Best Delicious Turkey Gravy Recipes

BRINING AND COOKING THE PERFECT TURKEY WITH DELICIOUS GRAVY

Steps:

• Pour 4 32-ounce cartons of low-sodium chicken broth into a large stock pot and stir in kosher salt, savory, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook the brine for 7 minutes to blend flavors. Cool. Pour the mixture into a 5-gallon food-grade bucket, large cooler, or large brining bag. Stir apple juice and 1 gallon of water into the mixture. Place turkey, breast side down, into the brine and pour in more water if needed to cover. Place in refrigerator and brine for at least 36 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove turkey and discard used brine. Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey with breast side down on a roasting rack set into a roasting pan. Stuff the bird with 2 onions, 4 stalks of celery, and 4 carrots; place remaining 2 onions, 4 stalks of celery, and 4 carrots into the roasting pan surrounding the turkey. Brush outside of the turkey with 1/4 cup melted butter and pour white cooking wine and 2 32-ounce cartons of chicken broth into the pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes; baste with pan juices. If skin begins to darken too quickly, place a tent of aluminum foil over the bird. Continue roasting for 1 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes. Turn the turkey over so it is breast side up; brush with remaining 1/4 cup melted butter. Continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, reads 180 degrees F (80 degrees C), about 1 more hour (3 hours roasting time in all).
• Remove turkey and set aside while you make the gravy. Strain all the pan drippings through a mesh strainer into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer. Whisk 2 cups water, 1 32-ounce carton turkey broth, and cornstarch together in a bowl until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the hot pan drippings and cook until thickened, whisking constantly, about 5 minutes. Let gravy cool to thicken slightly. If desired, use a gravy separator to remove excess fat. Serve turkey with gravy.

MAKE-AHEAD DELICIOUS TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Cut the turkey wing into pieces with a heavy knife. (If using neck and giblets, cut the neck into three or four pieces. Trim the tough membrane from the gizzard. Rinse all neck pieces and giblets, and pat them very dry with paper towels.).
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter, and, when its foaming begins to subside, add the turkey pieces.
• Season with salt and pepper, and sauté over medium heat until golden brown - about 15-20 minutes.
• Add the coarsely chopped vegetables and garlic, season again with salt and pepper, and continue sautéing (add small bits of butter if necessary to prevent scorching) until vegetables begin to color slightly - about 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle over the flour, and continue sauteing, stirring constantly, until the floured vegetables turn brown - about 10 minutes.
• Add the thyme, bay leaves and water to the vegetables, whisking or stirring briskly to incorporate flavors and prevent lumps.
• When the liquid begins to boil, lower the heat and allow to simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Strain the sauce and discard the solids. Reserve the sauce. You should have about 4 cups of sauce.
• *This sauce may be made ahead to this point. It may be served as-is, OR thickened before serving.
• Alternatively, pan drippings may be added before serving and additional thickening may be added at that time.
• TO ADD PAN DRIPPINGS TO GRAVY:.
• Remove the roasted turkey and the cooking rack from the roasting pan; place the pan over two burners on the stove, heat adjusted to medium-high. Pour one cup of dry white wine (or dry vermouth) into the pan and bring the liquid to a simmer. With a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape the pan bottom to loosen the browned bits. Remove the roasting pan from the heat, and strain the liquid into a measuring cup, discarding the solids left in the strainer.
• Allow the liquid in the cup to stand so that the fat separates to the top - then, tilting the measuring cup, skim off the fat with a shallow spoon. Reserve the fat if you intend to thicken the gravy furthur while adding the pan drippings!
• De-fatted pan drippings (in the measuring cup above) may simply be added to the sauce, if no further thickening is desired. Whisk in the drippings, and allow sauce to simmer for a few minutes to develop flavors.
• *TO ADD DRIPPINGS AND ALSO THICKEN THE SAUCE AT THE SAME TIME:.
• Heat 4 tablespoons* of reserved turkey fat in a large saucepan until bubbling, then stir in an equal amount of flour (*use only half this amount of fat and flour if less thickening is desired for a thinner final gravy). Heat and stir the fat and flour mixture until bubbling - about 1 full minute, then gradually whisk in the defatted pan drippings, and finally, whisk in the finished sauce made ahead as described above. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer the drippings mixture with the sauce for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning with salt and pepper.
• NOTE: As the finished gravy is allowed to stand and cool, it will become thicker. To correct gravy that has become too thick, simply re-heat the gravy, adding water, turkey broth or chicken broth until it has thinned to desired consistency. Taste again for seasonings. A good idea: serve gravy in a warmed gravy boat or serving bowl.

DELICIOUS TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• In a large saucepan combine 3 cups water, turkey neck (and giblets, if using), celery, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaves, parsley, thyme and peppercorns. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour (I simmer all day and sporadically add pan drippings).
• Strain and de-fat the broth.
• Return broth to pan and heat gently.
• Defat the dripping and add to the stock. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir well and cook until the roux turns a light brown.
• Whisk the roux into the stock and cook until the gravy thickens.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve hot.