the fat. Then thicken with roux. Voila!

On the other hand, in recent years, I have really enjoyed making butterflied roasted turkey instead of roasting the intact bird. Results come out just as great, but it is done so much faster, and I don't have to worry about flipping a hot and heavy bird. It's also easier to carve.

My problem is that no matter what I have tried, I fail to get good drippings from butterflied turkey. It's never enough to actually make gravy.

This year, I am considering making the gravy from America's Test Kitchen: https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/our-favorite-turkey-gravy-americas-test-kitchen Maybe, that'll be a good compromise. It does look promising, when I read the description.

I also have some wing tips, necks and a couple of legs in the freezer, I'll make stock ahead of time for gravy. I roasted some turkey thighs about a week ago, and have the pan drippings in the freezer, so those will be used in the roux and then the stock will be ready to add in to finish the gravy. When I reheat the gravy I use a little milk or cream to "thin" it back down, we like the creamy texture it adds.

Happy Thanksgiving, dedtired, I'm glad to see you here!

Annie

Trader Joe's turkey gravy. Only available for the holiday, but VERY tasty.

I tried to post a link to an amusing article in Sunset about turkey gravy. I think it got flagged. Google sunsetDOTcom AND Kiva. The article will come up. The title starts “Chill Out Your Whole Family....”.

I always though Sunset was a magazine for little old ladies. My elementary school teachers would cut out the pretty pictures to decorate the bulletin board. This article really shakes off that image!

Hmm, Trader Joe’s. If it was possible to even get a parking space in their lot, I’d give it a try.

bbstx,I will google

thanks, Annie, good to see you, too. Of course I have a thing going on with your husband on Facebook.

Bbstx, I just googled. Now that is what I need, especially beforehand so I won’t give a d@mn about the gravy. Hysterical, especially in Sunset.

Omg just read the Sunset article. So funny--and I, too, wouldn't have expected it in that publication.

I've only ever made gravy from drippings (my grandmother used to task me with stirring the flour in when I was a little girl, so it's second nature to me now). But this year, my younger sister is hosting Thanksgiving, and I'm trying to make things easy on her. I'll be bringing make-ahead gravy of some sort, possible adding drippings at the last minute if they're easily available. This thread has been very helpful, especially in reversing the steps that I usually take to make gravy (heat drippings, then add flour/water, vs. making the roux first).

Pinkmountain, there are some brands of turkey broth that are low sodium that should be available in stores now. In addition, if you find the article that Bbstx mentions above, there's a video about halfway down that makes gravy that uses toasted flour without a roux. This method may save you about a half cup or so of fat that would have otherwise been needed to make the roux.

How does this sound, keeping in mind that my family doesn’t like garlic, thyme, etc in the gravy. First roast the legs and wings that I bought and set aside whatever drippings I get. Then take the roasted pieces and simmer them in a little chicken broth to make a flavorful stock. Make a roux of the drippings and use the stock to make gravy. That sounds like it would work, doesn’t it?

Yes, to me, based on what your family's preferences are, that sounds perfect. I might just suggest toasting the flour before you make the roux. I'm all over that idea now that I've seen it in the video mentioned above.

I am cautiously optimistic about the America's Test Kitchen recipe. It looks as if it's the closest thing to extracting dripping from the turkey giblets and assorted spare bits.

DH always makes the gravy and the pie crusts. And does most of the chopping. (good boy)

His favorite meal of the year so he is very involved in planning. We will shop together tomorrow. A tradition we always look forward to.

All our stocks were made the past few weeks. One labeled for gravy. Thawed and hot on the back burner, it is added to the pan drippings and roux last task with the mashing of the potatoes. The timing always works for us...

But it freezes great. Seems I always have a 1/4 pint for the freezer we use for a meal during xmas for just the two of us.

