OT: Homemade Gravy or Gravy from a Jar

This has turned into quite the sports blog.

I make my own “gravy”. 

McCormick packet of dry mix gravy. It's the only way to go.

What is this thing, gravy from a jar?

Pasty gravy means you aren't cooking the flour and fat long enough and hot enough.  Lumpy gravy probably means you added your flour to the water and juices before thoroughly combining it with the fat. Patience will be rewarded, and you might try using a sieve.  Lastly, and what I do often, is use cornstarch.  You don't have to mix it with fat (use cool water), you don't get the pasty taste, and because it is easier to work with you don't usually get lumps.  Cornstarch is excellent when you want a glossy thinner type of sauce or gravy.

I'm not an excellent cook, I'm just a guy.

I fancy myself a bit of a cook as well, but I'll be darned if I can work out a good gravy. That and the legit world's best hollandaise are two of the many lessons I never had the time to take from my mother, God rest her soul. 

There's another thread idea- I'm telling you, it was a decade in its evolution, but this f-ing hollandaise she was making in her final few years was a thing of beauty, AND I'LL NEVER HAVE THAT RECIPE AGAAAAAAAAIIINNNN

The MGoGirlfriend (my expert source in all culinary matters) has told me repeatedly that making gravy is so easy to make that buying it is silly.

So of course, I bought her a jar of gravy for her birthday.

The fact that she didn't punch me is a testament to her tolerance.

Gravy is relatively easy, and jar gravy is gross. I'm told that my country gravy tastes like KFCs, and I'm told that's a good thing.

I take some flour in a bowl, add some milk and stir with a fork until it's well mixed and thick. Add more milk as needed to get the right consistency. Pour that it in a skillet (iron is best, but any heavy skillet will do) and put on med-low heat until it starts to bubble a bit. Keep stirring it with the fork. Add any meat juices you have, salt and pepper to taste. If you wanted to throw in small pieces of sausage, people would hail you as a minor deity and carry you around the house on their shoulders. It should thicken up nicely. If it gets gelatinous, add more milk. If it's too thin, I suggest letting it cook down a bit, but you can add more flour--just make sure to break up any lumps and add very slowly. In general, if it's lumpy, break it up with the fork and stir faster, dammit.

Keep warm. Pour liberally. Enjoy.

This is a sad, sad original post at a University of Michigan sports blog.  Can someone start a MGoCooking.com blog or an MGoGravy.com blog for the OP?

Home made or from a powder, but never from a jar.

Make a roux (melted butter and flour) add to drippings.  No lumps, no pasty texture, better than jar gravy

I am beyond an excellent cook, but I'm having trouble heating water.  When it starts to get hot, it tends to bubble up and soon I have none left.  Should I just buy hot water in a can?

So here’s the real question here: ketchup....or catsup?

Great post - anytime I can add a new listing for "words learned on Mgoblog"

Oleaginous 

Easiest answer ever.  If you have the time and ability, go homemade.  

I don't like gravy.  Au Jus is the way to go.

Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar
You're gonna go far, you're gonna fly
You're never gonna die
You're gonna make it if you try
They're gonna love you
Well I've always had a deep respect
And I mean that most sincere
The band is just fantastic
That is really what I think
Oh by the way, which one's pink?
And did we tell you the name of the game, boy
We call it 'riding the gravy train'

I just roasted two bone-in skin-on chicken breasts last night for chicken pot pie but I could have made gravy by using the pan drippings. After the chicken is cooked, the fat that's left behind -- and it was only about 2 tablespoons -- is the base. You add a couple of tbs. of flour and stir over medium heat for two minutes. It may seem pasty, but you then add stock or broth (canned or boxed is fine) that's been heated, a little at a time, while whisking, just enough to create a medium thick gravy. It will thicken a little as it cools. If you want super smooth gravy, you can strain it, but I like the little bits of deeply cooked chicken skin that were left in the pan from roasting the chicken. You can also add a bit of cream if you want a creamier gravy, but to me, that's gilding the lily. Taste it, and if you need to, add salt and pepper. Very easy. 

Just for the record.....  Gravy is not a beverage...

You call yourself an excellent cook, but you can't make gravy? GTFO....... 

This time, we didn’t forget the gravy.

I love gravy either way. The wife is Greek. For Thanksgiving every year, her family never had gravy until a few years ago. Gravy is needed for mashed potatoes. I got them into it and now it's always there for the mashed. I also put a little bit on my stuffing.

neither. I buy the envelope and then use the drippings, so its kind of a 50/50 deal. But jar gravy is gross