re: I'm a convert to jarred roux, Savoie's worked very well

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can whip out a dark roux in 5 minutes. Screw stirring anything for an hour.

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How do you do it so quick? You just do it really hot?

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Kary’s FTW!!!

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absolutely

I once had someone tell me they didn’t use jar roux because they made it with cheap flour. WTF?

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You just do it really hot?

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Yep. Have your trinity already cut up and handy. Heat your oil on high heat until it starts smoking. Add your flour and stir rapidly until it starts to brown then knock your heat down to about an 8 and keep stirring. As it darkens, you can drop the heat some but don't go less than medium. When it gets to the color you want, add your trinity and stir well to cool off the roux and proceed with your gumbo. If you burn it, start over.

Making a roux is what keeps me from making gumbo. I just suck at it.

On the other hand I try to avoid crappy oils when possible (corn, veg, canola etc).

And I bet I can’t get decent ones here without a search.

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Yep. Have your trinity already cut up and handy. Heat your oil on high heat until it starts smoking. Add your flour and stir rapidly until it starts to brown then knock your heat down to about an 8 and keep stirring. As it darkens, you can drop the heat some but don't go less than medium. When it gets to the color you want, add your trinity and stir well to cool off the roux and proceed with your gumbo. If you burn it, start ove

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This is the method I use. Every time I post about this "quick roux" method, I get downvoted, I guess because people don't believe you can make a dark roux in under 10 minutes.

I made a seafood gumbo in my big stainless pot last weekend for company. Best seafood gumbo I ever made. People kept asking if I used kitchen bouquet or jarred roux, because of how dark it was. Honestly, i'm used to cooking gumbo in my smaller cast iron, and it's much easier to control the heat. With Stainless, you have to really watch that pot because it gets very hot, very quick. There is no gradual transfer of heat like cast iron. It turned out great though. Here's a pic of leftovers from last night. It's actually a tad lighter than the pic. Bad lighting.



ETA: And I've only ever made my own roux. They are typically done on the stove, but I have done it in the oven with great results as well, just takes longer. I've never used jar just because I find making a roux to a) be part of the fun of cooking gumbo b) love that smell and c) never used jar before, so I don't trust jar. Not saying there is any validity to not trust jar roux, but I will never know if its good or not.

OK, I'm coming to you guys for advice about what I did wrong.

On Friday I used to the Savoie's dark jar roux. I did as the instructions noted and added four tablespoons to the four quarts of water.

The gumbo was extremely thin and light brown when done. Really lacked flavor as well. I'm sure I can do better to spice it up, but what did I do wrong to have such a thin and watery mess?

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On Friday I used to the Savoie's dark jar roux. I did as the instructions noted and added four tablespoons to the four quarts of water.

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This is the problem I have with jarred roux. I find that I always use too much or too little. Hard to hit the nail on the head. Last night I said frick it and used 3/4 of the jar. I had to end up splitting the gumbo between 2 huge pots to get enough stock in there to thin it out some.

*I now have leftover gumbo to feed 25. Anyone know best way to freeze it? Ziplock? Vacuum Pack?

About 10-15 minutes before serving, with the fire off, dump a handful of chopped parsley over the top and let it settle.

If you use a half jar of roux, use a half to three quarters gallon of water, 6-8 pieces of chicken and a pound of sausage.

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This is the problem I have with jarred roux. I find that I always use too much or too little.

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The stock to roux ratio should be between 6 to 1 and 20 to 1, depending on your preferences. Find your preferred ratio through experimentation and then you can calculate it for any size pot.