Chef John's Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

Made this for Thanksgiving dinner. Took the advise of some previous reviews and tweaked the recipe a little. I felt that 10 cups of water was too much for a couple of turkey wings and adjusted to 31/2 cups of water and 3 1/2 cups of canned chicken stock. I added a little celery salt to taste and ended up with a recipe that I will be using every Thanksgiving. What I really loved about this recipe is that I made my gravy on Tuesday, put it in a quart jar and put in the refrigerator, all I did on Thanksgiving was heat it up in a saucepan, saved me a lot of time and work during those last minutes of crunch time. Thanks for a great recipe and great technique.

First word: Wow! We can have gravy in the freezer for everyday cooking all year now! But I must say I was astonished that CJ tells us to throw away veggies - and the meat? Having been raised by parents who grew up in the depression, I couldn't do that of course. So I followed the recipe, but changed the method a bit. First, I sliced the onion in very thin half-slices and a finer slice of carrots and diced celery. My store had 3 large wings per pack, which I thought was perfect. Roasted in cast-iron skillet for the full hour, flipping wings once. Then into my old standard-size crock pot; filled w. water + 1 small can chicken broth, 3 big pinches dried thyme (1 per wing) and 3 large cloves garlic minced fine. Set on low, covered, all night, about 12 hrs. total. Let cool awhile, removed skin, fatty bits and bones, and had a platter of tender meat for an easy start to dinner or to save for post-holiday soup. There was so little fat floating on top that I didn't bother to skim. Just pureed broth/veggies in blender (in 4 batches) and strained. Set aside 1-1/2 c. to replace half the water in my dressing, leaving 4+ c. for gravy. This was already silky from having the fat already incorporated, so for the roux I just used 3T salted butter and 1/3 c. flour. Whisked over heat until it was the same lovely caramel color as the broth and whisked together. Velvet! Planned to add the drippings from the bird for final seasonings, but it doesn't even need it - I could just drink this stuff!!

I have made ths recipe for years. The only difference is that I use 6 or 8 turkey wings because there isn't much fat on a wing, and I use chicken or turkey broth instead of the water. I also add some white wine as part of the liquid. I usually make the gravy about a month ahead of the holidays because it freezes well. When it comes time use it, I put it in a crockpot, thaw it out and heat it up, saving stove space. It's my favorite gravy recipe.

First, I must say that I don't think make-ahead gravy ever tastes as good as making it from the pan drippings, but it's a tremendous time saver for that time-consuming Thanksgiving meal. Maybe my turkey wings weren't "large" enough, I don't know, but the broth did not have a lot of flavor even though I used a box (quart) of turkey stock as part of the 10 cups of liquid. Something I rarely do when making a recipe is modify it too much first time, but I found it necessary here. I added some Better Than Bouillon Turkey Base, some poultry seasoning, finely chopped wing meat, and some of the roasted veggies which I'd pureed in the blender. It all came together well, and I ended up with a flavorful gravy. I made another recipe last year from this site, but with these modifications, I think this is a better recipe. I have to wonder if 2 turkey wings is enough to flavor 10 cups of water, and in the future, I will use more wings and some necks if I can get them. Don't like changing a recipe this much, but after tasting the gravy, it was necessary. All was good in the end, and this 4-star rating is based on the tweaks I made.

I'm going to rate Chef John's recipe because it is virtually what I have done every year for many years other than also roast the neck with all the veggies too before simmering them for hours. I agree that two wings would not seem to add enough flavor. I save about 2 cups of my turkey stock for basting my turkey in the oven on the big day and make my gravy a bit thicker so I can pour some the pan drippings into it and into my dressing before placing that dish in the oven. No one would guess my dressing is not cooked in the bird! I don't mind a bit having my gravy done ahead of time, either. Great time saver when you really need it in the last hour trying to get this 'labor of love' meal on the table!!

This gravy is amazing. A little time consuming but worth having that extra gravy on Thanksgiving. I ended up with 7 cups of gravy at the end because I used 14 cups of water at the broth-making stage. That's how much it took to completely cover the wings and veg. That's the only change I made. Definitely a keeper!

