Perfect Turkey Gravy Recipes

Steps:

• When your turkey goes into the oven, start the broth: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and turkey neck and giblets; cook, stirring, until the giblets are browned, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth, herb sprigs and bay leaf; cover and simmer while the turkey roasts, about 2 hours. Strain the broth and keep warm; reserve the neck and giblets, if desired.
• When your turkey is done, transfer it to a cutting board and pour all the pan drippings into a degreasing cup. Add 1/2 cup of the prepared broth to the roasting pan and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. (If the bits are stuck, put the pan over a low burner to loosen them.) Add the bits and liquid to the degreasing cup.
• Let the fat rise to the top of the degreasing cup, then spoon off 1/2 cup fat and transfer to a large saucepan over medium heat. Make a roux: Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the flour browns slightly, about 4 minutes.
• Gradually add the hot broth to the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Pour the dark roasting juices from the degreasing cup into the gravy, discarding any remaining fat. If desired, chop the giblets and shred the neck meat; add to the gravy. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the flavored butter, if desired.
• Start with cold heavy cream and mix on high speed.
• After about 3 minutes, you'll have whipped cream; continue mixing.
• After about 6 more minutes, the butter will clump and separate from the liquid. Strain and wrap the butter in cheesecloth, then squeeze out the liquid.
• Tip: To make perfect rounds, shape flavored butter into a log using parchment paper; wrap and chill, then slice.
• Pumpkin
• Mash 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin, 1 stick softened butter, 1/4 teaspoon orange zest, 1/2 teaspoon each sugar and pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt.
• Spiced Cranberry
• Simmer 1/2 cup cranberries with 1 tablespoon water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 strip lemon zest, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 clove, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard the zest, cinnamon and clove; let cool. Pulse in a food processor with 1 stick softened butter and a pinch of salt.
• Bourbon-Raisin
• Microwave 1/2 cup raisins with 1 tablespoon bourbon, covered, 45 seconds; let cool. Pulse in a food processor with 1 stick softened butter, 1 tablespoon chopped chives and a pinch of salt.
• Sage Brown Butter
• Melt 1 stick butter over medium heat and cook until browned. Add 1/4 cup sage and fry 30 seconds; drain on paper towels, then chop. Let the brown butter cool; mash with 1 stick softened butter, the sage and a pinch of salt.

Steps:

• 1. Mix Gravy Mix and flour in large saucepan. Gradually stir in water and turkey drippings with wire whisk until smooth. Stir in chopped turkey giblets, if desired.
• 2. Stirring frequently, cook on medium-high heat until gravy comes to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. (Gravy will continue to thicken upon standing.)
• Sage & Citrus Perfect Turkey Gravy: Prepare as directed, decreasing water to 2 cups. Stir 1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Rubbed Sage into Gravy Mix. Makes 12 (1/4-cup) servings.
• Roasted Cinnamon and Bacon Turkey Gravy: Cook 4 slices bacon in large saucepan until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon. Set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings in saucepan. Add 1/4 cup chopped onion; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Mix 2 packages McCormick® Turkey Gravy Mix, 1/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Roasted Saigon Cinnamon, 2 cups cold water and 1 cup turkey drippings. Add to saucepan; mix well. Continue with Step 2 as directed above. Stir in bacon. Makes 12 (1/4-cup) servings.
• Herbed Perfect Turkey Gravy: Prepare as directed. Stir 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Rubbed Sage or 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Poultry Seasoning into Gravy Mix. Makes 15 (1/4-cup) servings.
• Hearty Sage Turkey Gravy: Prepare as directed, decreasing water to 2 cups. Stir 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Rubbed Sage into Gravy Mix. Makes 12 (1/4-cup) servings.
• Hearty Herbed Turkey Gravy: Prepare as directed, decreasing water to 2 cups. Stir 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Poultry Seasoning into Gravy Mix. Makes 12 (1/4-cup) servings.
• Apple-Sage Turkey Gravy: Prepare as directed, decreasing water to 1 cup and adding 1 cup apple juice. Stir 1 teaspoon McCormick® Rubbed Sage into Gravy Mix. Makes 12 (1/4-cup) servings.
• Garlic and White Wine Turkey Gravy: Prepare as directed, decreasing water to 2 cups and adding 1/4 cup white wine. Stir 1/4 teaspoon each McCormick® California Style Garlic Powder with Parsley and McCormick® Thyme Leaves into Gravy Mix. Makes 12 (1/4-cup) servings.
• Mushroom-Onion Turkey Gravy: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms and 1/4 cup chopped onion; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Mix 2 packages McCormick(R) Turkey Gravy Mix, 1 1/2 cups cold water and 1 cup turkey drippings. Add to saucepan; mix well. Continue with Step 2 as directed above. Makes 8 (1/4-cup) servings.
• Cinnamon-Chipotle Turkey Gravy: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Add 1/4 cup chopped red onion; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Mix 2 packages McCormick® Turkey Gravy Mix, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon each McCormick® Ground Cinnamon and McCormick® Gourmet Collection Chipotle Chile Pepper, 2 cups cold water and 1 cup turkey drippings. Add to saucepan; mix well. Continue with Step 2 as directed above. Makes 12 (1/4-cup) servings.

