Southern Giblet Gravy from the Neck and Giblets

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The gravy your holiday table has been missing: a deeply savory Southern giblet gravy built on a two-hour simmer of the turkey neck, heart and gizzard, then finished with a butter roux, pan drippings and a scatter of chopped hard-boiled egg. It tastes like roast turkey concentrated into a spoonful, and it makes cornbread dressing taste twice as good. Everything but the last five minutes can be done a day ahead.

Ingredients

• 1 turkey neck, cut or sawn into 2-inch pieces
• 1 turkey heart
• 1 turkey gizzard
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered (skin on is fine)
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1 large carrot, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 6 cups water, plus more as needed
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley, plus 2 tbsp chopped for finishing

• 1/4 cup turkey pan drippings, fat skimmed and reserved (or 4 tbsp unsalted butter total)
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning or 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
• 1 tsp soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, for depth
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
• Kosher salt
• Coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 splash heavy cream (optional, about 2 tbsp)

Instructions

1. Pat the turkey neck, heart and gizzard very dry. Set the liver aside for another use — it turns stock bitter and muddy, so it does not go in this pot. Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan or small Dutch oven over medium-high until it shimmers, about 2 minutes.
2. Brown the neck pieces, heart and gizzard in a single layer, undisturbed, for 4 to 5 minutes per side until deeply browned. This color is where most of the gravy's flavor comes from, so be patient and don't crowd the pan.
3. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook 4 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables pick up some brown. Pour in the water and chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to release the fond. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme and parsley sprigs.
4. Bring to a bare simmer (small bubbles breaking lazily, around 190°F), then reduce heat to low, partially cover, and cook 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. Skim any gray foam in the first 10 minutes. The gizzard should be fork-tender; add hot water if the liquid drops below the solids.
5. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or fat separator; discard the vegetables and herbs but keep the neck, heart and gizzard. You want 4 cups of stock — if you have more, simmer it down; if less, top up with chicken broth. Skim the fat from the surface.
6. Pull all the meat off the neck bones with your fingers (there's more than you'd think) and finely chop it along with the heart and gizzard. You should have about 3/4 cup. Set aside.
7. In a wide skillet or the rinsed saucepan over medium heat, combine the turkey pan drippings and butter (or use 4 tablespoons butter if you have no drippings) until melted and bubbling. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the roux smells nutty and turns the color of peanut butter.
8. Add the poultry seasoning and cook 20 seconds, then pour in the warm stock about 1 cup at a time, whisking hard after each addition until completely smooth before adding more. Adding it gradually is the whole trick to a lump-free gravy.
9. Bring to a simmer and cook 8 to 10 minutes, whisking often, until the gravy thickly coats the back of a spoon and no raw-flour taste remains. Stir in the soy sauce and the nutmeg, if using.
10. Fold in the chopped giblet meat and the chopped hard-boiled eggs and warm through for 2 minutes — don't boil hard now or the eggs will break apart. Stir in the cream, if using.
11. Season aggressively with salt (pan drippings vary wildly, so taste first) and a generous amount of coarse black pepper. Stir in the chopped parsley and serve hot over turkey, cornbread dressing and mashed potatoes. Thin with a little hot stock if it tightens as it sits.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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