Turkey Carcass Broth
This is what to do with a turkey carcass. I generally make a broth then take meat and make a chili
This is what to do with a turkey carcass. I generally make a broth then take meat and make a chili
- Carbohydrate 1.18339262500199 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.029456 g
- Fiber 0.253579998898506 g
- Protein 0.175396 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0066475 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (12g)
- Sodium 6.04519583334401 mg
- Sugar 0.92981262610348 g
- Trans Fat 0.0072195 g
- Calories 5 calories
Step-by-step
- In a crockpot, place chicken carcass, its skin and juices leftover after roasting.
- Grab some old veggies. (1/2 onion, 2 celery stalks, 1+carrots, 4-5 garlic cloves)
- Cut Veggies into large chunks.
- Cover the whole mess with water. You want plenty of water because there will be some evaporation.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of vinegar.
- Add a Bay Leaf for flavoring.*
- Set your crockpot on high. Put on the lid and wait for 12-24 hours.
- *If you have them, throw in a couple of chicken feet. These make a great gelatinous stock. Sorry if that grosses you out.
- Set up this contraption: 1 qt jar + 1 canning funnel + 1 strainer (seriously though, a pasta stainer over a large bowl would work just fine)
- Ladle (or pour) your chicken stock over the stainer. The trick here is that you don’t want any of the solids (bones, veggies, etc) in your stock.
- Let your stock cool. I leave mine on the counter for a few hours before putting them into the refrigerator. After 8 hours of refrigeration, your stock is ready for the freezer. You can pour it into freezer bags or into ice cube trays (great for smaller jobs and easy to defrost). If I use freezer bags, I lie them flat on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Then after frozen, the bags can easily be stacked on top of one another. Just be careful thawing freezer bags; mine usually leak. To combat leakage, I place the frozen bag into a large bowl.
What actually happens to the connective tissue when bones simmer for twelve hours? Extracting maximum flavor and body from roasted poultry requires understanding the role of acid and time. Water alone struggles to break down collagen efficiently. Adding two tablespoons of cider vinegar to the slow cooker lowers the pH of the liquid. This acidic environment acts as a chemical catalyst, helping to dissolve the cartilage, joints, and bones into gelatin.
Coarsely chopping the aromatic vegetables rather than dicing them ensures they hold up during the long cooking cycle without turning completely to mush. Keep the heat setting on high for a twelve to twenty-four hour duration. Adequate water volume must cover the entire frame from the start to account for significant evaporation over that extended timeframe. Once extraction finishes, pass the hot liquid through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a large bowl to trap all tiny bone fragments and spent vegetable matter.
Cool the strained liquid on the counter for a few hours before transferring containers to the refrigerator. After eight hours of chilling, any residual fat solidifies on the surface for easy skimming. When storing batches in the freezer, leave adequate headspace inside glass jars to prevent expansion cracks, or lay plastic bags flat on a baking sheet until solid. Dietary preferences require minor adjustments during the aromatic phase. Omit the poultry remnants entirely and substitute nutrient-dense root vegetables, dried mushrooms, and a strip of kombu to build a deeply savory vegetarian base with identical methods.