I just finished making this. Last year I decided to try a new gravy recipe on Thanksgiving and for the first time ever, I had to toss everything and depend on jarred gravy. Not fun and most embarrassing!! Well, it took a few hours, but no rush since Thanksgiving is a couple weeks away. The only thing I changed was used 4 carrots and 4 celery stalks and used 8 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of water per other reviewers. After simmering for the 3 hours, I only ended up with 4 cups of stock, not 6. I just added 2 more cups of water with 2 tsps. of chicken bouillon. It came out smooth as silk and my husband's eyes actually sparkled when he tasted it. He was very impressed and I think it beat every gravy we've made for 31 years of marriage. Hubby said it probably won't last until Thanksgiving. I plan on freezing it and thawing that day to save the craziness trying to make gravy with the entire family watching and waiting for dinner to be ready. I highly recommend trying this!!

I've been doing this for several years but it's not the only gravy for the meal; it's a supplement to the gravy I make when the turkey comes out of the oven. We love hot turkey sandwiches here so need gravy to go a long way. If you're going to use this as your only gravy, you have to either up the turkey wings to four, or cut back on the cold water to about 6 cups in order to achieve a full-flavoured gravy. Downside to reducing the water is that you will end up with much less gravy. And, to the person who commented about frozen gravy being separated upon thawing, simply add a couple of tablespoons of water, heat, and whisk it well to recombine.

Hey, Chef John! Thanks! Made this for Thanksgiving & was so pleased. Followed the recipe exactly & liked it BUT then cheated by adding more flour and butter (might sub some corn starch next time). I wanted a thicker 'gravy base' in order for the gravy to be 'just right' when ALL the pan juices were added at dinner time! Made it thicker than I meant to, but the results are worth repeating. Why? I placed just some of the 'gravy base' from this recipe into a medium sized, lined slow cooker a couple hours before dinner. When the turkey came out of the oven & was removed from the pan, the pan juices went into the slow cooker w/the 'gravy base.' After whisking the gravy mixture, it was just the perfect amount of thickness for my taste! If it hadn't been, I'd have had a touch of easy juggling to do: add more 'gravy base' if it was too thin, or add some chicken stock if it was too thick. Easy fixes! Added touch of balsamic & garlic. Later crocked the turkey bones; pulled the bones out in the morning; ran out of time & crocked the broth a whole day more. The next morning after that, added onions, parsnips, carrots - especially carrots O Best Beloved, etc. In the evening, I added the rest of the 'gravy base', whisked it, stirred in some frozen peas & heated it through. Finally added a bit of turkey to the pot just before serving (just enough time to warm it through so it wouldn't dry out). Best turkey soup I've ever had. That after making the easiest turkey-day gravy ever! Thanks!

5 STARS? Yes it's that good!!! takes a lot of time but seriously, I had the best turkey gravy in the middle of October without all the other work. I poured this golden gravy over some wild rice burgers with sauteed mushrooms and hey, best. day. ever.

This recipe is fabulous! I just made this in advance so I won't have to mess with making gravy on Thanksgiving day. It's going in the freezer and I'll take it out a day in advance to thaw. I will reheat it in a crock pot to save precious burner space. ;) After boiling for 4 hours (don't skip on time), and staining, I put the liquid in a big glass bowl in the fridge over night. Next day, skimmed all fat off the top (reserving 2 Tbs) made the gravy. Is cooling now to go into a BIG container foe the freezer. Can't wait to enjoy this gravy!

This gravy was amazing! It does take some time, but it is well worth it. I followed the recipe to the tee other than adding some fresh rosemary and thyme at the end. One thing to keep in mind is to make sure you cook the flour long enough...I didn't do it the first time and it was wrecked, however I trust Chef John as I have tried many of his recipes and decided to give it another shot. We deep fry our turkey and this is the perfect gravy for us as we don't have the standard drippings. Me and my family all found the gravy to be the best turkey gravy we've had.

This recipe was very good and the instructional video was really helpful for those of us who are visual learners. I used two turkey legs instead of wings. Added some sage and rosemary along with the thyme. The finished product was a little too runny for my liking, so I removed a bit of the gravy and added some of the cooked carrots (not too many as you don't want orange gravy) onion and celery and about another tablespoon or so of flour. I used my smart stick hand blender and blended it all up and then put it back in the pot. I finely chopped a bit of the turkey leg meat and threw it in. Another shake or two of salt and it is delish and just the consistancy I like! I agree with jeniferken, it is time consuming but worth it! Update 11/13- I'm making again this year. Using three turkey legs and double the water to make the stock. I'm planning on putting it in the fridge overnight and making the gravy in the morning. I'll use the amount of stock the recipe calls for and put the rest in the freezer for later. Since you are making turkey stock in all but the last step (in which you are actually making the gravy) it's a natural stopping place if you are in a time crunch. If you use turkey legs you will NOT need to add other stock to get a good flavor. It will be pure turkey stock/gravy bliss!

