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grain-free roux in a large skillet and then add liquid to the skillet until it reaches the desired thickness. A roux made with white rice flour and butter is most consistently like a wheat-based roux in terms of flavor and texture and is my preferred roux. If you roast your meat in a stainless-steel skillet (like Roasted Chicken, see here ), you can create your roux directly in the skillet, drippings included.
    1-2 TBSP. COOKING FAT (BUTTER, RESERVED BACON DRIPPINGS, LARD, OR COCONUT OIL)
    1-2 TBSP. WHITE RICE FLOUR OR COCONUT FLOUR
    1-2 CUPS DRIPPINGS, BROTH, WINE, BRAISING LIQUID, OR A COMBINATION
    SALT AND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE
    1. Heat the fat in a large skillet on medium-low until warmed, about 1 minute. Add the flour and stir to combine, then toast the roux until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the drippings, broth, wine, or braising liquid and bring to a simmer, adding more liquid as it thickens. Some gravies fare better with some cream added, as in Chicken-Fried Steak ( see here ). If you have leftover scraps from carving the meat, mince the scraps and add them to the gravy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
    2. Gravy broths can be premade ( see here ) or, when cooking whole poultry, created by simmering the giblets (neck and gizzard, not the liver) as it roasts. Adding a splash of white wine to chicken broth or red wine to beef broth adds depth of flavor; the acidity also helps with the digestion of starches, like Garlic Mashed Potatoes ( see here ) or Rice ( see here ).
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    PAN SAUCES
    Pan sauces, like that in my Eye of Round Roast recipe ( see here ), are even simpler because they reach the desired taste and consistency through reduction. Typically, braising liquid, broth, or wine is combined with the browned bits left over from browning (called sucs, from the French) and reduced and seasoned. Pan sauces are often strained before serving for presentation’s sake.
    SUCS (BROWNED PIECES FROM BROWNING)
    1-2 CUPS BRAISING LIQUID, BROTH, WINE, OR A COMBINATION
    SALT AND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE
    1. Pour the braising liquid, broth, and wine into the pan used to brown the meat, whisking the liquid together with the sucs to deglaze the pan. Simmer on medium heat until reduced to your desired consistency (reducing by half is typical), then season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
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    STARCH-THICKENED GRAVY
    Gravies can also be thickened by using a starch-based slurry. As a general rule, 1 Tbsp. starch will easily thicken 1 cup liquid. For anything beyond 2 cups liquid, I prefer to use arrowroot starch, as potato starch can clump in larger quantities. Arrowroot starch maintains its thickness when it cools; potato starch does not.
    I do not recommend using tapioca starch as a thickener, as it creates a gummy texture. Some people like to use small amounts of gelatin to thicken gravies, but I find that it’s too easy to overthicken the gravy into something more akin to Jell-O.
    1-2 CUPS DRIPPINGS, BROTH, WINE, BRAISING LIQUID, OR A COMBINATION
    SALT AND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE
    1-2 TBSP. POTATO STARCH OR ARROWROOT STARCH
    1-2 TBSP. COLD WATER
    1. Combine the drippings, broth, and wine, season to taste with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk together the starch and cold water into a slurry in a small bowl; add the slurry to the gravy and stir until thickened.





Barbecue Rubs
    When I was first adopting a whole-foods diet, I had a hard time finding barbecue rubs that were both affordable and free of additives. While beef fares very well without any added sweetener in the rub, both poultry and pork develop a much more intense and exciting flavor when paired with some coconut palm sugar.
    Chipotle chili powder is my preferred powder for barbecue rubs, but feel free to change it to suit your tastes: ancho (less spicy and sweeter), guajillo (less spicy but smoky), cayenne (spicier), and jalapeño (even spicier) powders all work well.
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    ALL-PURPOSE BEEF RUB
    YIELDS: 1