How to Make Meat/Poultry Gravy

Although it is fairly simple to make, many home cooks have a difficult time making flavorful, smooth gravy. With a little practice, you can turn out homemade gravies in as little as 10 minutes. It is the perfect touch to complete your dinner. Besides, who doesn't like gravy?

When you bake a roast, turkey or chicken, there should be juice in the bottom of the baking pan. Pan juice is the most important ingredient in meat/poultry-based gravy.

After you have removed your meat from the pan, pour the pan juice into a saucepan.

Here is what you will need-

· 2 tablespoons flour
· 1 cup cold water
· 1 to 1½ cups of meat juice from baking pan
· Salt and pepper to taste

Making the Gravy

Tip: When mixing the cold water and flour, use a shaker container to mix. Shake for at least 30 seconds to thoroughly mix. It is important that you use cold water. Hot water will cause the flour to lump.

Do not turn the heat under the pot just yet. I found if you mix the juice and the flour mixture first, then add the heat you are less likely to get lumps.

Add the flour mixture very slowly stirring continuously. Put saucepan on stove and use med heat. Bring to a boil then simmer for 2 minutes. This helps take away the raw flour taste.

Add salt and pepper.

Not so hard, right? Well here is a little tip I use myself.

Turkey Gravy
Using juice for making gravy is really simple, but what happens when you don't have the time to wait for the drippings?

Turkey is usually for a large dinner plan. To help cut down the last minute rush of trying to get everything ready to serve, you can use the neck and giblets (pieces in pouch) before hand to make the gravy.

All you need to do is simmer them in a saucepan of water for an hour, then strain the juice. You can do this ahead of time and let it cool. Then, follow the steps in the meat-broth recipe.

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Traditional Southern White Gravy

If you love those Southern breakfasts why not learn to make the traditional country breakfast gravy that is used for biscuits, steaks, French fries and virtually everything else? Biscuits and gravy have been a staple in the diet of many individuals and families in the South. Some people call it Sawmill gravy, White gravy or simply Cream gravy.

True southern gravy is a pan gravy, usually made with grease, fat or lard.

Breakfast gravy gets its rich, creamy texture from whole milk, which replaces the water or broth in traditional meat-based gravy.

Here's what you will need:

· 4 tablespoons flour
· 5 tablespoons meat drippings (bacon grease, sausage grease or pan drippings)
· 2 cups whole milk (not skim or 2 percent)
· Salt and pepper

Put the meat drippings in a saucepan over low heat. Mix the flour gradually into the meat drippings. Cook until the flour mix is tan in color (this also gets rid of the raw taste of the flour), add the milk slowly. Make sure you constantly stir the mixture. Simmer the gravy stirring continually until it thickens to a creamy consistency. If it gets too thick, just add more milk a little at a time but be careful not to make it too thin.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tip 1: If you want richer gravy you can substitute the milk with light cream or half-and-half.

Tip 2: Freeze small amounts of the bacon grease, sausage grease or pan drippings for future use.

Happy Home Recipe

4 cups of love
2 cups of loyalty
3 cups of forgiveness
1 cup of friendship
5 spoons of hope
2 spoons of tenderness
4 quarts of faith
1 barrel of laughter

"Take love and loyalty, mix thoroughly with faith. Blend it with tenderness, kindness and understanding. Add friendship and hope, sprinkle abundantly with laughter. Bake it with sunshine. Serve daily with generous helpings."

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