How to Make a Pan Gravy With Not Enough Drippings

Reduced and concentrated during cooking, drippings are the essence of roasted meat and the flavor foundation on which pan gravies are built. Pan drippings have such a strong, focused flavor a little goes a long way, and you have to build a body around them with a flavorful liquid, such as stock, to create a balanced, well-rounded gravy. A quality stock can even pick up the slack when you find yourself short on drippings and long on a pan-gravy craving -- just make the most of what drippings you do have, extend them with stock and thicken to the desired consistency.

Things You'll Need

Flour
Butter

Chicken or beef stock

Instructions

Roll equal parts butter and flour between your palms into a well-mixed ball. You need 1 tablespoon of each fat and flour per cup of pan gravy you want to make. Set the ball of flour and butter, referred to as a beurre manie, aside in the refrigerator.
Heat 1 cup of beef or chicken stock in a saucepan on the stove over warm heat for every cup of gravy you want to make. If using a commercial stock or base, use sodium-free, if possible, so you can control the seasoning of the gravy better.
Take the roast or poultry from the oven and place it on the stove over two burners. Transfer the meat or bird to a carving board and let it rest while you make the pan gravy.
Set the burners under the roasting pan to medium. Cook the pan drippings until you hear sizzling. Add the warm stock and scrape the bottom of the roasting pan with a flat-edged wooden spoon or spatula to deglaze it.
Pinch off small pieces of the beurre manie and drop them into the simmering stock. Whisk the buerre manie in completely before adding the next piece.
Simmer the gravy for about 5 minutes and season it to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

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