Absolutely Awesome, worthy of 10 stars. This was time consuming but I made the day before Thanksgiving to free up the last minute crazies. I used 4 1/2 cups of water and 3 1/2 cups of turkey stock (large box), totaling 8 cups of pre-recipe liquid and it yielded approx. 4 cups of finished gravy. I was concerned that 10 cups of plain water may leave an unflavorful gravy, glad I adjusted.

Simply amazing! I had a 23 lb turkey with huge wings and figured why not try this since we discard the wings anyway. Well, it was the best gravy we ever had! I followed the recipe almost to the letter. The wings were quite large and yielded plenty of fat (5 Tbs) and stock. So much that I used only 2 tbs of butter. The 10 cups of water was perfect…it reduced itself to 6 cups after simmering for the 3 hours just as the recipe said it would. Seeing the assembly process on video was a huge help for us novice gravy makers. Added the flour to the fat and whisked like in the video and wala…it started to look just like Chef Johns! Slowly added the stock and watched the miracle of grave forming right before my very eyes! Thickened it up a bit with a little more simmering, added some salt and pepper, popped in the fridge…DONE! Had to email this link to everyone at the dinner. Can’t thank you enough for this first gravy success I ever had.

I had a rotisserie chicken and threw the carcass and leftovers in a pot and made stock. I continued with this recipe and made the most wonderful tasting gravy. Everyone raved about it. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks Chef John.

I was excited to do a make-ahead gravy for Thanksgiving, but this ended up being a lot of trouble. I lost so much volume while simmering that I ended up going to the store to buy turkey stock. As other reviewers suggested, two turkey wings didn't seem to be enough for a decent stock.

I made this recipe last Christmas for the first time. It turned out great and it's my go-to gravy from here on out. I couldn't find turkey wings so I used two turkey legs. One other change is that I only used 3-1/2 cups of water and 3-1/2 cups of turkey stock. Thanks for the recipe. 11/2016 Update - I've made this twice a year since 2014. I didn't think it could get better, but it did! This is my best batch yet. I used 2 turkey legs & 1 turkey thigh. I used 4 cups (1 box) of chicken/turkey stock and 4 cups water. OMG...to die for! It is so worth the extra time a few weeks early. Thanks Chef John!

I am the queen of gravy in my house and always am frantically stirring over the hot pan once the roast has come out of the oven. This recipe is a little time-consuming, but definitely worth the trouble given you get to make it ahead of time. It is truly smooth and velvety. My only modifications to the recipe were to up the quantity of turkey fat a little, to be used in the roux, and then season it very simply with salt and pepper, as is our family's taste. Excellent recipe!

I make a lot of mashed potatoes and never seem to have gravy to accompany them. Not any more! I make this and freeze it in 1.5 c freezer bags, then when I make mashed potatoes for dinner during the week, I take out a bag the night before and viola, done and done. If I use boil-in-bags, I don't bother thawing, just toss it in the potato pot while they're boiling, it thaws as the potatoes cook! This gravy IS amazing!

I haven't exactly done it this way (I think the idea of buying extra turkey wings and roasting them is a bit silly), but I have always taken the neck and giblets and made broth with onion and carrots, then made my gravy with the roux and broth as he describes, then poured in some of the pan drippings (avoiding the fat) after the bird comes out of the oven. I'm sure this gravy tastes good as he makes it (although personally I would leave out the thyme and garlic), but you can abbreviate the process, use the parts most people simply throw out, and not use up precious oven time and space.

This recipe was a hit with both me and my guests! I loved the fact I could make it a couple of days ahead of time and save the space on the stove. Like others said it is a little time consuming but having it done and out of the way was worth it. I made it exactly as written except in place of the cayenne pepper I used 1/4 tsp bhut jolokia powder which gave the gravy an unusually nice spicy taste. I ended up with a qt of gravy. Thanks Chef John I will be using this recipe again in the future!

