The Best Homemade Beef Gravy Recipe (How to Make Brown Gravy) (2024)

FAQs

How do I make my gravy more brown? ›

What is the difference between brown gravy and beef gravy? A brown gravy comes from any brown stock, whereas beef gravy always comes from beef stock specifically. In other words, all beef gravy is a brown gravy but not all brown gravy is beef gravy.

Ingredients. MODIFIED CORN STARCH, WHEAT FLOUR, HYDROLYZED SOY AND CORN PROTEIN, CORN STARCH, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, PALM OIL, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, YEAST EXTRACT, ONION POWDER, SUGAR, NATURAL FLAVOR, GARLIC POWDER, MALTODEXTRIN, SPICES, MONOGLYCERIDES, CHICKEN FAT, BEEF FAT, DISODIUM INOSINATE AND DISODIUM GUANYLATE.

The real gravy starts with the fats and drippings from what ever protein you cooked. Then on med-high heat sprinkle all purpose flour onto the pan. Stirring until the liquid and flour is a really think paste. Now the longer you cook the Rue, the darker it becomes.

It turns out, the biggest difference between the two is brown gravy is broth-based, while white gravy typically has a milk or cream base. Garcia said both types usually have flour or cornstarch for thickening and they both contain some sort of “fat or meat drippings.”

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

At the most basic level, gravy is a simple pan sauce that requires liquid and a thickener. Traditional turkey gravy usually has fat, flour, and stock. You can make excellent turkey gravy with just those ingredients, plus salt and pepper for seasoning.

What is the gravy at KFC made of? The restaurant uses a simple combination of gravy powder, water, and – their secret ingredient – chicken crackling. This is a collection of the browned bits and pieces leftover from frying their world famous chicken.

Brown gravy is the name for a gravy made from the drippings from roasted meat or fowl. The drippings are cooked on the stovetop at high heat with onions or other vegetables, and then thickened with a thin mixture of water and either wheat flour or cornstarch.

Does brown gravy have milk in it? ›

Brown gravy is made from meat fat and is usually made from adding water or broth along with flour or cornstarch. White gravy is made by adding milk or cream to meat drippings with butter and flour or cornstarch.

How do I make gravy from hamburger grease? Mix hot grease with equal part flour whisk to combine and let cook stirring constantly with a whisk for a minute or two, add salt and pepper and whisk in slowly 1 cup of milk for every 2 tablespoon of flour you used, whisk until mixture comes to a bowl.

Melt butter in a medium-sized sauce pan. Add flour and whisk constantly until mixture is golden caramel color and smells fragrant (3-5 minutes). Slowly whisk in liquids, while whisking, until mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened and bubbly, 5 minutes or longer.

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

Fortunately, Shannon has several suggestions for fixing bland gravy, starting by adding a bouillon cube, herbs or a splash of wine or cognac. But if you have time to spare, add pan drippings from turkey, bacon or bacon drippings, caramelized vegetables (like onions, leeks, carrots and celery), herbs or garlic.

Make sure the flour has been cooked long enough: When flour is added to the pan drippings or butter, whisk constantly while the mixture cooks until it turns a deep golden brown and smells nutty.

Return to the heat and bring back to the boil stirring continuously until the gravy starts to thicken, then season to taste with herbs and seasoning of your choice. If you want to make your gravy darker, add a tablespoon of gravy browning.

The longer you cook, the darker the roux becomes, the more flavor it will have, but the less thick gravy it will make. That over-the-top brick roux is only 25% as effective as a white roux at thickening. So, you need to ponder how much flavor you want versus how thick you want your gravy to become.

Dark roux

That dark roux can be used as a browning sauce substitute because it will add a similar taste and color to your recipe, enhancing the depth without adding too much thickening power. It's important to note that roux is made with flour, so using it as a substitute means your dish will no longer be gluten-free.