Tag: smoked turkey wings

Smoked Turkey Gravy

This is my year-after-year go-to technique for making gravy for turkey. Smoked turkey wings make an absolutely delightful turkey broth that, with just a few more ingredients added, makes a gravy that is perfect for Thanksgiving turkey. Or turkey any time. Making this gravy takes a little effort, but it is very much worth the time.

Smoked Turkey Gravy

If you want to skip the trouble of making the broth, you can make a gravy using roasted turkey wings instead. In a pinch you can use store-bought turkey broth instead, but it truly won’t be as magical. Using smoked (I use my Weber smoker) turkey to make the broth really adds a tremendous flavor to the gravy. It is something I look forward to all year long.

I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make this gravy and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!

Smoked Turkey Gravy
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5 from 1 vote

Smoked Turkey Gravy

In a pinch you can use store-bought turkey broth instead, but it truly won’t be as magical. Using smoked turkey to make the broth really adds a tremendous flavor to the gravy. It is something I look forward to all year long.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword gravy, turkey
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes
Servings 4 quarts
Calories 219kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  • Whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until golden in color.
  • Slowly pour in 2-3 cups of the stock, a little at a time, whisking constantly.
  • Add the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Whisk in some of the milk. Taste and add more if you wish, but don’t make the gravy too thin. Let simmer until the desired thickness is achieved. Add more milk if it gets too thick

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 660mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 576IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Smoked Turkey Broth

This is my year-after-year go-to technique for making turkey broth. Smoked turkey wings make an absolutely delightful smoked turkey broth that, with just a few more ingredients added, makes a gravy that is perfect for Thanksgiving turkey. It is also a great substitute for chicken broth in soups. The smoked turkey adds the perfect lightly-smoky flavor, all in a very rich broth. You could just eat it out of a bowl by itself.

Smoked Turkey Broth


You’ll get about 8 cups of smoked turkey broth when you are done. You can find turkey wings that already smoked in some grocery stores. You can use them instead of smoking your own, but you may want to get more than 4 of them. They tend to be smaller. As you can tell from the picture above I grabbed the largest fresh turkey wings I could find and then smoked them at home. It’s very easy and well, cool looking.

I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. I used apple to smoke the turkey for this recipe.

If you prefer to roast your turkey wings instead and use them to make a broth, check out my holiday make-ahead gravy recipe.

You can also make this broth using roasted turkey wings or legs.

Smoked Turkey Broth
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Smoked Turkey Broth

This is my year-after-year go-to technique for making turkey broth. Smoked turkey wings make an absolutely delightful smoked turkey broth that, with just a few more ingredients added, makes a gravy that is perfect for Thanksgiving turkey. 
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword broth, smoked, turkey
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes
Servings 4 quarts
Calories 384kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

For the smoked turkey wings

  • 4 large turkey wings

For the stock

  • 8 ribs celery
  • 2 onions quartered
  • 1 head garlic cloves removed but not peeled
  • 10 whole peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 quarts of water more or less

Instructions

For the smoked turkey wings

  • Fire up your smoker for cooking at 250 F. Use a wood such as hickory. You’ll want plenty of smoke.
  • Place the wings onto the smoker. No need to season them.
  • Smoke for approximately 2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
  • Remove from the smoker and make the stock.

For the broth

  • Place all of the ingredients along with the wings into a large stock pot.
  • Add enough water to just cover everything.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for at least an hour, up to 4 hours, until the turkey meat is falling off the bone. Add more water if needed.
  • Let cool completely then filter the broth through a sieve.
  • You can use the broth immediately but I prefer to refrigerate it overnight first. This lets all of the fat coagulate on top, making it easy to remove before using the broth.

Notes

You’ll end up with much more broth than is required to make 3 cups of gravy. Freeze the leftover broth or double or triple the gravy recipe if you desire.

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 732mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 384IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.