So... I made this gravy one day prior to Thanksgiving day... as written. The only change I made was to double the recipe. I used five turkey wings (three came in one package; two in the other). I did let it simmer for four hours, rather than three, because of the extra ingredients required to double the recipe. On Thanksgiving morning, I put it - cold from the fridge - into a crockpot on low and let it get happy for about five or six hours. Just before dinner, I took some cooked and sliced giblets (plus some extra turkey gizzards I had picked up, cooked, and finely chopped) and added it to three cups of the gravy and put in on the stovetop. Those who didn't care for the giblet gravy helped themselves straight out of the crockpot; those who wanted giblet gravy had theirs from the gravy boat on the table. Let me just say that both "versions" were spectacular! After the "big" dinner, with plenty of guests, it was unanimous... everyone agreed it was the best gravy ever! Getting "The absolute best gravy I've ever had, honey!" from my wife made it all worthwhile. I WILL make this again for holiday dinners... many times! It's completely worth the time, if well-planned ahead. Thanks yet again, Chef John; you're consistently helpful, inspirational, and you make me better than competent in the kitchen!

instead of discarding the solids, i used my food processor until its smooth and mixed it with the gravy.

I don't think the gravy can be ready in 2 1/4 hours since it asks you to cook the wings (I used 2 turkey legs) for 3 hours. Instead of discarding the vegetables I pureed them and added them to the broth. I also added a bit of Better than Bouillon turkey base. Very tasty gravy. Didn't add any salt - I'll let diners add their own. So nice to get this done before Thanksgiving. Just read lutzflcat's review and she did some of the things I did also. I didn't add 10 cups of water, maybe 8.

First of all, this recipe's listed timings are WAY off: It says oven-cook the veggies and wings for 45-60 minutes, then cook the main mixture 'until the meat falls off the bones -- about 3 hours'. That hardly works out to 'ready in 2 1/4 hours'! Second: The recipe is wasteful -- insofar as it says 'discard all the solids' from the main cooking. Two issues here: The fattier matter is excellent food for dogs -- yours or a neighbor's. The rest -- the vegetable matter and a large share of the meat -- can be saved and combined with boiled rice (and some jalapeno or sereno pepper) for an excellent, easy-to-prepare single-dish supper. 'Hate to say it, Chef John, but this is a gravy for wimps! Its so-mild flavor is a mere hint of what, with a little more effort, it can be. After the first straining, add back as much meat as can easily be retrieved from the 'discard' bowl. And, after using a cleaver to break off the marrow-rich bones' ends, add back both bones and ends. And add in the rest of the liquid beyond the six cups already used. You may even want to gently whisk in a bit more flour while you are reducing this enhanced mixture to your desired thickness. (Keep in mind it will thicken more as it cools.) Strain again -- saving the meat for the dogs, or to be recombined w/ the veggies,and discard the bones. What you end up with is a MUCH more flavorful gravy. BTW, Don't skimp on garlic: Two cloves seldom get ANY job done. I used eight in this recipe. Dried thyme's OK, too.

"Make ahead gravy" made me nervous, but I will turn to this recipe year after year now! Plus, knowing I had enough for a crowd AND leftovers and I didn't have the stress of making ALL the gravy the day of were all pure bonuses. I did use more wings than the recipe called for, which further deepened the flavor. And on the day of, I made a small batch of fresh gravy with drippings and whisked it in. Delicious and recommended!

I love this gravy, and so does my family. I have made it the last two Thanksgivings and LOVE having this important element of the meal done ahead of time. I can give it the attention it deserves well in advance of the last minute frantic race to the table, and I know ahead of time the gravy will be 'just right'. Thank you Chef John for the recipe, and for making my Thanksgiving easier to manage.

Used the basic recipe except the garlic and the cayenne pepper - in defference to my wife's taste. I also made the recipe process a bit more complicated. First, I used 2 wings (fresh) and 2 legs (smoked). Second, I seasoned the mirepoix with salt and pepper. Third, I used a bottle of dry, white wine (one that I would gladly drink), along with enough water to cover. Fourth, I did not skim while cooking the broth. After removing the solids and straining the broth, I refrigerated it overnight. I removed the solids from the top of the gelatin, then gently warmed the removed solids - oils always rise to the top. That is how I recovered the 2 tbs. of turkey fat. Fifth, I heated the gelatinized broth to a boil, added fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage to the boil. I removed the broth from the heat, covered it with a lid, and let the herbs steep for 30 minutes. I then followed the directions for the roux, using XXX flour, 3 tbs. of butter and 2 tbs. of the reserved fat. I did not season the roux. I used two senses to determine that the roux was ready for liquid. Smell to make sure the roux smelled like pie pastry and sight to allow the rough to turn golden in color. I then stirred in the broth and brought the mixture to a boil to thicken the gravy. At this point I taste tested and added a few pinches of sea salt and some freshly ground pepper to taste. The end result: The best tasting turkey gravy I have ever cooked and have ever tasted. Thank you, John for the basic recipe.

