The encyclopaedia of gravy
Pork gravy is made from roast pork drippings, usually sharpened with cider, apple or mustard to balance the fattiness of the meat and the sweetness of crackling.
What it is¶
Pork produces a lot of fat and a relatively mild juice, so pork gravy is built around contrast. Left plain it can taste flat and greasy; with cider, apple or mustard it becomes one of the sharpest and most interesting gravies on the roast-dinner table.
Because pork is usually cooked with crackling, the tin often holds very salty, very fatty residue. Skim hard, and taste before adding any salt at all.
History¶
Pork and apple is one of the oldest flavour pairings in northern European cookery, and the cider counties of the English west country — Somerset, Herefordshire, Devon — formalised it. Sage and onion, the traditional pork stuffing, also finds its way into the gravy, either deliberately or because some of the stuffing has escaped into the tin.
Typical ingredients¶
| Element | Usual choice | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fat | Pork dripping | Skim aggressively; pork fat is heavy |
| Liquid | Dry cider plus chicken or pork stock | Reduce the cider before adding stock |
| Thickener | Plain flour | 1½ tbsp per 500 ml |
| Sharpeners | Wholegrain mustard, cider vinegar, apple | A teaspoon is enough |
| Herbs | Sage, thyme | Sage is traditional, and strong — go gently |
Flavour profile¶
Mild, rounded and savoury with a clear apple-ish acidity. It should taste lighter than beef gravy and cleaner than lamb gravy. If it tastes fatty, you left too much dripping in.
What to serve it with¶
Roast pork, obviously, with apple sauce alongside rather than in the gravy. Also pork chops, gammon, sausages, and — with cream stirred in — pork meatballs. See best gravy for roast pork.
The traditional recipe¶
Serves 4–6 · 15 minutes
You need
- The pork roasting tin with its juices
- 1½ tbsp plain flour
- 200 ml dry cider
- 400 ml hot chicken or pork stock
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- A few sage leaves, chopped
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Rest the pork. Pour the tin contents into a jug; let the fat rise and skim it off, returning 2 tbsp of fat and all of the dark juices to the tin.
- Set on a low heat, stir in the flour and the sage, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the cider and let it bubble down by half — this is essential, as unreduced cider is sour in gravy.
- Add the stock gradually, whisking smooth.
- Simmer 8 minutes, stir in the mustard, taste carefully before seasoning.
The quick version¶
Serves 4 · 8 minutes
You need
- 25 g butter
- 25 g plain flour
- 150 ml cider
- 400 ml hot chicken stock
- 1 tsp mustard
Method
- Make a pale roux with the butter and flour.
- Add the cider, let it reduce by half, then whisk in the stock.
- Simmer 5 minutes and stir in the mustard.
Vegetarian and vegan versions¶
A cider-and-sage vegetable gravy works very well with a nut roast: soften onion and sage in oil, add flour, reduce 150 ml cider, then add vegetable stock and a teaspoon of mustard.
Common mistakes¶
Not skimming enough fat — pork fat sets into a visible film on the plate. Skim, then skim again.
Adding cider without reducing it — raw cider is sour and thin. Boil it down by half first.
Salting before tasting — crackling salt ends up in the tin. Always taste first.
Too much sage — sage turns medicinal in quantity. Three or four leaves for four people.