Ree Drummond’s ‘Wonderful, Magical, Flavorful’ Turkey Gravy Puts a ‘Pioneer Woman’ Spin on Your Thanksgiving Feast

Before we know it, Thanksgiving will be here. As much as that turkey is, in most households, the star of the feast, it’s the gravy that plays a huge role in the enjoyment of the bird and its various sides including the mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Here’s The Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond‘s take on aspects of Thanksgiving, plus her unforgettable turkey gravy recipe.

Drummond’s take on whether stuffing should go in the bird, or out

It’s the ageless and ongoing controversy: should Thanksgiving stuffing (or dressing) go in the turkey or should it be prepared outside the bird?

“Yes, I absolutely love the stuff, but oooh, is this dangerous ground,” the mother of five wrote on her Pioneer Woman blog. “Stuffing/dressing is such a personal thing and can come in many colors, shapes, and sizes.

“Some is light and airy, and can almost be tossed around with a spoon. Other stuffing/dressing is firm and solid, and can almost be cut into uniform squares. Some people use stuffing (obviously) to stuff their turkey. Others are dead set against stuffing the bird and opt for baking their stuffing in a baking dish.”

Still, the popular television personality didn’t side with either camp. However you prepare and enjoy your stuffing, in or out of your bird, is the best way to go.

That Drummond turkey gravy

To make Drummond’s turkey gravy (watch her make it on this Food Network video), you’ll need to wait of course until your turkey has been roasted fully in the oven. Place the giblets that you removed from the bird into “simmering water” and allow them to cook over very low heat. You’ll need them later on in the recipe.

Take the turkey out of the roasting pan and pour off all the “wonderful, magical, flavorful, incredible, heavenly juices” from the pan. Drummond says to let the “grease separate from the drippings.” Place the roasting pan on two burners of your stovetop over medium heat and into the grease, Drummond instructs to “sprinkle in some flour.” The combination will allow you to create a roux that will be the base for the gravy.

Start whisking the flour into the grease (“If the paste seems to be overly greasy or if the grease starts to separate from the paste, I just sprinkle in more flour”). Add a carton of low-sodium chicken broth (“I always use low-sodium chicken broth when I make gravy because then I can always add in more salt later”) and whisk it into the roux.

About a third of the drippings gathered earlier can be poured in at this point (Drummond says to keep in mind that the drippings are “all of the liquid from the turkey, minus the fat”). Allow the gravy to cook “over medium to low heat,” until it begins to thicken.

Now for those giblets: “chop them up and add them back to the gravy. That just makes even more flavor.” Let the sauce cook just a little longer to thicken and you’ll have a gravy so full of wonderful flavor, it’ll be the talk of your Thanksgiving table.

Drummond’s fans loved her gravy’s incredible flavor

Reviewers generally liked the Food Network star’s recipe but modified it in some cases.

“No fighting with the roux and liquid distribution with this one…32 ounces of stock and let it cook down until the desired consistency. We also added carrots, onions, and celery from the turkey into the gravy and then strained… Great recipe,” said one fan.

Another home cook wished they’d doubled the recipe, “I made this for Thanksgiving, and wow! I ran out and wished I made more. It was a lot of work for a big dinner with all of the ingredients needed but really worth it.”

“Simple to make and tastes like gravy from a fine dining experience.  Simply delicious!,” another reviewer added.