re: help with making a roux

OP if I'm doing chicken and sausage gumbo this is what I do. Put about 1 and 1/4 cups of oil on medium high heat, peanut oil. Once heating good, cook cut up sausage till they about halfway cooked and take them out. Get about 1 cup of flour and put in over about 4-5 increments while stirring with one of those whisker thingies. Keep heat on medium and once it starts to get darker turn heat down in increments. Once it gets a brownish color cook on low for about another 30 minutes until dark. At first stir every couple minutes really good, once you get down to low heat you can get by stirring every 4-5 minutes.

You bake the flour by itself, not with the oil

When you make a roux, the oil is just a medium for browning the flour. In other words it just suspends the flour and transfers the heat required to brown it. The oil isnt neccessary. You can brown flour, just like you would brown a piece of toast. This is why the oven method works. But you must occasionally mix it and not have too thick of a layer of flour because the heat will not get through to all of the layers of flour

It's pretty easy. Add the oil and turn the heat up until it smokes, add the flour and stir. 15 minutes later you have a dark roux

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Gritty as in sandy-like texture.

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Mine will go through phases where it appears like this. I think it's when the flour actually starts to brown and forms small clumps. Just whisky really fast for a minute or two and smooths back out. Use cast iron, and I go, like others on here, normally go hot and fast until the very end and i will turn the heat down to medium low to finish.

Well I tried again last night and made I'm finally got my roux a nice brown color in ab 20 minutes. Unfortunately, I burnt it. I had my electric stove set on 7 and waited a minute or two too long and ended up burning it. It smelled like burnt popcorn and was smoking but thought I read that it was pretty close when I got to this point. Didn't really notice the black flakes until after I added trinity and water/chicken broth. I tried to save it but was quickly reminded you can't polish a turd. Now it has become a personal battle. My wife will think I've gone crazy but I'm gonna try it again tonight, for the third night in a row lol. I plan on trying the oven method as soon as I conquer the stove top method.

Do y'all always use a dark rough for both chicken and sausage and seafood gumbo or lighter roux for c & s and darker for seafood?

Just want to thank y'all again for all the insight. It's much appreciated