Outdoor Cooking & Charcoal Oven Recipes / Roast

Deeply roasted turkey bones being lifted from the tray into the stock pot for gravy

Cooked in the Charlie Charcoal Oven

Roast Turkey Gravy

Gravy built from the bones up. The turkey bones roast in a very hot Charlie until deeply browned, which is where the flavour comes from, then simmer with white wine before being reduced and thickened with butter and flour. Charcoal heat from below and from the oven walls colours the bones far more than a domestic oven would.

Mark O'BrienChef
Roast
Prep15 minutes
CookAbout 3 hours
Serves8, with leftovers
DifficultyMedium
Oven temperature220°C (430°F) for roasting the bones
RackLower middle rack
CharcoalAbout half a football of good quality lumpwood charcoal

Charlie Oven — https://charlieoven.com/en-us/blogs/charcoal-recipes/roast-turkey-gravy

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Ingredients

Equipment

Everything used in this recipe. Already have Charlie? Add the accessories in one go.

  • Charlie Charcoal Oven$6,400.00Choose your oven
  • Deep Roasting Tray Rack$318.00
  • Charlie Oven Tongs 55cm$46.00
Deep Roasting Tray Rack and Charlie Oven Tongs 55cm $364.00 together

Method

Setting up Charlie

Light a small pyramid of charcoal in the centre of the grates with one or two natural firelighters. Close the door and open both vents fully. When the oven is about 10°C (20°F) short of 220°C (430°F), set both vents to the hold position, about 2.5 cm (1 in) open.

  1. Make the thickener

    Mix the butter and flour together to form a paste.

  2. Roast the bones

    Roast the bones in a very hot Charlie at about 220°C (430°F) until very dark.
    Roast the bones

  3. Save the fat and loosen the tray

    Pour off the fat and keep it for the turkey legs. Add a splash of water to the tray and return it to the oven for 5 minutes to loosen the sticky bits.

  4. Start the stock

    Put the bones and the sticky bits from the tray in a large stock pot with the wine, then cover with water.

  5. Simmer

    Bring to a simmer on the hob and skim off any scum that rises to the top. Simmer for 2 hours. As you prepare the rest of your vegetables, add any trim or peelings to the pot. Onion and shallot skins and herb stalks give colour and flavour.

  6. Strain and reduce

    After two hours, pass the liquid through a sieve into another pan. Reduce it by about a third at a rolling boil.

  7. Thicken

    As it gets close to the colour and thickness you want, add a spoonful of the butter and flour paste and whisk well while it boils. Keep adding the paste bit by bit until you are happy with the thickness.

  8. Season and serve

    Season well and serve.

Tips

Use the spine, wing tips and trim from the turkey. As the turkey is prepared the day before, the stock can be made then too.

Part of Mark O'Brien's Christmas menu. Download the full plan, with the shopping list and the timings for Christmas Eve and the day itself.

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The cook

Mark O'Brien

Chef

Mark O’Brien was a finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals 2026 and the first Irish chef to reach the final. After more than a decade in top London restaurants, he now runs Snake Oil Barbecue in Margate, bringing serious chef skills to his love of American BBQ and cooking over fire.

More recipes by Mark O'Brien

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I make the gravy ahead?

    Yes. Make the stock the day before, then reduce and thicken it on the day.

  • Why use a butter and flour paste?

    Whisking it in a spoonful at a time lets you stop at exactly the thickness you want, without lumps.