The Best (Do-Ahead) Turkey Gravy

i just tried this over thanksgiving and it was wonderful! fresh thyme instead of dried and all homemade chicken stock instead of the wine. it was great, and so nice not to worry about the gravy at the last minute! thanks for posting

I read all of the reviews of this recipe and decided to use it for a Birthday Turkey dinner that I am making this weekend for my husband's birthday. I usually have homemade turkey stock in the freezer, but found that I was running low (that's another reason to have a turkey dinner..to make more stock!) Anyway, I usually make stock with the whole carcass, but went with the turkey wings. I threw the 4 wings, 2 carrots unpeeled but with the tops trimmed off, the 2 celery, the 2 onions cut in wedges with the skins on, and several cloves of garlic. I put everything in a roaster with enough water to generously cover. Then I roasted it at 300 degrees all day. I took it out broke up the veggies and meat alittle. Allowed it to cool then put it in the fridge, roaster and all. I had things to do the next day so I just let it sit in the fridge "coolin' its wings." The following day, I returned it to the oven at 300 degrees added water as needed and cooked all day again. I then removed the veggies, meat, bones and bay leaves. I found that they didn't have much flavor left and I was too afraid of giving the dog the scraps because of the shards of bones, so I just threw the "Remains" out. I allowed it to cool and skim the top of some (not all) the fat. then ran it through a fine strainer ( you could use a cheesecloth, but I didn't have one). I then laddled it into plastic tubs to make 2 cup servings each. Into the freezer they went. I ended up with 14 cups of stock. When I made this recipe, I used 4 cups stock, 1/2 cup dry Sherry (didn't have Chardonney), 1/4 tsp. of Thyme, cracked pepper, and a little grey sea salt. Instead of flour, I used 4 TBSP of corn starch shaken in a jelly jar with 4 TBSP of cold water. Cooked until thicken. I estimate that it made 3 cups of gravy.I will have to post how it tasted after our dinner (I am alittle bias, so I will let you know what my picky in-laws think), but for now here's a picture. My gravy appears darker than the other pictures. That may be due to the fact that I roasted the stock longer.

This was a fabulous recipe! Thanks for sharing it. I did it at the last minute, and didn't have turkey wings, so I used the neck instead. There was hardly any fat at all. I also substituted cornstarch for the flour. We loved the flavor with the wine. It was great!

Everyone loved this! I substituted water for more chicken broth (didn't want it to blane), and added a little cornstarch to make the gravy thicker. It is important that you add the turkey drippings/juice when you reheat for a more flavorful gravy (or you can just add more turkey wings/thighs, etc. when you first cook this).

What a great idea! I made the gravy while the turkey was roasting in the oven, before the guests were due to arrive. I used two wings and two drumsticks bcs that's what was on hand at the store. Instead of using a whole clove of garlic I used a frozen crushed clove and doubled the amount bcs we love garlic. I let the whole thing simmer for close to an hour, removed the solids and brought the broth to a boil. I then added my cornstarch mixture while whisking continuously(1-2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2-3 Tbsp cold water) and thickened it that way - should it not be thick enough try and add a little more of the cornstarch and water mix. The gravy was fantastic! I didn't have the extra worry of wondering whether or not the gravy would turn out! Thanks very much, I've passed this along to some friends already!