I have to say, my husband makes the best turkey gravy I’ve ever tasted. It’s even better than my mom’s, his mom’s, and all of our grandmothers’ combined! And they were all great cooks. What’s his secret?
Iven’s Red Wine Turkey Gravy
He does all of the usual stuff like incorporating the roasting juices, browning the pan drippings, and deglazing the pan to get every last yummy, browned bit of scraps to flavor the gravy. He also removes as much fat as possible from the roasting juices. Then there’s the garlic and fresh herbs. But, the key to his gravy is the addition of full-bodied red wine and a couple tablespoons of the basting sauce. You’re gonna love it!
Ingredients
Iven's Red Wine Turkey Gravy
- Turkey roasting juices
- Pan drippings
- 3-4 tablespoons gravy flour regular flour will do, but whisk really well to avoid lumps
- 1 large clove garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried or powdered sage or 2 teaspoons fresh, finely minced
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary minced
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 +/- cups chicken or turkey broth we make our own, but if you use prepackaged use the liquid and not the granules
- *2 tablespoons Lime Basting Sauce if you are making our Lime Basted BBQ Turkey
Instructions
Prepare the broth
- You can use store-bought turkey or chicken broth, but we cook the turkey neck in water with a little salt and pepper to use as our broth. You can do this either by boiling the raw neck in a pot with 2-3 cups of water, or you can roast the neck alongside the turkey for an hour or so to give it a nice roasted flavor. Then transfer it to a pot with water and bring to a boil. In either case, simmer for 20-25 minutes to infuse the water with the meat flavor.
- Gather up the pan juices and pan drippings
- When the turkey is fully cooked, remove it from the roasting pan and place it onto your carving board.
- Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a fat separator or a bowl and allow fat and juices to separate.
- Pour the fat off, retaining as much of the meat juices as possible. Keep the turkey scrapings in the roasting pan and use the same pan for the gravy.
Make the Gravy
- Heat the roasting pan over medium-high heat and with a spatula, scrape the sides and the bottom to loosen the pan scrapings.
- Add herbs and garlic and with a wire, whisk stir together.
- Sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons pf gravy flour evenly over the pan and whisk, creating a paste-like mixture – over medium-high heat, browning the mixture in the process.
- Add 1 cup red wine, and bring to boil, stirring all the while, to deglaze and reduce heat slightly.
- Add reserved meat juices and 1 cup of broth and stir well on a low boil. As gravy reduces slightly, add 1 additional cup of broth (+/-) to achieve the desired consistency) and boil again.
- Reduce heat and continue to simmer until ready to serve. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot!
