The secret to a good gravy – done by the professionals!

Gravy is a sauce that can make an enormous difference to your roast, so it really pays to know and understand how to make gravy.

The time to make the gravy is when the meat is cooked, removed from the roasting tray, and resting.

Follow these 7 steps to learn how to make gravy like the professionals!

Place the now empty tray on several stove burners (if you have a 4 – 6 burner unit). Turn onto med – high heat to let the juices and sediments left in the tray to reduce resulting in a thicker, darker and more flavourful liquid.

Lower the heat to the bear minimum and add approximately 4tbsp flour. With a whisk, stir thoroughly for about 1 minute until the flour is incorporated into the fat. If you need more fat, add some more oil. You have now created a roux!

Turn up the heat and, with a whisk, gradually add the stock – bringing it to boil before adding more stock. Once you have added all the stock, let simmer to thicken. This also develops more flavour and colour.

This is your basic gravy, and it is all about making use of the flavourful left – overs in the roasting tray.

Want to make the gravy stand out more?

Between steps 3 and 4, once you have made the roux (and before you raise the heat) add approx. 2tbsp tomato paste and stir thoroughly.

Turn up the heat and add red wine – enough to adequately cover the base of your roasting tray.

Let the red wine reduce during the med – high heat.

Proceed with step 4 – gradually adding the stock.

For more information on red meat cooking check out Your Meat Mate – the book that covers everything you need to know about cooking red meat.