Turkey Stock from the Turkey Carcass(es)

[ChiliDude]

I spent this morning, the Friday after, making turkey stock with the carcass of a 22-pound bird plus the fresh, uncooked neck, and the roasted wing tips. First I gleaned the carcass of meat that can be used for other dishes like risotto, then I cooked the neck in some water, before adding the broken up skeletal parts to the 8-quart stock pot in which the neck was cooked. Enough water was added to cover the turkey parts and once the water came to a boil, the heat was reduced to a simmer which lasted approximately an hour. The only spice add to this concoction was turmeric for its antibiotic quality and for color. The yield in stock was more than 6 quarts. The residual of 2 cups was set aside with which I made ramen noodle soup with onion, celery, canned mushrooms, a little of my world famous and incendiary hot chile puree, and soy sauce for lunch.

My world famous and incendiary hot chile puree is made with 7 roasted ripe bells and 3 ghost peppers (also known as bhut jolokia, an Indian import) plus a little olive oil and garlic cloves.

I HOPE THAT THOSE OF YOU WHO PREPARED THE THANKSGIVING FEAST DID NOT DISCARD THE TURKEY CARCASS(ES) BEFORE USING THEM TO MAKE STOCK.

[JeremyEG]

I made a great stock with the carcass as well as the leftover parsnips and carrots. After a couple hours, I added a bunch of scallions and some ginger and let it simmer for another couple hours. We had the soup with some rice, raw scallions and a some eggs fried in sesame oil. I don't know why I always crave Asian flavors after Thanksgiving. Maybe it's because home is NYC and Thanksgiving is in NH and I miss Chinatown or something? Happy Holidays!
JeremyEG
HomeCookLocavore.com

[DuchessNukem]

I nose-to-tailed it this year: turkey stock (a.k.a. Turkey Skeleton Soup), pureed hearts for the cats, gizzard in bits in the gravy, and a first for us: liver pate (exquisite, even if tiny amount).

I normally toss the liver but really wanted to try to make it all useful.

Oh, and yes, there were two hearts in this bird. Couple of years ago I found an extra butt stuffed in the cavity.

Nothing finer than digging some turkey stock and/or turkey stew meat out of the freezer in a month or so.

[greygarious]

I dice and saute the liver, which then goes into the stuffing. To me, it's essential in making stuffing taste right. The rest of the innards and neck stay in the roasting pan to contribute to the drippings.

I always make turkey stock but don't like it nearly as well as chicken stock. However, years ago I discovered that, combined with some beef base, turkey stock makes a wonderful French onion soup. Now, the only time I make FOS is after roasting a turkey.

I

[canada259]

I tried making turkey stock for the first time this year...after being chilled, the result was gel-like. I was expecting something thinner...what's the norm?

Thanks,
Alex

[TorontoJo]

Gel is good! It means lots of wonderful, rich collagen in the stock. Once you heat it, it will go liquid again. You should only be concerned if your stock didn't gel up in the fridge. :)

[sunshine842]

extra points for gelling! Gel is good -- as Jo said, it's the melted collagens from the bones and connective tissues, and it gives you the lovely velvety mouthfeel characteristic of a really good stock.

[Flavor4TheFever]

Living in Shanghai, you are lucky to find a turkey at all, and don't have much choice in what kind of turkey to buy. Moreover, ovens are a rarity, and while we're lucky enough to have an oven, it is tiny and did not accommodate the whole turkey. So, I had to cut up my turkey and braise it. (Incidentally, I'll never roast a turkey again.)

One other benefit was that I had a raw turkey carcass from which I could make stock. Stock from uncooked bones gives you all that gelatinous goodness that cooks off when you roast it.

[twyst]

There is still a ton of gelatinous goodness left even after the bird is roasted

[laredo]

Janeh, and others,
Wish I had read this thread before posting a question as to whether smoked (Greenberg) turkeys make a good broth.

What do you use your smoked turkey broth for (it's VERY smoky) other than pinto beans.

Thanks!

[rasputina]

I use it for anything I need stock for. In fact I no longer even bother making stock if it's not from one of our smoked chickens or turkeys. That made from raw materials just does not compare in flavor.

[rasputina]

ok never heard of Greenbergs but you made me look. I can't believe those prices, for something that we do as a matter of routine at our house.

[janeh]

I've only used the broth for beans - it is very smokey! I too am interested in how others use the broth. I don't have a smoker and ordered from Greenbergs for the first time last year after reading favorable comments on chowhound and a nice article in the NYTimes.

[acgold7]

Split Pea or Bean Soup. Gumbo and Jambalaya.

