How To Make Turkey Gravy Ahead of Thanksgiving — Thanksgiving Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Here"s a weekend project for you: Make turkey gravy! It takes a few hours, but you"re left with a bounty of good eating. There will be shredded turkey meat for sandwiches, extra turkey stock for stuffing or for slurping, and the golden stuff itself: Thick, savory turkey gravy stashed in the freezer for Thanksgiving Day.

When your Thanksgiving turkey is roasted and the guests are seated you don"t have to worry about your gravy. It"s already done. Here"s a step-by-step recipe to show you how.

Why You Might Want to Make Gravy Ahead

It"s really lovely to have all my gravy done. As Elizabeth notes in this post, you never know what kind of drippings you"re going to get from the turkey, and it"s nice to not be standing over a stove at the last moment before dinner!

Also, if you"re grilling or smoking your bird, you"re not going to have drippings for gravy anyway, so why not make it ahead?

→ More: 5 Reasons Why You Should Make Gravy Ahead of Thanksgiving

How To Make Turkey Gravy (Without Roasting a Bird)

The process here is multi-step, but almost entirely hands-off. It is the perfect activity for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

You roast turkey parts, save the drippings, then shred off some of the meat (however much you think you"ll eat). You can freeze the meat, or eat it straightaway. Then add what"s left of the meat, the bones, and some aromatics to a big pot and cover with water. Simmer for a few hours, then strain.

All that"s left, at that point, is to take a few cups of the stock, the turkey drippings, and some flour, and make your gravy. Cool, freeze, and enjoy your turkey broth, meat, and peace of mind.

One more note on this whole process: The key, for me, to making stock is not to sweat perfection. Yes, I"d love to skim my stock a few times and have just the right mix of meat, herbs, and aromatics. But you know what? Even if I"m making stock with half an onion, a piece of limp celery, and a few spare bones, the result will still be infinitely better than commercial canned stock. This is especially true of turkey stock, which has such a rich, rounded taste; it beats chicken stock hollow, in my humble opinion.

So remember that, as you go through the steps of your stock-making and gravy-cooking. If it"s homemade, you really can"t go too wrong. And your house will smell wonderful.

Original article and pictures take http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-turkey-gravy-ahead-of-thanksgiving-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-132850?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=managed&crlt.pid=camp.ZNNGJLn0ZqqJ site


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