Steps:

• Pour drippings from roasting pan into bowl, leaving brown particles in pan. Return 1/4 cup drippings to roasting pan. (Measure accurately because too little fat makes gravy lumpy.) Stir in flour. (Measure accurately so gravy is not greasy.)
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in liquid. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in salt and pepper.

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.

Steps:

• Twelve to 24 hours before cooking the turkey, remove the giblets and dry the turkey inside and out with paper towels. Rub the Dry Brine on all sides of the turkey, completely seasoning the exterior as well as the interior cavity. Place the turkey in a pan inside the refrigerator overnight.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and pat dry with paper towels. Cut one of the onions into quarters. Place the onion quarters, herbs and one head of the garlic inside the turkey. Tie the legs together with a single piece of string and tuck the wings under the body.
• Chop the remaining onion. Combine the chopped onion, carrots, celery and remaining garlic in a large roasting pan. Place the turkey on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan.
• Brush the entire surface of the turkey with the melted butter and sprinkle lightly with salt. Pour any remaining melted butter over the vegetables in the base of the pan. Place the turkey in the oven to roast on the center rack with the legs towards the back wall of the oven.
• After 45 minutes, remove the turkey from the oven and set on the stovetop. Carefully tilt the pan to one side and use a ladle to baste the butter over the breast of the turkey. Return the turkey to the oven, this time with the breast toward the back wall of the oven. Continue basting and rotating the turkey every 45 minutes until done. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours total. If at any point during the cooking the skin of the breast becomes too dark, cover the breast with aluminum foil and continue cooking to doneness.
• When the turkey is done, remove to a cooling rack to rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
• To make the gravy, place the roasting pan on the stovetop. Turn the heat beneath the roasting pan to medium. Cook the vegetables, stirring constantly, until the butter remaining in the pan is translucent, up to 6 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the butter, if necessary. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until a thick paste forms. Pour in the wine, stirring well and scraping the bottom of the pan to release any brown bits that remain stuck to the pan. Add the chicken stock and continue stirring until the stock reaches a simmer. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until flavorful and thickened to your liking.
• Transfer the entire gravy mixture to a saucepot and bring back to a simmer. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and strain the gravy into a serving container. Serve with the carved turkey.
• Combine the salt, sugar, garlic powder, pepper, fennel and sage in an airtight container and shake to thoroughly combine. Keeps for up to 6 months.

Steps:

• Make giblet stock while turkey is roasting.
• Transfer roasted turkey to a large platter. Pour juices from the pan into a fat separator. Set aside to separate, about 10 minutes.
• Strain stock, discarding solids, and return to saucepan; warm over low heat. Place roasting pan on top of stove over medium-high heat. Pour Madeira into measuring cup, then into pan, and let it bubble; scrape bottom and sides of pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge cooked-on bits.
• Make a slurry: Place flour in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Ladle 1 cup stock into jar, and close lid. Shake until combined. Slowly pour into roasting pan; stir to incorporate. Cook over medium heat, stirring until flour is cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly stir in remaining stock.
• Raise heat to medium high. Add the dark drippings that have settled to the bottom of the fat separator to roasting pan. Discard fat. Stir in rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 10 to 15 minutes to reduce and thicken. (For thicker gravy, add 1 more tablespoon flour and 1/2 cup less stock.)
• Strain liquid from pan through a very fine sieve. Adjust seasoning. Keep warm in heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Mix Gravy Mix and flour in large saucepan. Gradually stir in water and turkey drippings with wire whisk until smooth. Stir in chopped turkey giblets, if desired.
• Stirring frequently, cook on medium-high heat until gravy comes to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. (Gravy will continue to thicken upon standing.)

Steps:

• Remove turkey from the roasting pan. In a small jar, shake flour with water until smooth; set aside.
• Leaving carrot, onion, and turkey neck in the pan, remove 2 to 3 tablespoons of fat from the bottom, using a baster.
• Place pan over medium heat; add chicken broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Simmer the mixture until the sauce has darkened, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the vegetables and the turkey neck from the pan, and discard. Strain the sauce into a large measuring cup; discard any solids. You should have approximately 3 1/2 cups of strained liquid; add more stock if needed.
• Return the liquid to the pan; bring it to a simmer. Whisking constantly, gradually add the flour mixture.
• Cook mixture until gravy is smooth, has no lumps, and is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.