OT - Giblets?

Thanksgiving is looming......anyone got a good recipe for a giblet-free gravy?

Why in the hell do people insist on eating the garbage the poultry industry puts in little bags and toss inside the Turkey carcass?

Granny throws it all into a brown dreck she expects us to poor over the taters and calls it "Giblet Gravy" - I like to refer to it in the correct term "Internal-Organ Gravy" - a term she does not like, usually gets me smacked in the back of the head by her or Moms (or Wifey if neither of them are within range)

Call me crazy, but I don't like eating lungs and brains (or kidneys, livers or whatever vileness they put in those bags) - seems like an unecessary ritual carried over from days past when it was important to use all parts of the animal - waste not, want not as they say.

If you want to make a kick-ass gravy, throw some bacon in there or beer or something - why the imperative to use bird guts?

Before everyone jumps on me about "tradition" and how delicious a Turkey gall bladder is, keep in mind that the internal organs of most animals act as filters - if there are toxic compounds in that dead bird, they are going to be concentrated in the organs - mmmmmm, mmmmm, good.

Call me a heretic - I am not eating the feet or beaks either.

Anyway, the rest of the food, football and beer make Turkey-Day ok (besides, Dog has my back, he'll eat the guts if I get stuck with them on my plate)

Now if someone could recommend a good epoxy - was getting the Christmas stuff out of the garage and noticed the beer can was no longer glued to Plastic Santas waiving hand - he just won't look right up on the roof without a 16oz Rainier in his mitts.

Mac.

lol, I can't help you. I buy turkey gravy powder and spice it up a bit. No turkey parts in my gravy. I boil those for the dog who loves them! I have to agree with you. I think they are gross!

McSnoresalot wrote:Thanksgiving is looming......anyone got a good recipe for a giblet-free gravy?

Just make the gravy the same old way, but don't add the giblets? At least that's what's always happened in my family 'cause the giblets get added to the dressing (aka Southern for "stuffing that is cooked outside of the bird") instead of the gravy.

Call me crazy, but I don't like eating lungs and brains (or kidneys, livers or whatever vileness they put in those bags) - seems like an unecessary ritual carried over from days past when it was important to use all parts of the animal - waste not, want not as they say.

Not that it will make you feel any better, but the giblets consist of the heart, the gizzard, the liver (which I do NOT use, its got an overwhelming flavor), and in my family, the turkey neck.

No lungs, kidneys, brains or whatnots.

In Australia organ meat is call 'offal' and IMHO it all tastes bloody OFFAL!

There'll be no giblets anywhere near my turkey or its gravy.

xena

Why must you impugn those most delectable of treats, the offal? Livers? Delicious pan-fried in butter, then served on fresh, crusty bread with a dusting of a nice salt. Just remember to trim off the ducts and fat first. Hearts? They have the delightful texture of Haribo gummies, with all the richness of flavour you would expect from jerky. Intestines? After a good cleaning, they make wonderful sausage casings with just the right bite to them. Kidneys? Wonderful in pie, once you've washed them well. Tongues? They're even made to be just the right size for your sandwich.

I can go on if you want…

The giblets together with the neck make a WONDERFUL rich stock from which you can make a very tasty gravy which does NOT taste strong or unpleasant, but LOVELY. I always use them.

I roast a turkey thigh or two the weekend before, dice the meat & add back to whatever fat comes out, and freeze. Turkey day, I thaw it. I trim the gibbies of the useless thick connective tissue, then dice small, and simmer with the neck in chicken broth while the bird cooks. Then, I combine the thawed meat/fat with the turkey drippings, chop the celery now cooked to nearly mush, onions I diced fine & sauteed earlier, add the gibbies and broth (neck get tossed unless I need the meat), add thyme, adjust liquid as needed, cook a bit, then thicken with a corn starch slurry. So far, everyone loves this gravy.

The heart and liver used to go to the cats but all have gone to the Great Beyond and no one nearby has cats or dogs...pity.

McSnoresalot wrote:
anyone got a good recipe for a giblet-free gravy?

Large can chicken both + 2 tbsp cornstarch.

edible viscera

Giblet gravy in this house!! And I keep back a few bits to throw in the stuffing as well...ummm...good stuff Maynard!! I pressure cook mine with enough water to not blow a gasket, then add canned chicken broth if I haven't had the time to pressure cook up some legs for just that purpose...and don't forget to use the roasting pan to make it in because you need all those nicely browned bits and a little of the leftover fat to make it taste just right!! Throw some flour in there to make a nice roux, add your broth and giblets, and you've got gravy like no other!

Well, as I said before, the giblets go into the dressing in my house. (Dressing = stuffing cooked outside the bird.)

As for the giblets and the gravy:

I cook the giblets (minus the liver and plus the neck) in about 4--6 cups of water to make a nice broth. Most of the broth gets added to the dressing, along with some of the drippings from the bird itself.

The gravy? I pour off the drippings into a bowl or measuring cup, skim the fat and put some o the fat back in the roasting pan. Add enough flour to make a quick roux. When the roux is done, I add the rest of the drippings back to the roasting pan and add any remaining broth that didn't go into the dressing and enough water to make it the right thickness. Stir and simmer until its smooth enough and reduced down to the correct thickness for serving. In addition to making top notch gravy, this also helps clean the roasting pan of all the drippings that have gotten baked onto the pan, which makes washing the pan much, much easier.

Every giblet has its fans.
After dinner, there's none to be found.
I'm disappointed that they only put in half the gizzard. Yum!

Reading this thread....

Gets my stomach rumbling BIGTIME for next Thursday
Reminds me to have DH make sure we have plenty of plastic containers to bring over to In-Law's house next Thursday for YUMMMY leftovers. I did that last year

Starlette

Starlette wrote:Reading this thread....
Gets my stomach rumbling BIGTIME for next Thursday
Starlette

Me too!

I don't mind using the giblets to get the broth for my gravy and for my dressing, but I'd rather keep my meats separate and identifiable. I think I have some texture issues. I never learned to cook gravy or dressing with meat in them, so in my mind they shouldn't be there. Just a quirk. In recent years I've tried to be more adventurous in my eating. It always interests me how certain foods or preparations can be so familiar to some yet foreign to me, so I'm trying to see what I've been missing. If I'm somewhere where giblet gravy is being served, I will try it.

But when at home, the giblets are the dog's special treat.

Snores,

When I get home, I'm going to have Hubbs read this thread since he's the family cook.
To answer your question, I LOVE the giblits, YUMMMS! Doesn't matter where, just put it somewhere!
So, if you don't use giblits then I suppose you don't use cow tongue either for the holidays? *taste buds are salivating*
I've GOT to get off this thread.

Starlette