Exactly How My Mom Makes Her Awesome Gravy.
I’m trying to be timely!
I’ve got to tell you that my mom is the gravy queen. She makes some of the best, non-lumpy gravy I’ve ever had in my life. And not only that, but she has made strong points about gravy since I was a kid, most notably sharing her favorite college snack of french fries and gravy. I think that is the first time I ever heard of food described as “sinful.”
One of her specialties is an old-school turkey or pot roast sandwich on white bread, literally SMOTHERED in gravy. Now that is some real comfort food.
This is exactly how she does it! This is a simple, basic method that is a little boring to see in photos but seriously WORKS. Here, she simply roasted a smaller turkey breast. But this is the exact same way she makes gravy for a whole turkey (the gravy usually ends up darker), chicken (the gravy looks similar to this), pot roast (the gravy is much dark, obviously since it’s beef) and so on. Her method is super simple and just requires a lot of stirring, some seasoning at the end and patience patience patience. This gravy also reheats very well – and she will make HUGE batches at a time for tons of leftovers.
Depending on how many people she is feeding and how much gravy she wants, she often adds a bit of stock to the bottom of her roasting pan before cooking. This way she ends up with more gravy than what the drippings would provide, and the stock is flavored with the drippings during roast time. She says she adds about 1/4 inch of stock. It’s an eyeball thing!
After removing the bird, she strains out any loose pieces of meat, pouring the drippings into a saucepan or pot. If she is roasting a large turkey on a roasting pan, she just might pick out any loose pieces with kitchen tongs. She likes to use the same pot or pan that she roasted the meat in, that way you get all the goodness of the brown bits on the bottom. It’s up to you whether you want to use a new pan or the original one.
After that, she begins to heat it over medium heat.
Next, she adds three heaping tablespoons of flour to 16 ounces of COLD water. She says three heaping tablespoons, I say more like a full 1/4 cup. It is something I believe that you learn to eyeball over the years of making gravy. The key is adding the flour to the cold water, not the other way around. SO – don’t add the flour in the cup first. Cool? Cool.
Supervision is key. Obviously.
After adding the flour to the water, she shakes the HECK out of it in that shaker bottle. We are talking for at least 30 seconds, but probably closer to a full minute. I have found that this is the best way to make a slurry and used this method a lot while developing some healthy yet creamy crockpot soups for my cookbook.
Shake shake shake!
Next up, she pours the slurry into the drippings that are in the pot over the heat.
Then she begins to stir. And basically, NEVER STOPS. No really. My life has been threatened if I stop stirring.
I’m not sure if I can fully explain the extent to which my mom stirs and whisks her gravy. It takes a long time. There have been Thanksgivings when I feel like my arm is going to fall off. Someone is always stirring, so if you need your hands for something else, find other hands and make them stir. For real.
DO NOT STOP.
The gravy will begin to thicken and become, well… gravy. You will know when it’s at gravy status. You know?
It’s still over medium heat, but it’s boiling and bubbling away. After her 15 to 20 minutes of stirring, she sets it to low and that’s where it stays until it’s served.
Before serving, she tastes it and seasons the heck out of it. Don’t be afraid to season it – it will need a good bit of salt and pepper to taste like GRAVY. Just continue to taste and add. We do not measure, considering she likes a lot more salt than I do. Just taste and season. It will also depend on if you use stock, how much sodium that stock has, and so on. Lots of factors, but not difficult ones.
Um, also, can I say at this point, please don’t add yellow food coloring. Ha. Mother Lovett always added yellow food coloring to chicken gravy… was this a thing back then? Apparently her reasoning was that since it’s chicken “it’s supposed to be yellow.” Uh, since it’s chicken, shouldn’t it just be the color that it is naturally?? Yes please. Okay good. I love you.
Oh and P.S. -> are you a gravy drizzler or a gravy smotherer? Like does your entire plate swim in gravy? Or just a few spoonfuls here and there? I’m a spoonful/drizzle girl. Shocking, I know.
How To Make Gravy
Ingredients
- the drippings from a turkey, chicken, etc (be sure to add extra stock BEFORE roasting if desired)
- 16 ounces cold water
- 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper!!!
Instructions
- Strain the drippings from the roasting pan into a large pot or saucepan and set it over medium heat. Add the cold water to a shaker bottle (or water bottle/mason jar) and add the flour on top. Shake the heck out of it for 30 to 60 seconds, until the flour seems completely incorporated and creates a slurry. With a whisk or fork in one hand, pour the slurry into the drippings, sitting constantly with the other hand. Continue to stir to avoid any lumps and stir until the gravy has thickened, anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. Make sure you are scraping the bottom of the pan.
- Taste the gravy and season it to your liking. Set it over low heat for serving. My mom stores her extra gravy in the fridge for about a week. To reheat it, she places it in a saucepan (it will look disgusting) and adds a touch of water or stock. She heats it over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s back to it’s original consistency. Like soups and sauces, it often tastes better the next day!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Today, I’m smoking a turkey so I can tell you about it. And I’m making the trashiest gravy ever. Ohhhh you so can’t wait. !!!!!!!!!!!!!