One enormous Thanksgiving for a crowd of 30+ he made his roux ahead of time during a lull in prep. We like a medium dark gravy over blond, so it takes some low and slow time. If we were traveling this year we talked about making the roux ahead in an ice cube tray. But staying home this year. Gravy making gets complicated at my parents home...tiny kitchen, timing is always off with all the chatter and insanity.

Nothing wrong with boxed stock if you add it to your drippings. Most of the better commercial stocks have a 'no salt added' now. Mom always put the turkey neck and ofals in a little back burner pot with water for her stock. Not the best gravy being so blond but who cares. It was fine. Big dry bird. No biggie...it was always a special meal and fun. Just do the best you can if hosting.

I don’t know where I got this recipe, but it was pretty good (no extra turkey parts to buy)

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy (serves 12, can be made 2 days in advance)

1 each: turkey neck, heart, gizzard and tail

1 TBsp vegetable oil

1 large onion chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

5 sprigs thyme (I’ve never put this in, so don’t know how it tastes with it)

6 cups chicken or turkey stock, low sodium or homemade

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup flour

dash worcestershire sauce (I also eliminated this, so don’t know)

My additions: : 1 TBsp cognac or brandy, 1 TBsp whipping cream

Pat turkey parts dry. In large frying pan, medium-high heat, add turkey parts, onion, carrot and celery. Cook stirring occasionally until nicely browned, 10 minutes. Transfer contents to 4-qt saucepan

Return frying pan to heat and add wine, scraping up brown bits with wooden spoon. When wine has been reduced by 2/3, pour into saucepan and add bay leaf, thyme and stock. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to very gentle simmer. Cook, skimming and discarding foam and fat, 1 hour. Pass through fine mesh strainer, discarding solids and reserving stock.

In medium saucepan heat butter over medium heat. When melted whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly until golden brown, 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in reserved stock (and cognac). Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to gemtle simmer, skimming off fat and foam, until reduced to 3 cups , 10-12 minutes. Add salt and pepper. (Add cream)

if made in advance : to reheat bring to simmer in small saucepan

dedtired, I suggested to a friend that we serve that Sunset magazine gravy for the first course as soup. Get everyone in the right frame of mind as early as possible!

sleevendog, you last couple of sentences above remind me of a favorite story. When my daughter was in elementary school, she wanted to take turkey sandwiches for lunch, but I could never find the right kind of turkey at the deli. She didn’t like any of the sliced deli turkey that I brought home. Finally, exasperated she said, “I want DRY turkey like Grandmommy makes!”

LOL, sleevendog, that's how my family feels. Some things are good, some not so good, but the company is always the most important things anyway. Don't like the turkey? Eat some more pie. Mashed potatoes are lumpy? Eat some more pie. Gravy is too bland? Eat some pie!

dedtired, I know about the thing you and Elery have going on, he's confessed. See, that's why I don't "do" Facebook, I'll find out all those secrets that I really do NOT want to know. (grin)

Your plan for gravy sounds right to me. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Annie

I did it! I made tasty gravy. Thank you all for your ideas. Fortunately when I roasted the drumsticks and wings they made a fair amount of drippings. In the meantime I simmered the one wing that wouldn’t fit I the roasting pan along with the backs. Then I threw the roasted pieces in with the stewed pieces and added a little more water. I did toast the flour first before making the roux. Seemed like maybe it needed more fat so I threw in about two Ts of butter and that thickened it up nicely. So I spent about $15 in Turkey parts and made a gigantic mess in my kitchen for four cups of delicious gravy. Well worth it.

Annie, I wake up with Elery and his jokes every morning. I told him he makes me laugh and he said that you say the same thing. Ha!

You know, it doesn't sound right when you say you wake up with my husband every morning. I mean, we do have a king sized bed and all, but still...

That Elery, he's a funny kind of guy, LOL.

Congratulations on the gravy, I was informed by Madison that we should have mashed potatoes, LOTS of them, and gravy. And so, I have turkey parts.

