We made it our business to create an excellent gravy with store-bought broth—no ham hocks, chicken parts, or hours-long simmering involved. Since that went so well, we decided it should also be finished on turkey-prep day (a.k.a. the Tuesday before Thanksgiving). No last-minute gravy panic!
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
1
1
1
1
½
6
3
¼
1
Preparation
Step 1
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook turkey neck until golden brown all over, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Step 2
Add mushrooms to the same saucepan and cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, about 5 minutes. If pan is starting to look dry, add another teaspoonful or two of oil. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown around the edges and softened, 6–8 minutes. Add herbs and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and cook until wine is almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Return turkey neck to pan and add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by a third, 25–30 minutes. Strain fortified broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heatproof measuring glass or small bowl; discard solids. (You should have 4 cups. If needed, add more broth or water to get you there.) Keep warm while you make the roux.
Step 4
Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium.
Step 5
Once butter is melted, whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until roux is golden brown and looks smooth and shiny, about 3 minutes.
Step 6
Whisking constantly, ladle fortified broth into roux, pouring in gradually and incorporating after each addition before adding more. Simmer, whisking often, until gravy is reduced to about 3 cups (it should be thick enough to coat a spoon), 12–15 minutes.
Step 7
Stir in soy sauce for that last umami hit. Taste and season with salt (if needed) and pepper.
Step 8
Do Ahead: Gravy can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat over low, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
Leave a Review
Reviews (22)
Back to TopExcellent flavor. Browned the turkey back in addition to the neck. And I used regular white mushrooms instead of shitake - I assume that other varieties would add even more flavor notes. Took twice as long to boil down to 3 cups, but it was worth it!
jsbjk
Winnetka, IL
11/23/2022
I have made this recipe on the day before for the past 2 Thanksgivings and have had no problems whatsoever in reheating. Of course, I only use Wondra - never all purpose flour, and I add whatever drippings are in the pan.
Marjie
11/24/2021
This was the star of our Thanksgiving meal! We'll be making it every year.
Lindsey
Richmond, VA
11/28/2020
I do something very similar (almost the same) with just a few hacks, which I'd like to share to simplify your recipe: I take dried shiitake mushrooms (or any dried mushrooms) and I run them through a spice or coffee grinder until they are pulverized into a powder. Then I add the powdered mushrooms to the roux after the flour mixture has toasted and toast them a little bit to cook the oils out of them right before you add the liquid. It makes a very strong umami flavor. Then add your soy sauce and I also add a T of sherry or brandy to get even more jazzy flavor.
DiDi L
Boulder, CO
11/23/2020
Really deep "meaty" flavor. Along with the turkey neck, I also brown some turkey or chicken gizzards or hearts (whatever is available) and add to the broth to create even more flavor. This year I'm considering adding a teaspoon or two of Marmite to further up the umami.
Laura D
Chicago
11/18/2020
Wondering about adding some white miso to bump up the umami complexity.
LKSugarman
San Francisco
11/13/2020
Made this yesterday, and it was incredible. Definitely make the stock the day before or in the morning, and then you can prepare the gravy right before serving it.
Anonymous
11/29/2019