The gravy was amazing. Our gravy is great each year, but it is so hectic that last 15 minutes before serving. We plan to do our turkey on are XL Green Egg smoker again this year and now I have my gravy set aside in the freezer. I used 4 turkey wings and 2 turkey thighs. I doubled the onion, celery and carrots. I added enough water to cover the meat. I also doubled the roux. I had less than a tablespoon of turkey fat, so I just added a little more butter and a bit of oil. Thanks so much! Gravy is so important and having it all done ahead of time is a huge relief.

Everyone loved this when I served it up yesterday with Thanksgiving dinner. I made it the day before, buy only used half the recommended liquid, ending up with a thick pudding-like consistency. When the turkey was done, I pulled out my "gravy pudding" and whisked it with the juices from the turkey - about five cups of it, and then brought it to a simmer. Everyone at dinner commented on the great flavor.

I just love your video instructions and your recipes. They are the best. I will definitely be using this one for this Thanksgiving. Thanks Chef John.

I made this gravy today, in preparation for next week's Thanksgiving dinner. I must say, it really IS the best gravy I've ever made! I followed the recipe exactly, but did thicken the gravy just a bit more with some corn starch. I will freeze it and reheat in my crock pot on Thanksgiving - thanks for sharing this easy, time-saving recipe!

Follow recipe exactly, then puréed 1-2 cups of veggies from stock and added to gravy for a creamy texture. Also added a couple pinches of ground clove. Delicious!

We always deep fry our turkey, so pan drippings to make gravy I never have. I have had this recipe 5 years running now an it's the best time savings and tastes better than normal gravy. I use wings and drum sticks to make this amazing gravy!

This was so good! I've been making turkey stock ahead for many years now but the method in this recipe makes it better. Roasting the wings on top of the vegetables so that everything caramelizes made a rich brown stock that made it so much more flavorful. I followed the recipe exactly and found that the two wings were enough for a hearty meaty flavor. I used my 12 inch cast iron skillet so was able to easily extract the fond without balancing a roasting pan over my small cooktop. The 10 cups of water reduced to 6 cups, just as you stated it would. I will definitely use this method from now on. In fact, I plan to roast my turkey carcass for stock using this same method. Thanks, Chef John!

The gravy tasted fine, but it's definitely not worth the time.

So disappointed. I've never used flour before to thicken gravy, always cornstarch and I think the flour is what ruined it for me. Had to doctor it A LOT. Had no taste.

love it. recipe is perfect.

Way too much time for too little payout...I'd rather buy the jarred stuff. It didn't taste like anything special.

The base recipe is perfect, I substitute 10 chicken wings for the 2 turkey wings. Overall it is great, I use this recipe every year.

This gravy was sooo good! It made Thanksgiving dinner so much easier to serve knowing that I didn't have to make a gravy at the last minute. All of my friends and family loved it and were really impressed that I made it from scratch! Thank you for this recipe!

This is good, but for what it cost to make it's not good enough to make me want to fix it. You have the cost of the vegtables, turkey wings etc. then you have all the time boiling it. If I had the ingredients on hand and time to kill, then I might would make it again.

This recipe provided a delicious solution to dinner timing. By making it a few days in advance of Thanksgiving there was enough time for testing variations. Some of the variations were created by reducing some of the stock to intensify the flavor of the gravy, add sauteed mushrooms to a portion of the gravy, seasoning additions, etc. I will gladly use this recipe for future holiday gatherings. Thanks, Chef John. This one's a gem.

Really good recipe. I followed the recipe with 3 changes. 1)I took recommendations from others and put in 5 cups or so of chicken broth and 5 cups of water. 2) I also pureed in vitamix 1 cup of cooked onion, celery, turkey meat mixture. 3) I also added a cup of good red wine. Yum. Saves precious time when turkey comes out. Highly recommended.

We always run out of gravy at Thanksgiving, so I tried this recipe. So glad I did! It makes a delicious, rich gravy. This recipe is a keeper.

Took forever. No flavor.

My first time making gravy, turned out great! A little time consuming but well worth it. I was soooo glad I wasn't running around trying to make gravy when the turkey was done. I was able to focus on heating the rest of the meal to serve. I would recommend.

