Make Turkey Stock from the Thanksgiving Turkey
After Turkey Day Make Turkey Stock from the Turkey Carcass
Nov 9, 2009
The day after Thanksgiving usually leaves a whole lot of leftovers. In between piling plates of turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes as a little “snack,” consider making turkey stock to use as a base for turkey soup or a turkey stew.
In order to make the turkey stock you’ll need only a few ingredients, a large stock pot and a strainer. Here are the tips on how to make an excellent turkey stock with the leftovers from Thanksgiving.
Things You’ll Need
- Turkey carcass
- 4 carrots
- 4 celery stalks
- ½ white onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Healthy pinch of parsley
- Healthy pinch of thyme
Assembling the Turkey Stock
- Using a butcher’s knife, chop the carcass into several pieces so that it will fit in a stock pot. Remember that skin, bone, and meat are going to be the flavor of the stock, so don’t worry about throwing a little of everything in. Also, adding the giblets is a personal preference.
- Rough chop the celery, carrots, celery, white onion and garlic. Add these to the stock pot.
- Add a pinch of parsley and thyme to the stock pot .
- Fill the stock pot with water so that all of the contents are covered by a little over an inch.
- Place the stock pot on the stove over a medium heat and bring the water to a simmer.
- Once the turkey stock has begun simmering, reduce the heat to “low” and allow it to cook for 3 to four hours.
- After the simmering has occurred, remove all of the large pieces of turkey carcass, celery, carrots, and onion using a ladle and tongs.
- Strain the liquid using a fine strainer into another pot.
- Allow the turkey stock to cool and the place into containers to freeze or refrigerate.
Skimming the Fat
Depending on how health conscious people in the family are, skimming the fat periodically is a good idea. Using a ladle, simply remove the fat that accumulates on top of the liquid and discard in an empty can. (Never pour the fat down the sink as it can accumulate and clog over time.)
Add More Water
Depending how much stock one needs, water can be added throughout the simmering process if it seems to be getting too low. Try to add warm water so that the added water doesn’t completely cool the contents of the stock pot.
Simmer Down the Turkey Stock Even More
Some people like to make a turkey stock that is very potent. This is a good idea if freezer space is limited and the turkey soup won’t be made for a while. After straining the turkey stock in the fine strainer, place the stock back on the stove and allow it to simmer for a half hour until even more water has evaporated. Then, after freezing, simply add more water to the stock for the base of the soup.
Check Out Other Turkey Articles
For more information on turkey related articles, check out this article on how to "thaw a turkey" for the Thanksgiving day meal. Or, if there are a ton of leftovers from Thanksgiving, check out this article on how to make a post-Thanksgiving day sandwich.
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