That’s Why the Lord Invented Gravy – Roasted Turkey Gravy and Other Thanksgiving Tips

Thanksgiving can be a stressful day. Cooking for a crowd is never easy, and with so much emphasis on the food, everyone is focused on what comes out of the kitchen. That can be a lot of pressure. Central among the concerns, is the turkey. Does it meet size requirements for all to overindulge, and will there be enough leftovers for overstuffed sandwiches? Will it be ready in time so that the guests don’t consume too much wine while waiting, embarrassing themselves and others? Will the skin cook to a golden, perfect crispness? And most importantly, will the turkey be too dry? While this last question gets most of the attention, in my mind it’s of minor significance. It doesn’t matter if the turkey is a little dry; that’s why the Lord invented gravy.

Of course no one wants dry turkey, and through artificial selection to produce more white meat, a perfectly cooked fowl can be difficult to achieve; the white meat of the breast is almost always overcooked by the time the dark meat has come up to temperature. For this reason, many professional chefs these days recommend dismembering your bird to cook the dark and white meat separately. But tradition is hard to dispel, and most of us will continue to roast the turkey whole just to show off for our friends and family.

To this dilemma, I give a nonchalant shrug. As long as they are not as dry as leather, your slices of white or dark meat will be bathed in a pool of gravy, hiding any flaws in the turkey itself. And naked turkey is not the most interesting of proteins anyway; it needs a flavorful gravy to make it tasty. So don’t fret too much about the bird itself. Instead, learn how to make an excellent gravy. Prepare a silky smooth, full-bodied gravy, and your guests will never question how dry the turkey is. Rather, they will sing your praises for a successful and satisfying meal.

Thanksgiving Tips

I have been preparing a full Thanksgiving meal almost every year for at least a quarter of a century. Over that time, I have discovered strategies to help streamline the cooking, reduce stress, and make an excellent meal.

• Planning is essential, from shopping to defrosting to cooking. If you don’t plan, you are guaranteed a day of stress.
• If you can’t do it all (and why should you?), your guests can help. They can bring more than a bottle of wine; consider it the price of admission. Think about who is coming, and give them an appropriate assignment, but make sure you let them know whether or not there will be counter, oven, or refrigerator space for them to finish preparation before the meal.
• Prepare plenty of interesting appetizers. The main meal is not everyone’s favorite of the year, but changing it up may cause mutiny among others. Believe me, I’ve tried, and it didn’t go over well. The place to shine is with a great diversity of appetizers – traditional or not.
• Do as much as you possibly can ahead of time. That way you may even get to rest for a minute or two on Thanksgiving Day before your guests arrive.
  • Cranberry sauce gets better if it sits for a day or two.
  • Some casseroles can be prepared or at least assembled ahead and cooked or reheated for mealtime.
  • A big tub of mashed potatoes is easy to reheat, although some additional butter or milk may be needed to smooth them out before serving.
  • Most vegetables can be trimmed the night before, ready to be cooked in time for the main meal.
  • And then there’s that gravy, which must be started a couple of days before the holiday and can even be fully prepared and refrigerated or frozen, ready for reheating just before eating. See my recipe below.
• If it’s cold enough, and only if it’s cold enough – be sure to check – use the outside as your refrigerator. Coolers filled with ice will also do in a pinch.
• Paper plates are okay. Cut yourself a break.
• The turkey:
  • Allow plenty of time to defrost your turkey in the refrigerator – up to a week, depending on size.
  • For crispier skin, don’t wet brine the turkey, dry brine. Wet brines were popular a few years back, but soaking a turkey in salted water is unwieldy and is then challenging to get a crispy skin. Rubbing the bird with salt a few days before will properly season the bird and allow for suitable browning.
  • Allow the turkey to air dry on a rack, uncovered, under refrigeration for at least a day, and up to two before roasting. The drier the skin is initially, the crispier it will become.
  • Time your turkey. Know what time you want to eat and count backwards. Include resting time (see below), cooking time, and extra time to pre-heat the oven.
  • Let it rest. It is essential that the turkey rest for at least a half hour before carving to allow the juices to redistribute, and it will stay perfectly warm for an hour or more. The turkey doesn’t need to be scorching…as long as there’s hot gravy.
  • Save the oysters for yourself, as a treat for the chef.
• While the turkey is resting, cook or reheat the rest of the meal.

Roasted Turkey Gravy

This gravy is designed to be made ahead of time to make your Thanksgiving Day less stressful. It can be refrigerated for a couple of days or frozen at two different points, and then finished or re-heated for the big meal.

For additional flavor, extras can be added to the stock as it is prepared. Dried porcini mushrooms make for a more savory gravy, and thyme adds a woodsy note, for example. Deglazing the sheet pan with white wine will lighten it a bit and cut some of the richness, while adding cream at the end will make it even richer.

About a half hour active time, 4 hours plus overnight inactive time, makes about 1½ quarts

2½ – 3 lbs. fresh turkey wings (purchased separately)

Turkey neck, if available

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into coins

1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and roughly chopped

2 ribs celery, roughly chopped

15 black peppercorns

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1½ sticks butter

½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 ^o
2. Place turkey wings and neck (if using) flat on a sturdy sheet pan and roast in pre-heated oven flipping once, until golden, 45 minutes to one hour.
3. Once roasted, place turkey parts in a large stockpot, along with carrots, onion, celery, peppercorns, and salt. Cover with 12 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
4. While stock is coming to a boil, discard grease drippings from the sheet pan, reserving any browned bits. Place sheet pan directly over two burners on stovetop, and turn heat to medium. Add two cups hot water to sheet pan, and as the water gets even hotter, deglaze by stirring and scraping up all brown crusty bits with a wooden spatula or spoon. When pan is completely deglazed, add to the simmering pot.
5. Simmer broth for 2 to 3 hours until reduced by about half, skimming any foam that forms, if necessary.
6. Allow stock to cool, then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Discard solids and reserve stock in the refrigerator overnight, or freeze until ready to be used.
7. When ready to complete the gravy, remove any congealed fat from the surface of the stock and discard. Heat the stock to just boiling in a saucepan.
8. Make a roux. Melt butter over medium-low heat in a 4-quart or larger heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven. Once butter is melted, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time stirring vigorously with a whisk, incorporating all flour before adding the next tablespoon. Stir roux constantly for about 8 minutes until golden in color.
9. Add hot stock one ladleful at a time, stirring vigorously and constantly to break up clumps that may form. Keep adding stock and stirring until gravy is your desired consistency, recognizing that as gravy sits, it may thicken and need more stock. Taste and add more salt if needed. Reserve extra stock for reheating or leftover turkey soup.
10. Gravy can be cooled and refrigerated or frozen until ready to re-heat for the Thanksgiving meal. Add more hot stock as re-heating, if needed to achieve desired consistency.

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