The Gravy on Gravy

Okay. Lets start at the beginning. God created the Earth then light. Next came the separation of light from dark. He made the atmosphere and for kicks, the ocean. On the third day, he made the Garden of Eden and on the fourth day, the sun. (Glad about this one in particular.) After the sun, came the fish and birds. (God was a sensible guy, this makes sense. A Thankful nod to Him for birds.) Day Six, he kinda messed up a bit because he created us. (Cut to today, things have gone downhill a bit over the years I think.) Day Seven, God kicked his heels up, grabbed a margarita and admired his work. (Check the bible, this is accurate)

Now, lets jump ahead about a bit. There are two parts of import in this story, at least where Thanksgiving Day is concerned; the part where God created birds and where God created us. We eat birds. It's just that simple. We eat birds with gravy. We in the United States eat one bird in particular on one particular day, lets call him Tom. Tom is a turkey. Tom has no idea about what is going to happen to him, thankfully. So, lets proceed with absolute delicacy so as not to alarm poor Tom. Today's blog only concerns Tom in a roundabout way. Today's blog is about the gravy we slather all over Tom after he is cooked. Today's blog is about chicken. Yep, you read that correctly. Today's blog is about chicken.

Between now and Thanksgiving, any time you roast a chicken, save the drippings. Say what? Yes. Save the drippings; in fact, make extra drippings. 'How am I supposed to do that?' You may be thinking. Well, it's easy, add a little water or stock to the pan when you roast your next chicken. Pour the drippings into a container and refrigerate or freeze them. Repeat the process as much as possible between now and Thanksgiving, scraping off the layer of fat that will build but saving the last layer to flavor the gravy. 

On Thanksgiving Day, when you begin roasting Tom, add a bit of water or stock to the bottom of that pan too. The water or stock will both help keep Tom tender and moist and will also be added to your gravy after most of the fat is removed. BIG TIP: Remember there is seasoning in the drippings so make sure your gravy does not turn out too salty.

Do you have any gravy about gravy? Please share your tips in the comments section.

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