Roast Pork with Gravy

This is the old-school method every grandmother had in her head: do not pour the pan drippings down the drain, make gravy. A single tablespoon of pork drippings stretched with water and thickened with flour gives you a rich, savory sauce that carries every bit of roasted flavor the meat left in the pan.

The whisk-in-cold-liquid technique is the small secret. Stirring the flour into a bit of the cool drippings-water mixture before heating prevents lumps. Once smooth, the whole thing goes over heat and thickens in about two minutes. That is the entire recipe.

Pro Tips

• Scrape the fond (the browned bits stuck to the roasting pan) into the drippings before adding water. That is where most of the flavor hides.
• Whisk constantly once heated. Flour sauces lump and stick to the pan bottom in seconds if left alone.
• Taste before seasoning. Drippings vary wildly in saltiness depending on how the roast was seasoned.
• Strain through a fine mesh for extra silkiness if you want a restaurant-smooth gravy.

Variations

• Swap water for chicken broth or apple cider for richer or sweeter gravy.
• Add a splash of white wine or sherry after the fond scrape for a deglazed, more complex sauce.
• Finish with a spoonful of Dijon mustard or fresh thyme for a brighter note over roast pork.