This recipe has so much potential for great flavor that my friends and family don't mind having to wait for their "liquid gold". Here are the changes that I've made to make this a favorite at my house... * More wings – I use 6 turkey wings. You can also use 2 pounds of chicken wings instead. * Roast the wings and vegetables up to 90 minutes, layering the meat on the bottom of the roasting pan. * Deglaze the roast pan with 1-1/2 cups dry white wine instead of water and allow that liquid to reduce to about 1/2 cup before adding to the stockpot. * Add a mixture of water and turkey/chicken stock to the stockpot (I use 4 cups of each). * Use equal parts fat (I prefer butter) and flour. You can give your gravy even more flavor by cooking and whisking the fat/flour misture into a medium or dark brown roux, but the darker the roux gets the less it will work as a thickening agent for your gravy. * Add the stock into the fat/flour mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking until the liquid is almost completely absorbed before adding the next cup of stock. * Remove any meat from the wings, shred and add back into your gravy. And instead of throwing away the leftover bones/skin/vegetables, I throw them all into the crockpot, cover them with 6 to 8 cups of water, simmer on low up to 24 hours, and strain the liquid into jars for homemade stock. If using turkey, I’ve been able to continue adding water to the solids to get up to 3 batches of stock from the bones. If using chicken, the bones will

Takes along time to make but was well worth it! I am going to make a double batch next time!

This was a hit. It took some work, especially skimming the fat but it was delicious and everyone agreed that it was better than the 'other' gravy.

It was twice as much work. Yes it was done ahead of time but everything else was well planned and I had time to make gravy with my turkey juices. I don't think I would do this again. Gravy was ok but the turkey wings I found were not as good as the actual turkey.

Made this gravy yesterday, finishing today, and I agree with majority. Did not quite have the taste of "the real thing". I agree, next time I will add broth instead of water, and maybe use chicken legs versus wings. Two wings did not add enough flavor. Also I ended up with about 3 cups broth. I will freeze and add to it. However it did come out smooth and velvety.

followed other poster's advice, and used 4 wings..also added a package of trader Joe's savory turkey broth concentrate, after deciding there was not enough turkey flavor when it was done...other than that, followed the rest of the directions....everyone loved it, and said it complimented everything on the Thanksgiving dinner menu...I strongly advise using 4 wings, then tasting for depth of flavor...as is, 4 stars..after adjustments, 5

I use a turkey back, necks and a turkey thigh instead of the wings. They are all low priced and they work well for this. I also use 2 quarts of good quality chicken broth and a cup or two of spring water for my broth. I have been making this now for several years-it's a hit!

We smoked our turkey and wanted the side dishes prepared in advance to have less clutter on Thanksgiving. This recipe was perfect! Will keep it on our menu for future holidays!

This is a good basic recipe. I did use broth instead of water. The gravy was a little thin, and I had added extra flour since I had extra turkey fat and wanted lots of gravy. I put it in a crock pot to stay warm and knew it would get even thinner, but the flavor was good. I thickened it with a little cornstarch and water, and also put in some bouillon. Sure beats making gravy last minute! I would make this again.

Onlt the best turkey gravy I have ever made, and I am old and have made a lot of gravy.

This is more trouble then its worth... Its quicker and easier to make gravy from the turkey broth and u dont have to wait for the turkey to be completely cooked before you make the gravy.

I could not find turkey wings so I used a couple of big meaty necks. I missed the pan drippings. I see one reviewer adds her drippings later. I might give that a try. The gravy was very good. It is labor intensive but having that component ready at meal time is a good trade off.

I will make this every year from now on.. We added drippings from the actual turkey, but the kitchen time just prior to serving dinner for 35 people was so much less frantic, having made this delicious gravy ahead of time.

Just finished making this recipe took four to four and one half hours. Instead of water I used chicken broth. Couldn't find wings so used thighs and drumsticks. So delicious. Time consuming but worth it.

Very good and loved having it made ahead.

No more fretting over gravy at the last minute for me! Not being a big gravy fan, it's not the thing I do best. This is my go to recipe from now on.

I used 3 turkey drumsticks as my grocer didn't have wings. I found it very bland, although silky in texture. When it was all done I did add some ground sage to give it a little more flavor, but I don't think its good enough to use on its own as thanksgiving gravy, and its not nearly enough for our crew of gravy hounds anyway. I'll do my usual gravy from the pan drippings on the big day and if it looks like we're going to run out, will add some of the Chef's to stretch it out.

The only changes I made were I used 3 turkey legs since that's what came in the package and I added 1 carton of turkey stock to the pot along with water to cover. This recipe made a wonderful broth and I had a lot of it. The problem I had was getting it to thicken into gravy later. I realized my problem was that I had tried to thicken it in a pot which does not allow for enough evaporation. You should try to make the gravy in a large surface area like a frying pan or even a baking pan across 2 burners. Don't use more than 1/2 inch broth at a time and make sure it is boiling before you add thickener. If you need lots of gravy you may have to do it in batches, but at least it will be thick and velvety!

