Homemade Turkey Stock From a Carcass
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Don't throw away the turkey carcass once you've removed the meat. Those bones, along with the little pieces of meat, skin, and connective tissue still attached to them, can be turned into a rich homemade turkey stock that is excellent for soups, gravy, dressing, beans, casseroles, and other meals.
If your turkey was smoked, the finished stock will usually pick up some of that smoke flavor as well, which makes it even better for a lot of the things I like to cook.
Ingredients
- 1 cooked turkey carcass, broken into pieces as needed to fit the pot
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 2 to 3 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 to 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- Cold water, enough to cover the turkey bones by about 1 inch
Prepare the Carcass
Remove any good pieces of turkey meat that you want to save for sandwiches, soup, or other meals, then break the remaining carcass into several pieces so it fits comfortably into a large stockpot. Add the bones, wing tips, skin, and any small scraps of meat still attached to the carcass.
Add the Vegetables and Seasonings
Add the quartered onion, roughly chopped carrots and celery, crushed garlic cloves, bay leaf, and whole black peppercorns to the pot. There is no need to peel the carrots or finely chop the vegetables since everything will be strained out once the stock is finished.
Add the Water
Pour in enough cold water to cover the turkey bones and vegetables by about 1 inch. Try not to add more water than you need because the more water you use, the longer the stock will need to cook and reduce before it develops a rich turkey flavor.
Bring the Stock to a Simmer
Place the stockpot over medium to medium high heat and slowly bring the water to a simmer, then reduce the heat until you have a gentle simmer with an occasional bubble rather than a hard rolling boil.
Simmer for 3 to 4 Hours
Let the stock simmer gently, uncovered, for about 3 to 4 hours, checking it occasionally and adding a little water if necessary to keep most of the bones submerged. As everything cooks, the water will pull flavor from the turkey, bones, connective tissue, vegetables, and seasonings while slowly reducing and becoming more concentrated.
Taste Before Adding Salt
Taste the stock once it has developed a rich turkey flavor, but don't automatically add salt. If the turkey was brined, injected, or heavily seasoned before cooking, there may already be plenty of salt in the carcass, and that salt becomes more concentrated as the stock reduces. Add salt at the end only if the finished stock actually needs it.
Strain the Stock
Remove the larger bones and vegetables with tongs or a slotted spoon, then carefully pour the remaining liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Discard the bones, vegetables, and other solids once all of the stock has been strained.
Cool the Stock
Divide the hot stock into smaller, shallow containers so it can cool more quickly, or place the containers into an ice water bath and stir the stock occasionally to help bring the temperature down. Once cooled, cover the containers and place them in the refrigerator.
Remove the Fat
After the stock has chilled completely, the turkey fat will rise to the surface and become firm, making it easy to remove with a spoon. You can remove all of it or leave a little behind depending on how you plan to use the stock and how rich you want it to be.
Refrigerate or Freeze
Store the finished turkey stock in the refrigerator and use it within 3 to 4 days, or divide it into useful portions and freeze it for later. I like having different amounts available so I can thaw a larger container for soup or dressing and a smaller portion when I only need a little stock for gravy, beans, or another recipe.
Jeff's Notes
The amount of finished stock will vary depending on the size of the turkey, the size of your pot, and how much water you use, so I wouldn't worry about trying to produce an exact number of cups. The important thing is to use only enough water to cover the carcass by about an inch and let the stock gently reduce until it has the flavor you're looking for.
If you're using the carcass from a smoked turkey, taste the stock as it cooks. A pleasantly smoky turkey can make an outstanding stock, but a bird that was heavily smoked, heavily brined, or heavily seasoned will naturally produce a stronger stock.
You can also freeze the carcass if you don't feel like making stock right away. Put the bones and scraps into a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, and make the stock when you have more time.
Homemade Turkey Stock From a Turkey Carcass
Ingredients
- 1 cooked turkey carcass (broken into pieces as needed to fit the pot)
- 1 large onion (quartered)
- 2 to 3 carrots (roughly chopped)
- 2 to 3 celery stalks (roughly chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (lightly crushed)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- Cold water (enough to cover the turkey bones by about 1 inch)
Instructions
- Remove any good pieces of turkey meat that you want to save for sandwiches, soup, or other meals, then break the remaining carcass into several pieces so it fits comfortably into a large stockpot. Add the bones, wing tips, skin, and any small scraps of meat still attached to the carcass.
- Add the quartered onion, roughly chopped carrots and celery, crushed garlic cloves, bay leaf, and whole black peppercorns to the pot. There is no need to peel the carrots or finely chop the vegetables since everything will be strained out once the stock is finished.
- Pour in enough cold water to cover the turkey bones and vegetables by about 1 inch. Try not to add more water than you need because the more water you use, the longer the stock will need to cook and reduce before it develops a rich turkey flavor.
- Place the stockpot over medium to medium high heat and slowly bring the water to a simmer, then reduce the heat until you have a gentle simmer with an occasional bubble rather than a hard rolling boil.
- Let the stock simmer gently, uncovered, for about 3 to 4 hours, checking it occasionally and adding a little water if necessary to keep most of the bones submerged. As everything cooks, the water will pull flavor from the turkey, bones, connective tissue, vegetables, and seasonings while slowly reducing and becoming more concentrated.
- Taste the stock once it has developed a rich turkey flavor, but don't automatically add salt. If the turkey was brined, injected, or heavily seasoned before cooking, there may already be plenty of salt in the carcass, and that salt becomes more concentrated as the stock reduces. Add salt at the end only if the finished stock actually needs it.
- Remove the larger bones and vegetables with tongs or a slotted spoon, then carefully pour the remaining liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Discard the bones, vegetables, and other solids once all of the stock has been strained.
- Divide the hot stock into smaller, shallow containers so it can cool more quickly, or place the containers into an ice water bath and stir the stock occasionally to help bring the temperature down. Once cooled, cover the containers and place them in the refrigerator.
- After the stock has chilled completely, the turkey fat will rise to the surface and become firm, making it easy to remove with a spoon. You can remove all of it or leave a little behind depending on how you plan to use the stock and how rich you want it to be.
- Store the finished turkey stock in the refrigerator and use it within 3 to 4 days, or divide it into useful portions and freeze it for later.
Notes
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