Ah, gravy. Arguably the best part of the Thanksgiving table. My plate is almost entirely covered in gravy, basically everything but the cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. I love a good classic gravy, savory and salty. Recently, I’ve found I enjoy a slightly sweeter version too, I call it Maple Bacon Butter Gravy. It’s perfect with my Roasted Maple Bacon Turkey Breast.
The Background
It seems widely accepted that gravy is a British invention. The British prepare a gravy from the drippings of their iconic Sunday roast. It stands to reason colonizers brought their recipes with them to the “new world”. The later history of the sauce is of particular interest to me due to the commercialization and sale of gravy packets. Check out this article by The Atlantic all about it. Spoiler alert, it makes a convincing argument that returning to classic techniques of making gravies from the drippings of our roasted meats is the way to go.
First, if you’ve never made a gravy before you can do this! Even if your gravy doesn’t seem to be getting where it ought to go, keep the faith. I would say the key is to make sure you don’t have too much flour, or to make sure you “cook it out” long enough. You’ll primarily want to use the drippings of your roasted meat to help make the sauce, separated from the fat as best you can. Depending on how you’re cooking your meat you will likely need additional stock. If you’ve been able to make turkey stock in advance, bravo, this is the time to use it! If not, a chicken or turkey stock from the supermarket will do just fine.
The Method
I like to start my gravy by frying up a few pieces of bacon. After removing the bacon you should find yourself with leftover bacon grease, add in the thyme. Add the butter to this and allow it to just melt. From here, you’ll add your flour. Cook this flour over medium/medium low heat so that it bubbles (this is how you know it’s ‘cooking out’) but doesn’t burn. Be sure to whisk or stir this with a flat bottomed tool constantly until it gets at least two shades darker. For the kitchen newbies this mixture is called a roux.
Once your roux is a nice tan or light caramel color add in about 1 cup of stock and stir, your sauce should thicken almost immediately as you whisk it together. From here add in your reserved pan drippings. Whisk some more and allow to come to a simmer, taste it at this point. If you can still taste the flour allow this to simmer for 5-10 minutes until you can no longer taste the flour. If needed add in more stock as you go, you’ll want to maintain a ‘thick broth’ but try to maintain the simmer.
Next it’s time to add in some of the maple syrup and season with salt as needed. Thin with more stock until you reach your preferred thickness. Remember, the gravy will thicken once it cools a bit. Continue to taste and adjust seasoning, adding more maple syrup and salt to your liking. You should end up with a delightfully salty and sweet gravy. If desired, add some browning sauce for a deeper color and flavor.
This is a wonderful alternative to a traditional Thanksgiving gravy. I’ve been known to make this alongside traditional gravy. Sauces are kind of my thing. Try Maple Bacon Butter Gravy this holiday season. You won’t regret it!
Maple Bacon Butter Gravy
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 sprig thyme, leaves stripped, stem discarded
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp flour more or less
- 2-4 cups low sodium stock turkey, chicken or vegetable
- drippings from your roast, fat separated this will vary based on your roast, see note #1
- 1/2 cup maple syrup more or less
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp browning sauce, optional like kitchen bouquet
Instructions
- Cook your bacon slices over medium heat until fat is rendered. Remove bacon. See note #2
- Add in the thyme leaves and the butter, stir together until butter is just melted.
- Add the flour, you'll want a thin paste like consistency. Cook over medium/medium low heat. The mixture should gently bubble, continue to stir and keep it moving until it is about two shades darker, or a tan/light caramel color. Add in some cracked pepper to your taste and allow to cook for about 30 seconds before moving on.
- Add in one cup of stock, whisk together and allow liquid to thicken and gently simmer. Add your pan drippings, start with one cup and increase slowly. Taste, if flour is not detectable cook for about 5 minutes, if you can taste the flour opt for about 10 more minutes. Add drippings or stock if needed as you go, thinning at the end once you can no longer taste flour.
- Add in about 1/4 cup of maple syrup to start. Add some salt. Taste and adjust to your liking with salt, pepper and maple syrup. Add in browning sauce if desired. Thin with additional stock as needed, remember gravy will thicken once it cools a bit.