Like Linda I always made gravy from a brined turkey. Also with a presalted turkey. If you haven't tried pre-salting you might want to try that instead of brining. I was a big fan of brining until I was introduced to presalting. Better and much easier than dealing with a big pail of water. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Pre-Salting =========== Judy Rogers' Zuni Cafe method Servings: 11 to 15 Note: This is more a technique than a recipe. It makes a bird that has concentrated turkey flavor and fine, firm flesh and that is delicious as it is. But you can add other flavors as you wish. Minced rosemary would be a nice finishing addition. Or brush the bird lightly with butter before roasting. ADVERTISEMENT 1 (12- to 16-pound) turkey Kosher salt 1. Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons). 2. Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with salt. Place the turkey on its back and salt the breasts, concentrating the salt in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. It should look liberally seasoned, but not over-salted. 3. Turn the turkey on one side and sprinkle the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and do the same with the opposite side. 4. Place the turkey in a 2 1/2 -gallon sealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly. Place the turkey breast-side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day. 5. Remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Place the turkey breast-side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours. 6. On the day it is to be cooked, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 7. Place the turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts). 8. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, return the turkey to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, reads 165 degrees, about 2 3/4 hours total roasting. 9. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let stand at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve. Each of 15 servings: 564 calories; 77 grams protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 26 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 261 mg. cholesterol; 856 mg. sodium. . Notes: This same method can be used for chicken, chicken pieces, pork roasts, ribs, chops, etc.. With the smaller cuts just pre-salt 4 or five hours in advance. Even this short period of pre-salting makes an amazing difference. Don't cover, just refrigerate and then remove from the fridge in time for the meat to come to room temperature before cooking.

I too would rather use canned chicken broth than store bought gravy. I would melt two or three tablespoons butter in a saucepan and to that add a tablespoon or so of minced shallot. Saute until translucent. Add two or three tablespoons flour, stirring constantly cook until golden. Whisk in a can of chicken broth, 1 tablespoon of either sherry or white wine.(in a pinch I use dry vermouth)Salt and pepper to taste and let simmer 5-10 minutes. Add more chicken broth or milk if too thick. I always keep browned flour in a jar to color my gravy. Add a cup of flour to a dry cast iron skillet. On medium heat, watching carefully and stirring often, brown the flour until a light golden brown. Being careful not to walk away and let it scorch. Let cool, put into a container. After cooking like this it will not have the thickening "power" that uncooked flour does, so I use a tablespoon or so basically as a coloring agent.

sorry it took me a bit to get the recipe back out. we did not follow measurements exactly (it's a martha stewart recipe from the 2008 holidays mag) but did use 1/2 750mL dry white wine, 2 quartered onions, 2 TBS Bouquet Garni herbs (from Penzeys) 6 bay leaves, 2 TBS peppercorns, 6 peeled crushed garlic cloves all added to 7qts of water heated up to dissolve 1/2c salt & 1/2c sugar. i used one of the ziploc XXL bags added everything to a cleaned turkey and put the ziploc in a cooler w/ a 10 lb bag of ice for 24 hrs w/ an oven thermometer that has a probe and remote sensor to monitor the temp didn't get too warm. our turkey was barely thawed when we started and we brined for 24 hrs, it smelled sooo good i worried the dogs would get into the cooler. dh baked the turkey w/ all the available veggies we had and he of course poured off the fat in a separator. BTW i ate the last of the gravy sunday and it was even tastier after a couple of days! DH is still talking about his gravy lol ~ liz

My family always makes turkey gravy in the roasting pan with the drippings. Skim some of the fat. Stir in Wondra flour, salt and pepper and water or a bit of broth made with the giblets and neck boiled while the turkey roasted. I grill my turkey, so can't make gravy from the pan drippings. Instead, I make a rich turkey stock ahead of time using wings and, sometimes, drumsticks, along with the usual aromatics, and freeze it. The day before Thanksgiving, I brown a turkey thigh or two in some fat (usually olive oil), remove and set aside and then make a roux. I put the thighs back in along with some sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf and add the defrosted turkey stock along with pepper and salt to taste. I then cook this down by about half, strain it, refrigerate it and reheat it the next day for dinner. It's not pan gravy, but it's pretty good.