Quick Brown Gravy for Smoked Brisket

[Dewesq55]

This makes about 2-2 1/2 cups. I used it on leftovers on a roll, but you could do this the first night/day and serve it on the side with potatoes or whatever.

2 Tbspn butter
2 Tbspn all purpose flour
Beef stock or broth (about 2 cups)
1/4-1/2 cup jus from the brisket cook
Salt
Pepper
~1 sq. in. Glace de Viande (totally optional)*

Melt butter in a small sauce pan
whisk in flour until well incorporated and cook on very low heat, stirring constantly until it starts to smell like pie crust. Whisk in stock or broth until you get the consistency you want (it will get thicker as you cook it so make it a little thinner than you want at first). Add the jus and stir to combine well. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the glace de viande if using and stir until melted and fully incorporated. Simmer for 5 additional minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve.


*A Note about the Glace de Viande: I had made demi-glace and glace de viande a couple of years ago on a whim when I got the Jacques Pepin "Complete Techniques" book. The demi is in my freezer, wrapped in plastic. The glace de viande, which keeps indefinitely, is in a small ziploc in my fridge, so I had it on hand. It adds a richness and velvety smoothness to the gravy but is totally optional. I just put it in because I had it.

[Strat50]

You nailed it perfectly Dew. A classic brown sauce is classic for a reason. My real culinary book learning started in the early 80's with Jacques Pepin's books. I keep a copy of "Complete Techniques" as a reference still. Thank you for posting your recipe.

[Dewesq55]

Thanks, Strat. I made the Glace from the second steeping of the bones after making demi glace.

DEW

[Strat50]

You're reply brings back many fond memories of making 10 gallons of stock a day. The place where I was then working had a stockpot going 24/7. We did the classic 3 day beef stock, and would then reduce the stock by 90% to make the glace. Good times...

[Dewesq55]

I often forget to use it but it brings dishes like Chicken Marsala to a whole new level. Talk about restaurant quality. . .

[fzxdoc]

You guys are making me want to try making demi-glace and glace viande the next time I get in the mood to make beef stock.

For bones that come straight from the butcher, do you all roast or pan sear them? If you roast the bones, how long do you do it (time/temp)?

Thanks.

Kathryn

[Dewesq55]

I follow Jacques Pepin's recipe. Here is the part, on the bones: "Place the pieces of bone in a large roasting pan and brown in the oven at 425 degrees (218 ° C) for 1 ½ hours, turning the bones once, halfway through the browning process. Add carrots and onions to the bones and continue cooking in the oven another ½ hour."

[Strat50]

There are a couple roads that lead to Rome here. I roast my bones on a bed of mirepoix at 350-400 till they are deep brown, and the mirepoix has deep brown tips. Dew's recipe above is the quicker version, this one is more traditional. On the mirepoix, do not peel the onions, as the peels add great depth of flavor. You will need a lot of bones! It usually takes the bones at least 3 hours in the oven, turning and mixing every ½ hour. The last hour, add tomato paste. Do this in a roasting pan that will stand up to being put on a stove burner, as you will de-glaze with red wine when all is brown on the stove top. This mixture will be added to a pot of vegetable stock that you start when you start your bones. You will need a big pot! Yes, you can pan sear, but not too many people have a big Rondo to do this in.

[Dewesq55]

I defer to Strat, although Jacques Pepin calls the stove top browning the quicker version. Other things of note: For the oven roasted method, Jacques calls for 10 pounds of bones about equally distributed between beef, chicken and veal. He calls for them cut into 2 inch pieces. I don't know if that speeds the roasting time, compared to Strat's version or not. Jacques also says to leave the onions unpeeled. He also does use celery, but not in the roasting pan. It is added later. The same for tomato (he chopped fresh tomato rather than paste). He deglazes with water rather than wine.

As Strat said, there are a couple of roads that lead to Rome here.