Mmmm gravy. Turkey gravy. Homemade, peppery, flavorful turkey gravy. Yum!
While I used gravy as a way to hide and cover my holiday dinners as a child, today it is a revered sauce and topping that adds even more flavor to already delicious meal. We spent every holiday at my grandparents’ house and I have no idea what kind of gravy they made, but I remember it being pretty thick, but it was salty too and it helped us get down the dry turkey and potatoes.
The gravy we make today is totally different. This turkey gravy is thinner, richer, and totally amazing. I may even venture to say it makes the meal. It’s so good, that I’ll eat the leftovers only until the gravy is gone. Then, I’m done.
Our homemade turkey gravy recipe comes from Brian’s side of the family — all of our holiday dinner recipes do and, while they can be made separately, for us they are intertwined. When we make the stuffing, half is oven-baked and half is cooked inside the turkey. The barbecued turkey drippings are used in the stuffing and the turkey neck is used in the gravy. The turkey gravy is then the perfect accent to the meal.
Making Turkey Gravy
Often turkey drippings are used in gravy recipes, but because we use the drippings in our stuffing, the turkey neck becomes the gravy base.
While prepping the turkey for the barbecue, save turkey neck in a small sauce pan. Once the turkey goes on the grill, cover the turkey neck with 1-2″ of water, add 2 chicken bouillon cubes, and boil it for 30-40 minutes, until the meat begins to fall off the bone.
Remove the turkey neck from the water and let cool. Do not discard the broth. Pour the broth into a measuring cup and set aside. De-bone the turkey neck, adding the turkey meat back into the sauce pan with a little bit of the turkey broth.
Just before the turkey is ready, add two packets of turkey gravy powder to the sauce pan and follow the instructions on the packets, substituting the turkey broth you made from the turkey neck for the water — this gives your gravy so much more flavor! Bring the gravy to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
When the meal is ready to serve, so is the gravy! With a light, semi-transparent consistency, the delicious turkey gravy enhances the flavors of the stuffing and barbecued turkey, without taking over.
Homemade Turkey Gravy
Turkey gravy, made with boiled turkey neck meat, is light, packed with flavor, and the perfect compliment for barbecued turkey.
Ingredients
- Turkey neck
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 2 packets turkey gravy powder
Instructions
- While prepping the turkey, save the turkey neck in a small sauce pan. Cover the turkey neck with 1-2" of water, add 2 chicken bouillon cubes, and boil for 30-40 minutes.
- Remove turkey neck and let it cool. Do not discard the broth. Pour broth into a measuring cup and set aside.
- Debone the turkey neck, adding the turkey meat back into the sauce pan with a little bit of the turkey broth.
- Just before the turkey is ready, add two packets of turkey gravy powder to the sauce pan and follow the instructions on the packets, substituting the turkey broth you made from the neck for the water.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Serve alongside your meal.
Notes:
If you are not using the turkey drippings for another recipe, you can use the turkey drippings to flavor your gravy instead of using the turkey neck meat. This works great when barbecuing a turkey for a summer party or cookout.
