Gravy form a brined turkey?

Ladies! I love you, especially Burdt Toast! Question...how do I make gravy from a brined turkey. Science tells me that a pan gravy from a brined turkey will be extremely salty and yuk. How to I make rich gravy without pan drippings? Thank you!

Sarah Doyle-Brown
  • 3479 views
  • 5 Comments

5 Comments

Jenny O. November 25, 2015
I use juices from a brined gravy every year as well, turns out great. I make a basic gravy from unsalted (homemade) broth and then add the pan drippings at the end. If it turns out too salty you can add a bit of cream to take the bite off (and make it super delicious). The trick with this method is to make the base batch extra thick, so when you add the juices you don't wind up with runny gravy.
 
Sarah D. November 25, 2015
I am doing the wet brine. Soaking the whole bird in 1 cup of salt and a gal of veg stock. Should I have a back up gravy? How do I make it from scratch? Thanks!
 
Kristen M. November 25, 2015
You know, I'd made gravy every year from a dry-brined turkey (the Russ Parsons Judy Bird recipe on Food52) and haven't run into that problem ever, but I have occasionally heard others say it was an issue. I think the key is having enough unsalted broth and flour/Wondra to stretch the gravy (and the salt) further. And who doesn't want more gravy?
 
Sarah D. November 25, 2015
I am doing the wet brine. Soaking the whole bird in 1 cup of salt and a gal of veg stock. Should I have a back up gravy? How do I make it from scratch? Thanks!
 
Kristen M. November 25, 2015
This is an excellent back-up gravy (if you have the time, it's win-win to have it on hand): https://food52.com/recipes/7483-vegetarian-mushroom-thyme-gravy
 
Recommended by Food52