Let's Talk BBQ
Tips, Tricks & Just Good Advice! => Burn it in the Back Yard with Hub! => Topic started by: hikerman on November 11, 2014, 11:05:37 AM
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Hello Hub,
I have a gravy question, and know of no one better suited (gravy lover!) to answer this!
When does a gravy become a sauce, or vice-versa? :-\
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When you put it on ribs. :P :P :P
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I think it is a personal preference. Most Italians call that tomato thing you put on pasta gravy while many other folks call it tomato or spaghetti sauce.
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I think it is a personal preference. Most Italians call that tomato thing you put on pasta gravy while many other folks call it tomato or spaghetti sauce.
If it's homemade then it's gravy, that canned stuff is sauce ;)
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Gravy is a type of sauce. In other words, all gravies are sauces but not all sauces are gravy. How you determine which sauces are gravy is largely a cultural and geographic issue. Generally (in my world), gravies are made with cooking juices (drippings, etc.) and often thickened with roux, cornstarch, or whatever.* Or they're made some other way.
* In case you're interested, "whatever" often makes the best gravy thickener but it's often hard to find the correct kind.
Most Italians call that tomato thing you put on pasta gravy...
That's an Italian-American cultural thing that results from which term was used by whoever was first translating the the recipes and references. One of the common Italian words used was "sugo;" some translated it as "sauce" and some as "gravy." Nowadays, Tommy's homemade vs. store-bought differentiation is as good as any.
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Gravy is a type of sauce. In other words, all gravies are sauces but not all sauces are gravy. How you determine which sauces are gravy is largely a cultural and geographic issue. Generally (in my world), gravies are made with cooking juices (drippings, etc.) and often thickened with roux, cornstarch, or whatever.* Or they're made some other way.
* In case you're interested, "whatever" often makes the best gravy thickener but it's often hard to find the correct kind.
Most Italians call that tomato thing you put on pasta gravy...
That's an Italian-American cultural thing that results from which term was used by whoever was first translating the the recipes and references. One of the common Italian words used was "sugo;" some translated it as "sauce" and some as "gravy." Nowadays, Tommy's homemade vs. store-bought differentiation is as good as any.
I think its juicy stuff that tastes good ::)
I've had, I think, just about every type of gravy or sauce that exists at one time or another. Like the Turtle, I wouldn't call a lot of sauces "gravy" but I don't recall any I didn't appreciate for what they were. If I had to stake out a definition I'd go with gravy as a meat-based sauce but sometimes tomato-containing sauces have meat, too. Why bother with a definition? If it can be poured over something and makes it taste good because it has yummy stuff in it, its GRAVY
Hub
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The Doctor has spoken! Thanks Hub and everyone else too!
I was just wondering if you made a gravy and added several other ingredients, does it remain gravy or become a sauce. But your response "if it can be poured over something and makes it taste good because it has yummy stuff in it, it's GRAVY" is good enough for me!
CASE CLOSED!
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Ummmm, tomato gravy poured over cathead biscuits,, Y"all are killin me....
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Ummmm, tomato gravy poured over cathead biscuits,, Y"all are killin me....
Your post made me think . . . when I was in high school (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) a friend's mother made us chocolate gravy for breakfast one morning. Basically, it was a thin chocolate pudding, steaming hot, slathered over home-made biscuits. Oh, my it was good!
Hub
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Ummmm, tomato gravy poured over cathead biscuits,, Y"all are killin me....
Your post made me think . . . when I was in high school (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) a friend's mother made us chocolate gravy for breakfast one morning. Basically, it was a thin chocolate pudding, steaming hot, slathered over home-made biscuits. Oh, my it was good!
Hub
Had some not to long ago, dang now you making me want more.
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My question is how do you make enough gravey. We take the roaster and give is a good scraping, stain into a fat separator. Cool the drippings and this is where I now start.
I usually use flour/butter roux to thicken pre made.
Add the drippings back into the roaster and add all the potatoe water, bring to a boil that start adding the roux.
