How to Make Roux From a Turkey Neck Bone

A roux uses fat and flour to form the thickening base for sauces and gravies. When preparing a whole turkey, save the neck bone to make the roux to add to the gravy. Unlike some gravy thickening methods, gravies made with a roux avoid the "raw flour" flavor by having the roux cook for several minutes before combining with the liquid. To save time when making this roux, add the turkey neck bone into the bottom of the roasting pan with the rest of the turkey and just use 2 tablespoons of drippings for the roux from bottom of the pan after the turkey finishes cooking.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Turkey neck bone
• 2 cups water
• 1-quart saucepan
• 3-quart round bottomed saucepan (saucier)
• Whisk
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups hot stock or broth

1. Place the turkey neck bone into the bottom of the saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.

2. Cook the turkey neck bone for several minutes to allow some of the fat to render out and collect at the bottom of the pan.

3. Pour the neck bone drippings, except 2 tablespoons, out of the saucepan.

4. Move the turkey neck bone to a 1-quart saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium and simmer for one hour to make a turkey stock.

5. Pour all of the flour into the 2 tablespoons hot neck bone drippings in the pan.

6. Whisk quickly until the flour begins to bubble and thin.

7. Reduce the heat to low, and let the roux slowly cook, stirring occasionally until you smell the flour toasting, which indicates the flour is cooked and no longer tastes raw.

8. Cook for two more minutes for a white roux, which is best for a turkey gravy.

9. Remove the pan from the heat and let the roux cool for one minute.

10. Ppour the 2 cups of turkey neck bone stock carefully into the warm roux, whisking vigorously. Watch the mixture carefully as this requires vigorous whisking for proper thickening without splattering or clumping. Thickening occurs immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• Alternatively, let the roux cool to room temperature before adding the hot turkey stock, to follow the old--unexplainable--adage of hot roux, cold liquid; cold roux, hot liquid. Return the pot to heat over medium, whisking until thickened.

References

• Good Eats: The Early Years; Alton Brown; 2009
• Cookwise; Shirley O. Corriher; 1997

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