I was tired by the time I put this on the stove for Thanksgiving dinner. I forgot to reduce the amount of stock to 6 cups and ended up with runny gravy. I didn't throw away the meat that was palatable. Next time I will give it more time to cook after thickening and use more flour if I have more than 6 cups of stock. I will also use chicken broth to give it more flavor and puree the vegs instead of throwing them out. Will make again but learned from the first go around.

The best gravy EVER!!!!! It is worth the extra time and not complicated at all. I could eat this plain:) LoVe It!!

Okay Chef, John! I love you!! Well, okay, I love all your recipes! This is my first time making homemade gravy! So I decided to make it today Sunday for our Thanksgiving dinner, and it was amazing! Actually made some mashed potatoes to try it and it was ohhhhhhhhhhhh soooo delish! By the way, I made it with 4 turkey wings, that’s how my market had them- in 4, so I made it with 4 and with about 5 carrots, celeries and like 4 cups of onions. In any case, thank you for this delicious recipe! Happy thanksgiving to all! Cheers!

This makes hosting so much easier.

I made only one change. I added 2 extra wings. Somehow I only had 3+ cups of stock after removing the fat and solids though I drained it well. Because of this, I reduced the fat, butter and flour by half. That may have been my downfall. It didn't thicken up. It also had a sweet taste that was unexpected. Perhaps it was from the carrots. We will enjoy this regardless because deep fried turkey is our son-in-law's specialty and canned gravy is an abomination.

I followed the recipe almost exactly and it was wonderful!! I did season the turkey wings before roasting. I did also have five pieces of wing, not just the two whole wings.

Just so so. Should have read all the suggestions first. Gravy tastes more like vegetable soup than gravy. Will probably add the drippings from the roasting pan to give it more taste.

This was amazing...especially when i added in the pan drippings...omg

Delicious! I've done this for the past 2 years now. I did use 4 wings and 8 cups of water. ( I can always add more water but I can't take it out after the fact) On the big day I always add my turkey drippings to the gravy at the end to have the flavors match. Like another person wrote I could drink this stuff. Family loved it too. Saved some in freezer for a turkey pot pie.

I made it last year and it wasn't that good.

It surely made my life simpler when I made a Thanksgiving dinner for my Chilean family at Christmas. I used four turkey wings, and my only complaint is that they didn't produce two tablespoons of turkey fat. I also agree that gravy made at the moment from pan drippings has a better flavor, but exchanging some flavor for less last-minute hassle was worth it.

It really boils down if you leave the lid off when it simmers. I had only 3 cups of stock left to work with. Next time I am going to leave the pot lid on during part of the simmer process.

Honestly, this felt pretty intense for my first time making gravy and if there hadn't been a video, I probably wouldn't have made it. I had a few problems: it simmered almost into nonexistence- there wasn't a ton of gravy at the end of the day. It was really hard to get the fat that was needed. I ended up using lard that I had on hand to do that part because I barely got any while simmering. It was kind of a bummer because what did come out was amazing! I just wish more had come out of it. Also! I wish I had known to really let the it set when separating the stuff from the broth... it would have been great to know that it needed a lot of time to really get all that broth out- again, that wouldn't be an issue if there were more in general.

Must have done something wrong, 5 hours of terrible. Will try again, though.

I will definitely use this as my standard gravy recipe - success!

It was quite flavorless for taking so long to make. I should’ve saved my time. The recipe also says to discard all the solid parts used to make the stock and that’s just incredibly wasteful.

I made this using three drumsticks, chopped up a large onion, 4-5 stalks of celery, a double handful of baby carrots, coarse chop and one coarse garlic clove, salt and pepper. Into the oven at 400 and 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Then into the soup pot with one 32 oz. each of commercial veg. broth and chicken broth, some poultry season, herbes de provence, thyme, two gloves of garlic and thank you to lutzflcat, a heaping dollop of Better that Bouillon turkey base. Then cooked as directed. No fat to speak of. When cooked through, stripped the meat, saved for the dog, sandwiches, snacking. (Dog is very spoiled) Put the vegs into the blender and pureed. The result tasted yummy so put it back into the gravy. DH helped me bag it up for the freezer. We will let you know after Thanksgiving how it was received. DH and I thought it was very good. Thank you lutzflcat and all the other contributors for your great ideas and than you Chef John. Oh, I''ll add any thickening just prior to serving.