[This is a part of my exactly how I do things series where I tell you… exactly how I do things. Even if they’re wrong]
119 Comments on “Exactly How My Mom Makes Her Awesome Gravy.”
I just made this tonight and it was PERFECT! Not ok, not good, perfect! Thanks so much :)
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What I want to know is what kind of pots your mama is using?! Those look hardcore…I want some!
That pot is a Wagner Dutch Oven, as I see it, by the handle. Pretty unmistakable.
A Wagner Wear ‘Magnalite’ Dutch Oven, to more exact!
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I LOVE this recipe! I made it last year and am pre-making it ahead this year. I substitute homemade stock for the water but I love how creamy the gravy is from shaking the flour with the water/stock before adding. This recipe actually freezes really well too if you want to make ahead with extra turkey pieces. I smoke my turkey so making gravy ahead and freezing is a real time saver. Seriously tasty gravy!
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You had me at French Fries and Gravy, then when you mentioned the turkey or beef with gravy on the white bread…it was like being back in PA as a child…Yum!
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This was really delicious
One Thanksgiving I had 3 sisters-in-law helping me get the meal ready. Things went smoothly until ….the gravy. We ALL had a differnet way to make the gravy. But I make it EXACTLY, step by step, the way you do. Must be a family thing!
Serious Question: For the step of endless stirring, would an immersion blender work? I mean my arms could use a work out as they look like soba noodles but if I decided to use an immersion blender would that be fine? Asking for a friend :P
Yes you can use that I have worked fine.
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Same here. Only cornstarch is my go to vs.flour. No need for a roux. I think that ends up tasting pastey.
This gravy was really awesome. Thanks.
Hey, I love your gravy recipe. But mother also used to make best gravy i had ever tested. But she is no more. So sometimes i try it by myself. But i could not do that properly. After reading your article my previous week gravy was much better. But i think it was little bit more thicker than your recipe and your picture showing. I think Your gravy is more yummy. Can you please tell me the reason why its occurred? :)
Love your pictures and thanks for the recipe! Just made this and the key is the cold cold cold water! :)Â
I love gravy very much but I have never made it.Your amazing post makes me happy. Hope now I can prepare this delicious meal.
Happy cooking !!
This is a really great and tasty gravy recipe! Have always wanted to try out making a creamy gravy but didn’t really take action. Finally after reading your post, it somehow motivated me to start doing it. So thank you for that!
Thanks,
Katy
I like that it was funny.But she is rite that’s how you make gravy.
Do you know how approximately how much liquid you should get from the pan drippings? I am wondering how much liquid I should be adding the 16oz slurry to?
All your pictures are so nice and also your recipes! I have impressed with your article. Thank you.
I’m waiting for this meal to night at my cousins house he already cooking this for me. I can’t wait anymore………..
The article is useful for myself. Recipe is great, thank you very much
do any of you add seasoning to it such as salt, pepper, tony chachere
I ordered 2 signed copies of your new cook book for my daughter and myself and hope this is in it. :) can’t wait to try recipes with her! Or let her cook and I’ll sample. Even better!
My mom makes her gravy like this! shes done it since I can remember, its sooo delicious and I concur that gravy is everything :)
I have tried this recipe last night. It was really awesome!
can you use self risen flour
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I love this recipe and your dog too :)
I’ll try it tonight, here is so cold.
Thanks Annie
Should I separate the fat from the juice
I was wondering the same thing.
No. That is where the flavor is. :) My mom would have a heart attack if you did. LOL
Looks very tasty!. I’m going to cook it for dinner tonight. I think with a cleaner you would be easier to cook
I think my Mom used to make hers like this cause I remember her adding flour and water to a container and her really shaking it up then adding it to the drippings. When I make gravy I usually do 3 Tabls fat and 3 tables flour then whisking that, then adding the drippings with chicken broth to make a quart
So are you saying you dont separate the fat from the drippings? You just keep it all together?
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Love this post! You did an incredible job with this recipe! It’s delicious! My entire family loved it. Thanks so much for sharing!
This is exactly how my mom made her gravy as well. I try and try but can’t do it. Thanks to your recipe though, I think I found my flaw. I put the flour in first…which apparently is the no no. Didn’t even realize until reading the article…then thinking, yup, flour was always glumped on top of the water when she’d give it to me to shake. I had to laugh about the stir until your arms fell off, this is so true. Reading this made me really miss my mom.
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My Mom passed away in July and I am taking on Thanksgiving. I have always helped with dinner but never made gravy. After going thru I don’t know how many turkey gravy recipes I found your recipe. This is how I remember Mom making gravy. I have to say the memories brought tears to my eyes but I now have some chance of doing her proud. Thank you. Many blessings for you. Happy Thanksgiving!
this made me tear up too. thank you vickie!! happy thanksgiving to you as well. please let me know how the gravy turns out!
What amount of pan juices will the 16 oz. slurry thicken????
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You wouldn’t believe how many memories flooded back to my mind when reading how your mom made gravy; Â My mom did the exact thing and now I do. Â Thank you for sharing!!