Gravy is my nemesis

[Rainbowshit]

Tried the JO get ahead gravy this year. What a bloody faff and felt like such a waste of chicken wings. Didn't like it either too thick.

What is your fool proof gravy recipe?

Bisto tbh

I like the Jamie get ahead gravy but not with star anise. It's a faff. I use sainsburys gravy with flavouring (the red onion I think it is)

for e.g chicken

half a can of cider in the roasting tin splash of water and a stock cube and a tablespoon of redcurrant jelly if I've got some in at the same time as the meat.

tip all the juices out about 15 mins before you are ready to eat and boil in a pan on the hob. Mix two heaped teaspoons of cornflour in a mug with a tablespoon of cold water and add a little at a time into to the pan of boiling juices until you get the thickness you want. Taste and add salt (or more redcurrant jelly) if required.

Substitute cider for wine/ redcurrant jelly for mint sauce/ apple sauce etc for other meats.

Guaranteed tasty and lump free

Take the joint out of the pan. Add flour to the fat and drippings in the pan. Stir with a whisk over a medium-high heat. Slowly add water that the vegetables were boiled in, or, stock. Stir as it thickens.
If you want to be fancy, you can add: marmite, red current jelly, wine, etc.

M&S or Waitrose ready made.
Making gravy from scratch is a real art and all my past attempts have failed miserably.
I'm actually not good at making Yorkshire puddings myself. 🤕

I use the juice meat and add some gravy granules Does the trick for us!

Meat juice, veg water, cornflour, bit of kallo. stock cube

I gave up and went back to Bisto after years of insisting on making proper gravy that adds inordinate amounts of stress to the finishing off stage of a meal and actually doesn't taste any better. Add meat juices to make it look authentic, if you want.

The JO is unnecessarily complicated & was such a bore! I do roast all the bones & giblets if I can be bothered, but not wings.

Fry onion, add a bit of flour, mix, a dash of red wine or port, stock cube if I’m not worried about 100% homemade… then fluids like the water that the carrots & peas have been boiled in, a blob of cranberry.

Makes perfect gravy every time!

Meant to add, if roasting bones I do all the frying of onion etc in same tray & just drain before serving.

Otherwise just add juices to rest of pan!

Meat pan, add flour to juices and sticky bits and stir. Whisk in starchy potato water. Add gravy browning for colour. Think with extra veg water. Deeeeelicious and easy.

Just use bisto

We upgrade on Christmas day from reduced salt Bisto .... to actual Chicken bisto.

I've done Jamie Oliver gravy twice. Never again. Last year was Marks, this year Iceland. Both good (Iceland cheaper!)

After putting in roast
Add basic bisto original to cold water stir until thickened
or bisto/other granular with hot water until thickened
set to one side.
Go do veg and other prep works.
Once cooked drain veg water and/or mash potato water into pot to thin
.Take meat/chicken out of tray, pore in gravy, stir and reheat it, decant into gravy jug

James Martin's every time, cold water and granules, red wine, tsp of marmite, tsp of bovril. Works every time

Another for bisto here!! The 'Best' onion granules, add all the meat juice then bit of water from each type of veg. Stir really well. Add more granules if too thin or top up a little boiling water if too thick.
Always tasty and pretty foolproof!

Have to say, I used the veg Bisto for vegetarian gravy & it was fantastic!!! Cheap too 😁🙌

Roast an onion and carrots under chicken/turkey (helps raise the meat and allows air/stops wallowing in juices) and neck bone if it's there

Take bird out to rest, plonk all juices and veggies (and neckbone) in saucepan, scrape/deglaze pan into suacepan.
Add stock/water to desired volume
Add 1-2tbsps cornflour (make a slurry in a small bowl, then add to pan).
Boil up.
Remove bone.
Blitz with hand blender.
Season.
Simmer until needed, adding any juices from rested bird.
Strain and devour.

Bisto.

If I'm feeling fancy I might fry some onions to plonk in it for sausages, or tip any meat juices into it if I'm roasting something.

Step 1: make chicken stock. Ideally with a chicken carcass, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, sage and black peppercorns. But these days I just boil the bones on their own and it works OK. Batch and freeze stock.
Step 2: deffrost and simmer stock for 20 minutes, adding a stock cube for salt.
Step 3: collect meat juices and separate fat
Step 4: use either the fat or butter, heat in a pan, add plain flour to make a fairly thick paste and then cook for a couple of minutes.
Step 5: add the meat juices and stock a bit at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Job done.
I have so many fond memories of watching my dad make the gravey this way. It's one of my favourite things to cook.

Added water, onion and carrot to the roasting tin where the turkey was roasting over
Reserve water from parboiling potatoes
Make a roux
Add in juices from the bottom of the roasting pan (removing carrot/onion pieces), plus potato stock to good consistency.
Taste and season: salt, pepper, stock cube, Worcestershire sauce, Henderon's relish, miso paste, madeira wine, redcurrant jelly etc. (obviously not all together!)

Oh damn, read the thread title and was going to suggest the JO get ahead gravy (I find half a star anise about right myself). You could reduce the flour if it’s too thick for you.

I find gravy a stress so having it done and dusted in advance takes a lot of pressure off. I keep an eye out for reduced price chicken wings then bung them in the freezer ready for gravy purposes.

Another vote for bisto, with meat juices 🤷🏼‍♀️

Always add a bit of bisto!