How do I lessen the effects of thickening caused by roux?
I recently made slow roasted pork shoulder in the oven. I cooked the pork at 225F for 12 hours and after it was done roasting, I took the juices at the bottom of the pan and made gravy with it.
I did this by chilling the juices for a little while, and skimming the fat off the top. I got about 1.5 tbsp of fat out of that. I combined an additional 1 tbsp of butter and 2.5 tbsp of flour into it and cooked it until it was a dark brown. Then I added the juices into the roux along with some stock.
At first I tried the gravy and it tasted magnificent. Great mouth feel and concentrated meat flavor. But I noticed that it got thicker and thicker. So I added more stock into the gravy to thin it down. Eventually I got it to the thickness I liked by adding more stock. But tasting the gravy again, it had nowhere near the glory it had before the addition of stock.
Note that I don't really want answers that focuses on the pork roast or gravy making aspect. I only added that information as background information. I'm not too interested in fixing the already diluted gravy I have. I'm more interested in knowing if I could have done something else originally to lessen the thickening caused by the roux in my gravy.
Best Answer
I believe that rather than "diluting" your gravy with stock, you could instead use less roux (fat and flour) with the same amount of juices (and perhaps a bit of stock).
The extra tablespoon of butter, for example, meant you were "bumping up" the thickness of your final gravy to the next level. Here's some typical ratios from an earlier Question I had about what makes a white sauce "medium":
Medium refers to the thickness level of the final sauce, and is controlled by the ratio of roux (butter/flour) to [liquid]. For 1 cup of [liquid]:
thin = 1 tablespoon each flour/butter
medium = 2 tablespoons each flour/butter
thick = 3 tablespoons each flour/butter
So instead of using 2.5 tablespoons of fat and 2.5 tablespoons of flour, you could leave out the butter; a 1.5/1.5 tablespoon roux with the same volume of liquid might give you a texture closer to what you're hoping for.
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Quick Answer about "How do I lessen the effects of thickening caused by roux?"
Calculate the ratio of roux accurately; to avoid adding too much roux and creating an overly thick sauce. Allow the roux to cook for about 20 minutes to achieve its full thickening potential. Be patient and allow time for the starch to swell and absorb the liquid. Cook properly to remove the raw flour taste.What do you do when your roux is too thick?
Whisk the flour into the fat until you have a smooth, thick sauce. If it's too thick to whisk, add a little more fat. If it's too thin, add more flour.How do you thin a thick roux?
I did this by chilling the juices for a little while, and skimming the fat off the top. I got about 1.5 tbsp of fat out of that. I combined an additional 1 tbsp of butter and 2.5 tbsp of flour into it and cooked it until it was a dark brown. Then I added the juices into the roux along with some stock.What is the correct process for using roux as a thickening agent to prevent lumps?
Add Liquid to Make a Sauce Cold or room temperature roux is simply whisked into a simmering soup or sauce until it dissolves. These methods ensure the roux is incorporated slowly and the mixture will not form lumps.Can I fix a broken roux?
If your sauce is broken because it sat out too long at room temperature or you refrigerated it, don't fret\u2014this one's a pretty easy fix. Pour your sauce into a blender and add a tablespoon of very hot water, then blend until it's smooth and creamy.What can I use as a thickener instead of a roux
More answers regarding how do I lessen the effects of thickening caused by roux?
Answer 2
Starch is easily digested by many enzymes. Since you probably don't want to spit into your gravy, try mixing in a raw yolk and storing it for 2-3 days. I am not 100% sure it will work, but I think it's the best thing to try.
Answer 3
Flavor intensity can be very dependent on thickness/mouthfeel itself, so the fact that it got thinned could be the problem. Or, aromas got overdiluted - not much to fix that unless you have something (eg a second batch of too-intense gravy) that can add more of them. Or, it just got diluted out of balance on a five-basic-tastes level, in which case you just have to re-season it - salt or light soy sauce if it is missing salt, sugar or honey if not sweet enough, vinegar/lemon/tamarind... if missing acidity, soy sauce/maggi/marmite/nooch/MSG... if missing umami, caramel or dried herbs if you really are missing a bitter component ...
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