Can I Make My Roux In Advance?

[hoovarmin]

I'm going to do a gumbo Christmas Eve and it's going to be a busy day. Have any of you made a roux in advance and saved it in the fridge to use the following day? Will that work?

[Panhead John]

For sure yes! Put it in an airtight container and refrigerate. Slowly heat it up the next day in the microwave, then proceed as if it was just made.

[hoovarmin]

I consider you the roux authority in these parts, so that eases my mind!

[mrteddyprincess]

My English teacher friend from West Texas said, "Don't trust anybody from East Texas. They are probably from Louisiana." In this case he was right. But I also think we ought to trust John on his advice.
"Mary took to runnin' with a travelling man, left her mama cryin' with her head in her hands. Such a sad case. So broken hearted..."
Roux? (French for gravy.) Gravy? (Native American word for stupid white people who make food but don't have enough sense to move where it's warmer all year long.)

[Panhead John]

hoovarmin Aww shucks sweet pea…..😘

[Donw]

Yes. I like the oven method to make roux. ATK has a video. Mentioned here in this thread. The cook and darkened flour can be stored in an airtight container for a long while.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/soup-chili-and-stew/1118140-dry-roux-for-gumbo-report

[hoovarmin]

That is EXACTLY what I want to do. Thanks, Don.

[LA Pork Butt]

We quit making a roux and just use a dry roux as a thickening agent. The flavor is in the fat, so you lose some of that. But, there are other ways to get flavorful fat into a gumbo.

[hoovarmin]

Since it's our annual Christmas Eve Shrimp Gumbo I'm not gonna experiment with the roux this time, except to make it in advance. I'm using Ghee for the fat, so I feel pretty ok about that. It's gonna be an expensive roux!

[Purc]

I got off the scales and I have put on 10 pounds of roux this year.

[hoovarmin]

Purc you wear it well, brother!

[58limited]

I've made roux in advance and it keeps for months.


If in a hurry you can see if your store has these. They tend to be hard as concrete in the bottle but they make good gumbo:

[Oak Smoke]

This my SIL is a Cajun, he’d been in the family for 2 years before my wife cold understand him. He is a great cook and uses this. It looks like hell in the jar but is very good.

[hoovarmin]

Thanks, Dave!

[Panhead John]

hoovarmin What kind of gumbo are you going to make? If it’s chicken and sausage, I’d recommend cooking your sausage first before adding it to the gumbo. [you might already know this]. I put mine on a baking sheet in the oven, 350*, for about 20 minutes. This will render the fat onto the pan and keep it out of your gumbo. A few times in the past, I’d put my sausage raw into the gumbo….it came out way too greasy.

[hoovarmin]

THat's money bro. Thank you.

[Donw]

I wanted to draw your attention to this thread. With some minor tweaks it is one great gumbo.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/soup-chili-and-stew/610255-gumbo-recipe-as-requested

[hoovarmin]

Thank you, Don!