Turkey Carcass Stock
Use the carcass from that delicious Thanksgiving turkey to make the basis for soups, stews, and more.
Use the carcass from that delicious Thanksgiving turkey to make the basis for soups, stews, and more.
- Carbohydrate 4.53241013809975 g
- Cholesterol 2.66 mg
- Fat 0.288424379734848 g
- Fiber 1.33510904804749 g
- Protein 1.48743064393939 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0854366674558081 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (30g)
- Sodium 9.04120849116162 mg
- Sugar 3.19730109005226 g
- Trans Fat 0.0510683285195707 g
- Calories 25 calories
Step-by-step
- Using a sharp knife, cut the carcass into smaller pieces.
- In a large pot, add the carcass, vegetables, bay leaves, thyme, and spices.
- Season with salt.
- Cover with water.
- Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 2 hours.
- Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
- Remove from the heat and strain.
- Let cool and skim off any fat that comes to the surface.
A properly rendered poultry stock coats the back of a spoon with a glossy sheen and yields a clean, bright mouthfeel without heavy greasiness. Achieving that texture requires managing heat and fats carefully. Boiling a pot vigorously emulsifies released fats into the liquid, turning the broth cloudy and heavy. Maintaining a gentle simmer prevents this emulsification. Surface proteins and impurities coagulate during the initial heating phase and form grey foam. Skimming this foam away with a wide metal spoon keeps the final flavor clean. Large bones do not fit comfortably in standard home stockpots. Using a heavy chef knife to break the frame into smaller sections exposes more surface area. This physical breakdown releases collagen efficiently into the water over the two-hour cooking window. Whole spices like black peppercorns, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds should be cracked lightly with the bottom of a heavy skillet before entering the pot. Cracking releases volatile oils into the liquid much faster than whole seeds. Swapping parsnips for turnips alters the starch profile noticeably. Turnips introduce a sharper, sulfurous note and less natural sweetness. Carrots and parsnips add necessary fermentable sugars that balance the savory depth of roasted poultry bones. Straining the finished liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth catches small bone fragments and herb bits. Chilling the strained stock overnight solidifies the remaining fat on top into a hard layer. Lifting this fat disc away leaves a clear, gelatinous base ready for storage in quart containers for up to four days in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer.
