I would highly recommend everyone have giblet gravy on their holiday table! It is nutrient dense and delicious thanksgiving staple! Giblet gravy tops mashed potatoes perfectly and moistens leftover turkey better than anything!
Where can I find giblets to make this delicious gravy?
What an excellent question! When you purchase a turkey for thanksgiving, or any other time of year, there should be giblets and the turkey neck inside the chest cavity of the bird. I have also found organs inside my whole chickens. Be sure to check inside of all your poultry, you might find some delicious goodies! Sometimes the giblets and neck are in a bag and I have found that to be rare. In my experience, the giblets and neck are throw back in the chest cavity Willy Billy and I kind of have to go feeling around for them. I have even brined a giblet or 2 by accident!
What are the giblets in giblet gravy?
Just remember… you asked. Giblets are organs, typically the heart, liver, and gizzard of a turkey. In this gravy recipe I have included the turkey neck as part of the “giblets” this is not technically accurate. The neck adds some delicious and tender muscle meat as well as organ meat to the gravy, and makes s rich broth.
Can gravy really have health benefits?
YES! Especially when you add organs! Gizzards are muscles, and full of protein. Liver and heart are high in iron, selenium, zinc, and vitamin B. These trace minerals contribute to healthy bodily functions from your brain, to your circulatory system! Eating organs is a good idea from a sustainability standpoint as well as a health stand point! Eating the whole animal means you need to harvest fewer animals to sustain each person. Also, gravy has fat in it, which is good for you! I am not saying eat butter by the stick. But, fat in your diet is essential for proper brain and hormone function!
Tips and tricks to giblet gravy making
- Use whatever pan you roasted your turkey in to create your rue, AKA fat/flour combo. This is mostly a convenience tip. Pouring the drippings can be a messy process and you might as well make the rue in the pan that is already dirty! And you have more surface area to make your rue, in my experience the gravy comes together faster this way. Simply scatter your flour over the drippings in the bottom of your pan and use a whisk. PRO TIP: The drippings are especially delicious when you baste your turkey with my citrus herb butter!
- Don’t separate your fat from your drippings. So many recipes call for removing the dripping from the pan and waiting for the liquids to separate. I personally have a lot to do on thanksgiving day and don’t want to add time to a recipe if it is not completely necessary.
- Dice up the giblets very tiny and you will hardly notice their presence! I think the organs add a lovely flavor, but not everyone is used to eating organ meat. Dice them tiny and no one will notice!
Ingredients
- Giblet and neck, saved from your brined turkey
- 4-5 cups filtered water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Dripping from your citrus herb butter basted turkey
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to make Giblet Gravy
1.BEFORE YOU COOK YOUR TURKEY: Put your turkey neck and giblets in a medium sauce pan with the apple cider vinegar and bring to a boil. You want to have enough water to cover the giblets and neck by at least 3 inches.
2. Next drop the temperature to low and simmer 3-4 hours. I simmer this broth the entire time the turkey is cooking. It makes it easy to time and I don’t have to worry about the next steps until the turkey is done.
3. After the broth has simmered, use a slotted spoon to remove the neck and giblets to a cutting board. Allow the giblets and neck to cool enough to handle. KEEP THE TURKEY BROTH YOU JUST MADE!
4. Once cooled, peel the meat off of the turkey neck. Then dice the giblets and neck meat finely.
5. Meanwhile, place the roasting pan containing your turkey dripping on the stove over medium low heat. I turn on one eye and make sure it isn’t scorching the pan. The space over the eye is where I make the rue.
6. Once the drippings are all liquid and warm, sprinkle in your flour 1 tbsp at a time. You may not need the entire ½ cup of flour, or you may need a little more. This all depends on the fat content of your bird and if you used my citrus herb butter for basting. If you used my basting recipe there will be a little more fat than otherwise, therefore you will need more flour.
7. Immediately start whisking the flour into the fat. You do not want the flour to burn, so it needs to be continuously moving. Add flour until the fat/flour combination, called a roux, is thickened and clumps together.
8. Remove the roux from the roasting pan to a medium sauce-pan over medium low heat.
9. It is time to finally add the turkey broth you made, about ½ cup at a time, whisking continuously. Add liquid until the gravy is your preferred consistency. Some people like thick gravy, some like thin. My one caution, this gravy will stiffen quite a bit if you leave the gravy thick. When you reheat the gravy it will turn back to liquid fairly quickly, but don’t be surprised by the rigidity at room temp.
10. Now you are going to add the finely diced boiled neck and giblet meat to the gravy.
11. The last thing you want to do before turning off the heat is taste the gravy for seasoning. I typically don’t need to add a lot of salt or pepper, because I brine my turkey and baste it with citrus herb butter. If you didn’t do those things then you might need to add a good deal of salt and pepper. Remember, the broth you are using is unsalted and the drippings are purely what came off the bird.
12. Enjoy served over turkey, mashed potatoes, or anything else your heart desires!
Giblet Gravy
Ingredients
- Giblet and neck, saved from your brined turkey
- 4-5 cups filtered water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Dripping from your citrus herb butter basted turkey
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1.BEFORE YOU COOK YOUR TURKEY: Put your turkey neck and giblets in a medium sauce pan with the apple cider vinegar and bring to a boil. You want to have enough water to cover the giblets and neck by at least 3 inches.
2. Next drop the temperature to low and simmer 3-4 hours. I simmer this broth the entire time the turkey is cooking. It makes it easy to time and I don’t have to worry about the next steps until the turkey is done.
3. After the broth has simmered, use a slotted spoon to remove the neck and giblets to a cutting board. Allow the giblets and neck to cool enough to handle. KEEP THE TURKEY BROTH YOU JUST MADE!
4. Once cooled, peel the meat off of the turkey neck. Then dice the giblets and neck meat finely.
5. Meanwhile, place the roasting pan containing your turkey dripping on the stove over medium low heat. I turn on one eye and make sure it isn’t scorching the pan. The space over the eye is where I make the rue.
6. Once the drippings are all liquid and warm, sprinkle in your flour 1 tbsp at a time. You may not need the entire ½ cup of flour, or you may need a little more. This all depends on the fat content of your bird and if you used my citrus herb butter for basting. If you used my basting recipe there will be a little more fat than otherwise, therefore you will need more flour.
7. Immediately start whisking the flour into the fat. You do not want the flour to burn, so it needs to be continuously moving. Add flour until the fat/flour combination, called a roux, is thickened and clumps together.
8. Remove the roux from the roasting pan to a medium sauce-pan over medium low heat.
9. It is finally time to add the turkey broth you made, about ½ cup at a time, whisking continuously. Add liquid until the gravy is your preferred consistency. Some people like thick gravy, some like thin. My one caution, this gravy will stiffen quite a bit if you leave the gravy thick. When you reheat the gravy it will turn back to liquid fairly quickly, but don’t be surprised by the rigidity at room temp.
10. Now you are going to add the finely diced boiled neck and giblet meat to the gravy.
11. The last thing you want to do before turning off the heat is taste the gravy for seasoning. I typically don’t need to add a lot of salt or pepper, because I brine my turkey and baste it with citrus herb butter. If you didn’t do those things then you might need to add a good deal of salt and pepper. Remember, the broth you are using is unsalted and the drippings are purely what came off the bird.
12. Enjoy served over turkey, mashed potatoes, or anything else your heart desires!
For my full Thanksgiving menu click HERE!
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