The Insider's Guide to Giblets

To make the turkey broth:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Chop turkey neck into three or four pieces.
3. Add the turkey neck, heart, quartered onion, and 1/2 tsp of salt to the pan.
4. Stir to coat with oil, cover, and cook on low-medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add 4 cups cold water and the carrot, celery, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
6. Once boiling, cover, and reduce the heat to simmer until the broth is flavorful, 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Strain the broth and use it immediately or let it cool.

For the gravy:

1. Once the neck has cooled, remove as much meat from it as possible. Once you have all the neck meat, chop it in small pieces along with the heart. You can discard whatever is left of the neck.
2. When you take your turkey out of the oven, pour all the drippings from your turkey roasting pan into a large bowl. This includes everything that’s in the pan, including fat, and pieces of meat that fell off.
3. Let the drippings rest for a minute or two. The fat will float and settle at the top, leaving the delicious juices and bits of meat at the bottom. Use a spoon to remove most of the fat from the top.
4. Heat a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add one cup of pan drippings along with the flour and whisk the mixture slowly over the heat as it begins to brown, creating a roux.
5. Once the roux reaches a golden brown color, add 4 cups of the turkey broth you just made and 1 additional cup of drippings.
6. Whisk the gravy constantly for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until thickened. Then add the diced giblet meat.

If you like a thinner gravy, add more broth or drippings. If it’s too thin for you're liking, cook it for a couple more minutes to reduce it.

You can also mix 1 Tbsp of cornstarch with 1 Tbsp of hot water or broth to form a slurry and add it to the gravy little by little until you reach the desired consistency.