Ok, I'm stumped - made the stock, removed the fat (I also was only able to fit 4 not five quarts of water in the pan) made the roux, added the sto...

My golden rules to roux-making:

First you need to get the right ratio of butter to flour to liquid. The ratio I recommend is 20g of butter to 20g of flour to 600ml liquid.
One key thing to remember when making a roux sauce is that you should either have a hot roux paste to which you add cold liquid or a cold roux paste to which you add hot liquid.
Melt the butter in a thick-based pan. If you make a roux sauce in a flimsy, thin-based pan, you’re in danger of scorching the sauce, which will spoil the flavour.
Once the butter is melted, add in the flour and mix thoroughly. Now, gradually add in the liquid a bit at a time, stirring well.
A good roux sauce should be free of lumps. The way to achieve this is to stir it constantly. When I was a young chef, we had to use wooden spoons to make our roux sauces so as not to damage the copper pans. It’s very hard to make a lump-free roux sauce using a wooden spoon. Today, however, people cook with stainless steel pans so there’s no need to use a wooden spoon. I recommend using a whisk rather than a wooden spoon to stir the roux as this means you won’t have any lumps.
I cook my roux sauces gently and slowly so as to cook out the taste of the flour. When you make a roux sauce it’s not a big job but it’s a job that needs mothering.
by one of the greatest chefs alive Marco Pierre White

rhon, I often email a Hotline thread to myself when I want to save the suggestions, ideas or recipes. So much to learn from so many good cooks!

Thank you SO much! Regards, nt

I agree wholeheartedly with Cynthia. Way too little roux for that amount of liquid. I was going to try and explain a proper formula, but Cynthia's mother did it for us all. I've been making gravy for so many years, I do it by sight. It's awesome to have the exact ratio.

ntt2, the recipe doesn't give you nearly enough roux to thicken its quantity of stock, 5 quarts more or less after cooking and straining. Without going into how many ounces of this and that will thicken how many quarts of something else, I'll give you my mother's failsafe method: 2, 2, 2. In other words, 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 2 cups of liquid. It works as well for gravy as it does for a béchamel.

Given that, your 4 quarts of stock comprise 16 liquid cups, by my mother's formula, you would need 8 tablespoons of butter (4 ounces, or one stick) and 8 tablespoons of flour, or 1/2 level cup. If you've already added the recipe's 3 tablespoons each of butter and flour, plus another two of your own, you need 3 tablespoons more butter and flour. Let's be safe and call it an even 4.

To rescue your gravy, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter (1/2 stick) in a saucepan. Add the 4 tablespoons of flour (1/4 level cup) and make your roux. Once done, begin adding the hot not-yet-gravy to the saucepan a ladle at a time, whisking constantly. It will be very thick at first, but once it thins out to a velvety consistency, slowly pour it into the "gravy," whisking diligently. You'll have the heat on under the large pot, right? Continue whisking as the mixture gradually comes to a gentle boil and thickens, turning into gravy. Season it to taste with salt and pepper and get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving.