Help a Turkey Stock Rookie...

[canada259]

So, I made stock from the bones and carcass for the first time this year...after chilling, the result was more gel-like than I expected. I was expecting the result to be thinner.

What's the norm?

Thanks
Alex

[canada259]

Thank you all

[ipsedixit]

The more it resembles opaque Jell-O the better.

You did good.

Now go and enjoy it.

[ChiliDude]

It appears that what you did was render turkey schmaltz. I used a lot of water when I made the stock that was cited in my post on making stock. What fat there was in the stock rose to the top of the jars after cooling in the fridge. In my case I discard the fat because of health concerns. There is flavor in the fat and I wish I could partake of it.

[Breezychow]

No - the "schmaltz" is completely different from the gelled stock. The rendered turkey fat will rise to the top & gel (will be an opaque yellow-cream color) & can easily be scraped off of the gelled turkey stock.

[ChiliDude]

I know about chilled turkey fat in stock. After thinking it over, I realized that I did not have any skin in the pot when I made my stock. Is it the composition of the skin at creates the aspic (gel)?Or could be the bone marrow from cracked turkey bones?

[Gio]

The gel of the stock is collagen that was released from the bones during cooking. It also contains broken down material from cartilage and tendons.

[jmcarthur8]

ChiliDude, I took a look at your post on turkey stock. It seemed that you only simmered your stock for an hour, if I read it right.
I always simmer my turkey or chicken stock for 4 or 5 hours. I let it chill with all the bones and aromatic vegetables still in, then drain it the next day. This brings every smidgen of flavor out of the carcass, and chills up like Jello jigglers. The stock has so much more flavor, and whatever soup I use it for has so much more body and richness to it.
I usually have to warm it up a bit so it becomes liquid again before I can pour it through the sieve.

[todao]

Yep, jell is where the flavor lives. Just be sure to remove any fat (without digging into the jell) from the top of the cooled stock. I wait until the stock is very very cold, sometimes after an hour or so in the freezer, to remove the fat; works easier.

[drongo]

That means you extracted the gelatin from the bones just as you're supposed to! As River19 says. when you warm it up it will liquefy.

[River19]

There’s nothing wrong with that result, in fact most will tell you that is preferable.

I made a stock this week as well and then made soup, the soup still gels a little.

Once you heat it up it returns back to normal form………..

[monavano]

My turkey stock generally does not gel like my chicken stock, but hey, good for you! That's a great result. Of course, once it''s heated, it'll think out as normal.