Can You Use Beef Fat for Gravy
Making gravy from scratch is one of my favorite things to practise. I love the thought of taking a flavor that's derived from the meat you're cooking, adding some seasoning and making something that'due south like but complementary to the whole meal. I've been making gravies since my beginning cooking job every bit a teenager, and I'll tell you right at present – yous're going to make some truly awful gravies at some point (at least I did). Hopefully this piddling guide will help steer yous in the right direction.
Gravy is simply the combination of two elements: flavor and thickener. Let'south commencement with flavor.
At that place are iii general ways to go flavor into your gravy. First, you want to use a stock (chicken, beef) as your base. As your meat is roasting, simmer the spare parts (neck, giblets, etc) in the broth to soften them. Afterwards about forty minutes, take out the parts and chop/mince them (minus the neck) as small as possible and return them to the broth. This is your second method of getting flavor into the gravy. Lastly, when the meat is done, add the pan drippings from your roast. Besides, as I'm etching the meat I tend to add the scraps to the gravy.
You don't need to use all three flavor-makers in your dish, merely any combination of the 3 will practise. Keep the gravy warm (but not boiling) as y'all gear up your thickener. I usually thicken my gravy as the meat rests before etching.
Unfortunately, yous're going to need to learn a little French real quick: a roux is what you'll want to utilize to thicken nigh gravies. To make a roux, you'll need to estrus up some fat or oil in a pan on med-low rut. Lately I've been using a combination of animal fat (salary grease, lard, or butter – likewise skimmed fat from your gravy base) and coconut oil. Once information technology'south warm, stir in some flour (I've been using rice or potato flour, since we are wheat-gratuitous at the house) – enough to thicken the oil but you don't desire it to be the consistency of play-doh. If it'due south too thick or besides sparse, add together flour or oil to compensate. Simmer your concoction (stirring ofttimes) until it starts to brown and requite a "roasted" smell – should take 5-x minutes.
Adjacent, slowly stir your roux into the gravy in portions – about 1/4 of the roux at a time – and give information technology a couple minutes to thicken, stirring constantly. If it's still too sparse, add some more roux. This is the part of gravy making that tin can be catchy, but with practise you'll go the consistency you like.
Be sure to taste your gravy and add together salt or pepper to gustatory modality; I've always found that you can rarely add too much pepper. I've also found that adding garlic or garlic powder to gravy is disastrous.
beef brisket with tater-starch-based gravy
There is another method to making gravy, which creates a sharper flavor and a clearer consistency, which may exist what you're looking for with some dishes, and is a good alternative if yous're only working with pan drippings. If y'all have a lot of liquid, take your pan drippings and simmer them on a medium heat to reduce it it to a manageable amount. On the side, take a pocket-sized cup and mix some water with a couple tbsp of corn starch (or potato starch, in our case), brand sure that all of the starch is dissolved. Add the corn/potato starch (again, in portions), continuing to stir until you go the desired thickness.
Lastly, gravy shouldn't be confused with pan sauce. A pan sauce uses the leftover liquid or drippings from a roast and is then generally combined with additional goop and/or wine, and and then reduced by cooking on a loftier oestrus. This is a neat manner to add together a little wet to a dish, or to heighten its flavor by adding a hint of tanginess. It's generally very sparse and only spooned onto the meat in small portions.
Source: https://thedomesticman.com/2011/01/18/lets-make-some-gravy/