Ok question time:
-How to get the right color? Usually my Gravey is to light :(
-If you don't have enough how do you make more?
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If mine is too light I add some gravy master. If I need more I use beef broth and some type of thickener. I use beef broth because I like it better than chicken broth. Personal taste I guess.
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My question is how do you make enough gravey. We take the roaster and give is a good scraping, stain into a fat separator. Cool the drippings and this is where I now start.
I usually use flour/butter roux to thicken pre made.
Add the drippings back into the roaster and add all the potatoe water, bring to a boil that start adding the roux.
Ok question time:
-How to get the right color? Usually my Gravey is to light :(
-If you don't have enough how do you make more?
Are you toasting your flour in a dry skillet/pan first - as in when you are preparing flour for a roux? And...for making more, I keep Better Than Bouillon. It is a highly concentrated stock - paste form. You can get it in Beef, Turkey, Chicken and Ham .
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Actually T, I haven't browned the flour first. I melt the butter then add the flour.
I will try browning the flour first.
Thanks ;D
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Ok question time:
-How to get the right color? Usually my Gravey is to light :(
-If you don't have enough how do you make more?
Question one: As mentioned above there is a product called Gravy Master which can be used to darken it. Be careful, it doesn't take much. I sometimes use it when I make chicken gravy from canned stock, but I've never used it for turkey gravy -- mine always comes out sort of golden tan and I like that just the way it is.
Question two: Okay. Forget everything healthy you've ever learned and think "fat is flavor". Here's my approach and it makes lots and lots of savory gravy -- usually enough to save some for Friday leftover snacking. I use ALL the drippings and juices and I don't skim the fat. To the fat and turkey juice in the bottom of the roasting pan I add one can of turkey stock (10 oz.) and put it on two burners and bring it to a low boil. In a large measuring cup (mine is 4 cups) I make a slurry of hot water and all purpose flour using a whisk to remove all lumps. The consistency should be like latex paint. When all the juices, fat and stock are bubbling, I slowly add in the water/flour mixture, stirring constantly with the whisk to combine. It will start to thicken almost immediately. Add until you get the thickness you want but be careful it will continue to thicken as it cooks. "Cook" the gravy for ten minutes at a low boil/simmer to eliminate the raw flour taste and make it smooth and sweet. Result: Ample amount of gravy. High calorie, artery-clogging, delicious stuff I only make once a year. Some chefs call this a "slurry" gravy as opposed to a roux-based gravy.
Hub
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Gravy is a type of sauce. In other words, all gravies are sauces but not all sauces are gravy. How you determine which sauces are gravy is largely a cultural and geographic issue. Generally (in my world), gravies are made with cooking juices (drippings, etc.) and often thickened with roux, cornstarch, or whatever.* Or they're made some other way.
* In case you're interested, "whatever" often makes the best gravy thickener but it's often hard to find the correct kind.
Most Italians call that tomato thing you put on pasta gravy...
That's an Italian-American cultural thing that results from which term was used by whoever was first translating the the recipes and references. One of the common Italian words used was "sugo;" some translated it as "sauce" and some as "gravy." Nowadays, Tommy's homemade vs. store-bought differentiation is as good as any.
I think its juicy stuff that tastes good ::)
I've had, I think, just about every type of gravy or sauce that exists at one time or another. Like the Turtle, I wouldn't call a lot of sauces "gravy" but I don't recall any I didn't appreciate for what they were. If I had to stake out a definition I'd go with gravy as a meat-based sauce but sometimes tomato-containing sauces have meat, too. Why bother with a definition? If it can be poured over something and makes it taste good because it has yummy stuff in it, its GRAVY
Hub
I agree with HUB, grandmom from Italy called sauce gravy when she made a meat sauce (braciole, meatballs, sausage, and pork chop) Brown everything and set aside, make sauce with fennel and onion, return meat to sauce and simmer for hours.... in the end gravy is produced. This and Christmas Eve dinner are the two things I miss most... of course aside from actually her presence.