| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 Good Eats Roast Turkey, recipe follows
- 24 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth
- 8 ounces red wine
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs such as oregano, thyme or rosemary
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- One 14- to 16-pound frozen young turkey
- 1 gallon vegetable stock
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
- 1 gallon heavily iced water
- 1 red apple, quartered
- 1/2 onion, quartered
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup water
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 6 leaves sage
- Canola oil
Instructions
- Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and set aside to rest. Leave the drippings from the turkey in the pan and place the roasting pan over medium heat. Add the broth and wine at the same time. Whisk to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan until all of the bits have come loose. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes in order to reduce the mixture slightly. Transfer the liquid to a fat separator and let sit for 5 minutes to allow fat to separate. Return 2/3 to 3/4 cup of the fat to the roasting pan and place over medium-high heat. Discard any remaining fat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture starts to thicken and become smooth, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Once this happens, gradually add the liquid back to the pan and whisk until smooth and you have reached your desired consistency, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Remember, your gravy should be slightly thin in the pan as it will thicken once you serve it. Add the herbs and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- 2 to 3 days before roasting:
- Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
- Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
- Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat:
- Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
- Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
- Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey’s cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
- Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 151 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Reviews
It truly is the Best Gravy Ever! Been making it since 2015 and have made it many times. Now, when we are invited to friends for their turkey dinners, I always get asked to make the gravy!
This is a fantastic gravy…I only removed a star because it’s a little salty. The brine from the pan drippings is very salty. Next year I will make it with no salt broth. Even with low salt broth it was a bit too much. My family loves it though and thought it was perfect.
I make this gravy every Thanksgiving. Always a favorite.
I have been using Altons recipes for years now and everything comes out so amazing. For the gravy though, I do this recipe exactly but I also add one final step: use immersion blender, its a whole new ballgame gang and you can thank me later.
Can you use ground allspice instead of allspice berries?
I get compliment after compliment on this gravy and I have been making it for the last 10 years. Everyone asks for the recipe and then wants to be sent home with a gallon of it. My biggest suggestion is to go find Alton Brown’s “Turkey Giblet Gravy” and follow the recipe steps to make the turkey stock. I then use THAT turkey stock as my “chicken broth”. I usually do have to supplement with chicken stock because I double or triple this recipe but I think it really adds to the flavor and the richness. Don’t waste the giblets – make them stock! Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ve used this recipe exclusively since I’ve found it. It is absolutely amazing for gravy.
BTW, I don’t have gas available so I had to go electric. Electric is funny, you need to get to know your electric: I had to experiment with temps known to that stove, but have since never had a problem setting the roasting pan over the burners.
Truly the best gravy ever! And the best turkey recipe! Really pretty easy, too. I didn’t get a ton of fat so added some vegetable oil and that worked well
Joseph, I’ve used both red and white wine and both are delicious. If I don’t want my gravy to look red – or pink (which is what happens if I add cream to the recipe) then I go with a white wine. Hope it turns out well!