Annie

My dear departed SIL never understood gravy....where do you get it? I don't have enough stuff to make anything...she said. One time there were here for dinner and I was deep in tearing wall paper off a room so I popped a pork tenderloin into a Le C gratin pan, gave it a quick brown on the stove top and popped it in to the oven for maybe 25 minutes and made a gravy from the brown bits with some cider to deglaze, and a little butter for fat...etc. She said "Now where did you get that?" LOL!
Gravy is either easy and simple....or it's not. a little "someting" to dissolve the brown bits, a little fat and some flour and that's it!

Thanks for the tips Feathers! I should make some of that browned flour to have on hand!

LindaC, your SIL‘s “where does it come from” made me laugh. Bless her heart.

There is a magic gravy fairy. Her name is DeDe. If she comes to your house to make gravy, watch your speech around her. She only creates gravy for people who are kindly and polite.

LOL, Plllog, I guess that's why I always end up making the gravy....

Annie

HA! DeDe, the Gravy Fairy. Love it! If she’ll come make gravy at my house, I’ll speak kindly to her and give her a glass of wine! I hate making gravy!

"Sure, you can swap whole wheat flour for white flour," the internet said. "It will give your gravy a nutty flavor," the internet said.

If by "nutty" the internet meant "sandy," the internet was right. An entire batch of gravy, ruined by whole wheat flour. (And toasting it was a waste of time.)

Going back to the basics, the way my grandmother taught me 40 years ago.

Yeah. That's bizarre what the internet said. I'm kind of obsessed with whole wheat (mill my own) but if I were stuck using it to thicken gravy, I'd do my best to sift out the bran. Bran will swell but it'll never ungrit. What you can do is use any kind of other white flour or starch: rice, potato, arrowroot, tapioca, corn, etc. Just be careful to start short and add carefully since you don't want the gravy to gel. OTOH, I'm making a whole wheat crust for my pumpkin pie.

Bbstx, don't give the gravy fairy wine before she makes the gravy!

Yeah, Pillog, I should have known better. I don't bake often, so I only had the whole wheat flour. I thought it would be fine after a google search or two.

I always have cornstarch on hand to thicken syrups but prefer flour for gravy for the resulting consistency. (Cornstarch makes it too jelly-like.) I'll have to go to the store today for white flour and start all over.

I make "Tricia E's" make ahead gravy but I got my recipe from Woodie and she got it from Cook's Country magazine. At least that's what my notes say! I've made it for many years and I just made it yesterday and its really delicious. This has been a fun thread to read!

Well, after all that, we picked up a couple more guests for dinner and the gravy I made will not be enough. Despite my best effort to keep thanksgiving simple, I ended up buying an 18 pound turkey and will be making more gravy the usual way. Send Dede to my house.

Happy Thanksgiving, dedtired! If I see DeDe, I'll send her right over. I'm making stock tomorrow for gravy, maybe that'll lure her in.

Now that's a turkey, wow. Mine's a 15 pounder, but I'm having ham too.....

Annie

"...The definition of gravy refers specifically to a sauce made from pan drippings of a roasted protein. If you are not roasting the protein first, where are the drippings? Roasting necks and wings is not gonna do it! IMO,"

I picked up our turkey Monday night and did all the misc shopping. They had big necks and wings. (usually gone by the week or two before thanksgiving).

Decided to make another fresh stock. One wing, one neck. DH roasted with veg when he got home. Then into the mauslin. I got home close to midnight last night and did the finishing. Straining and chilling. 2 quarts of gorgeous stock for gravy and the stuffing/dressing. Roasted proteins make drippings. Necks and wings are proteins and they are huge.

The America's Test Kitchen recipe that I posted earlier in this thread goes to some rather elaborate lengths to make a fond before making the stock. It's a little scary at times, as it uses some non-traditional techniques to extract maximum flavor. But if you carefully follow instructions, you'll get really nice results. I was impressed how good of a job these directions did in achieving the full "roasted turkey" flavor. I think I have a keeper.

Thank you for all,your advice. I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving. my turkey will be done in about an hour, then I begin round two of gravy!