It was a bit of work, but I agree with other reviewers that it needed more turkey wings. Doctored it up with a little gravy master for a richer color and some drippings from the cooked turkey. Yes, would probably make it again if I knew time would be a factor for a big group.

I was disappointed in this recipe. It was costly and time consuming for the end product which was bland and awful. I ended up making gravy from my roasted bird instead. Sorry Chef John, but I can't recommend this one!

Very flavorful if a little bit involved. (Making your own broth). If your having a crowd, I would increase the recipe.

Made this last year for Thanksgiving first time in 34 years. I finally made gravy that turned out. No help from family. I also used turkey stock instead of water. I also added turkey thighs and wings

What an incredible waste of time. My only change was to use turkey thighs and I blended the left-over vegetables to add back in the broth for more flavor. Good thing I did, this wasn't worth the effort and the flavor is incredibly bland. I ended up with a ton of broth that will probably be used for something else, but even the measurements for the 6 cups, flour and butter to make the final product were off. I ended up doubling the flour and butter to the 6 cups of broth and have way more watery gravy than I want. On to the freezer with it and hopes for a better recovery later.

I made the base of this the day before Thanksgiving and finished with the turkey drippings the day of. My family loved it. But it sure takes a lot of time/work.

We made this for Thanksgiving dinner 2015. It was okay. Not the same as making it from your turkey drippings and it did reflect that in the flavor. Most of my family switched to the vegetarian gravy I made instead. I was disappointed. I suggest just making it from scratch next year (like I always do), or for those that need to- use a mix packet. I think that would be better, tbh.

I just made this gravy so I don't have so much to do tomorrow and I had to come back to thank you for posting it. I made a couple of changes to fit what we like but it is going to be a big hit for Thanksgiving dinner! Happy Thanksgiving!

OUTSTANDING! WOW! Not only is this replacing my gravy recipe for the holidays that's I've had for many years, I didn't have to make gravy when trying to prepare 8 other dishes for my whole family the day of Thanksgiving. I thought my gravy was the best I've ever had and it is good but this gravy is packed full of delicious flavor and was a big hit. I did use like 4 - 5 large smoked turkey wings and added a little more chicken broth (in place of water) and added some chicken bouillon (Herb*ox my favorite, I just didn't add salt). It reheated wonderfully. I am freezing the rest for Christmas! Thank you Chef John for another absolutely wonderful recipe!!

Like the idea of roasting the veggies as well as the meat. BUT - Use thighs or legs. Can put the meat in your stuffing or gravy or save for sammies. This also does not have enough herbs like poultry seasoning, bay leaves. I use fresh sage leaves too since I need sage for the stuffing & to tuck under the bird's skin as well. Also like some wine and a packet of turkey gravy mix (more turkey flavor). And a bit of that bottled "Browning Gravy Sauce" gives it a richer color.

This was the best gravy ever. I always panic over the last minute making gravy. This was wonderful to make ahead of time and just heat up day of Thanksgiving. Followed all directions, but used 4 turkey wings and didn't add as much water substituted turkey/chicken soup I already had made, also college Inn turkey broth would be good. But was a pleasure to be stress free day of dinner and not worry my gravy would be too thin or not tasty enough. As everyone else has said you can tweek it to your own liking. 5 STARS. Marie G.

Hands down the best gravy I've ever made or had. I doubled the amount of wings and threw in the neck. Being able to prep much of the Thanksgiving meal in advance makes the day of so much more relaxed and enjoyable.

I didn't used 10 cups of cold water, instead used 4 c. chicken stock (because I couldnt find turkey) and 3 c. water. Also, I used 3 large turkey wings and 1 tsp. dried thyme. This gravy was very uneventful for more and not worth the time and expense.

I discovered this recipe this year and made it for Thanksgiving. I used it again for our Christmas turkey. We couldn't find turkey wings at the grocery store, so I used 3 drumsticks and it worked beautifully to make a flavorful stock. This is a great timesaver and even my mom, who never eat meat or poultry, tried the gravy and loved it.

Made it exactly as per the recipe, except I used King Arthur Gluten-Free flour. The resulting mix failed to thicken without addition of more flour, and had almost no flavor of turkey at all. There was also no fat to skim during cooking, which seemed surprising. This was not anything special.

Mine did not come out good at all had no taste I do not know what I did wrong I was so disappointed. I did exactly what John's video said to do. I might try it again but use the two wings and a turkey thigh, the first time I did i just covered the meat I did not put a lot of water in the pot.