[TorontoJo]

I broke up the carcasses from my 19 pounder and 2 bone-in breasts and threw them in ziploc bags into the freezer. I'm looking forward to making stock, but I just needed a break from cooking and even the perception of pressure that I *have* to get that stock made this weekend. Next weekend, I'll make a big batch of delicious stock from the frozen carcasses and have fun deciding what to do with all the goodness!

[janeh]

I made turkey stock yesterday, froze two quarts and used a third quart to make turkey pho. I based the pho on a recipe on food52.com - delicious and in no way reminiscent of Thanksgiving! I'm looking forward to getting a smoked turkey at Christmas - we ordered one from Greenbergs last year and will probably do the same this year. Anyway, over the year I've used the smoked turkey broth (frozen) to make delicious, smoky pinto beans, which I'm now craving. Better go order that turkey...

[Ruth Lafler]

The only thing better than stock from roasted turkey is stock from turkey cooked in a Weber. Turkey stock with a hint of smoke! Yum! I cooked a turkey for a friend on Wednesday, stripped the carcass, and simmered the carcass overnight. I used some for gravy and some for stuffing and I still have about a gallon left.

[MaineCook]

Yes! Last year I rubbed a mix of applewood smoked bacon drippings (chilled solid) and sage butter under the skin, then rotisseried it on the Weber. Unbelievable flavor and super moist meat, then those bacony, smokey flavors in the resulting turkey broth.

[jmcarthur8]

I made my turkey stock, as usual, overnight Thursday. Chilled it Friday, and made a light and delicious turkey and ravioli soup for dinner. Tonight we had red lentil curry with more of the turkey meat.
I look forward every year to turkey stock. It has so much more flavor than chicken stock, and it gets nice and solid and wiggly when it's cold.

[rasputina]

I had 2 quarts of turkey stock left over, from what I canned last year, saved it for the gravy and dressing this year since we smoke our turkey and there is never drippings available for gravy. This year, TG night I put the carcass of the smoked turkey in my 12 quart stock pot and let it go all night. It's in the fridge now to be defatted and then pressure canned.

[sueatmo]

I always use roasted chicken or turkey carcasses afterwards for broth. I use a pressure cooker.

[weezieduzzit]

The bones are roasting now and will be turned into stock shortly, the skin, fat and bacon I had put under the skin are rendering in my cast iron dutch oven and will be strained and refrigerated, every last scrap of meat was taken off and put into containers with pan drippings. A small container of all of the tiny scraps and scrapings went into the fridge without any pan drippings- for kitty treats. The only thing that was tossed without some kind of reuse was the lemons and herbs from the cavity.

The man and the guys he works with deep fried THREE turkeys today in the parking lot at work. I just sent him a text asking for the carcasses if no one else wants them. :)

[acgold7]

Good for you -- you're using everything but the gobble.

[weezieduzzit]

I just can't pass up all of the great flavor it's all going to add to upcoming dishes. :)

[acgold7]

And yet there is a regular poster here who seems to look with disdain upon ever using a roasted carcass to make stock and I can't figure out why. I don't think there is a professional chef in the world who would throw all that flavor away....

[SIMIHOUND]

I am no where near a cook so I must ask..When you roast bones what do you do specifically? I guess you put them in the oven but in what type of pan, at what temperature and for how long? I am making a second dinner for family this coming week and want to use what is left for stock or other uses.

[acgold7]

Absolutely. I carve the entire bird in one go, so I usually have my stock going as we sit down to dinner. This year I made two 25-pounders, so we had a pretty full stockpot. Usually I can strain and chill the stock before I go to bed, but this year I let it simmer overnight.

[magiesmom]

wow, how many people did you feed with your 50 lbs of bird????????

[acgold7]

Only 14. We like leftovers. Once we sent everyone home with care packages, we had a whole bird left for us.

[magiesmom]

we like leftovers too. That is why I made a 16 pounder today for the two of us.

[MaineCook]

That's what I did for years when we weren't able to be with family for TDay. This year I had to cook for the family for the first time in 15 years...missing the large amount of leftovers we used to enjoy, but being together again was worth it.

[MaineCook]

And people thought I was nuts for getting a 19 pounder for 7 people! :)

I love using the savory, concentrated, gelatinous broth from the roasting pan to top leftovers or as a base for bowls of noodle soup. Then I slowly simmer down the carcass the next day.

[ipsedixit]

Turkey stock is awesome.

Next to pork stock, turkey stock is maybe one of the most truly underappreciated and under-used arrows in the cook's quiver.

Great for porridge (or congee), oatmeal, and all things that you would use chicken stock for.

[Flavor4TheFever]

Agree. Turkey congee is one of those Only In America things:

http://www.nyamist.com/2011/11/turkey...