Serious Turkey Stock Recipes

TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Combine turkey carcass, onions, carrots, celery, green bell pepper, garlic, chicken bouillon cubes, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a stockpot; pour in enough water to cover. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until flavors blend, about 1 hour. Remove stockpot from heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Strain stock through a cheese cloth and discard solids.

LEFTOVER T-DAY TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Cook and stir celery, carrots, onion, and garlic in oil until slightly softened and fragrant, 5 minutes. Add turkey, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, rosemary, and dried sage. Cook until fragrant, 5 minutes more. Pour enough water in to cover turkey and vegetables.
• Bring mixture to a boil, cover pot, and reduce heat to low. Simmer, skimming fat occasionally, until flavors are blended, 4 to 5 hours. Strain liquid into a container and discard carcass and vegetables.

HOMEMADE TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a stockpot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1-1/2 hours., Discard turkey carcass. Cool broth 1 hour. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined colander; discard vegetables and herbs. If using immediately, skim fat from broth; or refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, then remove fat from surface. Broth can be frozen up to 2-3 months.

SERIOUS TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400. Place turkey parts in a large pan and cook in the oven until they are golden, with the skin beginning to separate from the end of the drumsticks, approximately 30 minutes.
• Transfer turkey parts and all fat and juices to a large stockpot. Cover turkey with water and place pot over high heat and bring water to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for as long as you can manage, even overnight.
• Add vegetables, bay leaves, thyme and pepper and continue to cook another hour, then strain stock into a clean container. Cover and refrigerate. When cool, pull off the layer of fat on top and discard. Reheat for use.

TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in lowest position.
• If using turkey wings, halve at joints with a cleaver or large knife, then crack wing bones in several places with back of cleaver or knife. (Do not crack bones if using other parts.) Pat turkey dry. Roast turkey parts, skin sides down, in dry roasting pan, turning once, until browned well, about 1 hour. Transfer to an 8-quart stockpot using tongs, reserving fat in roasting pan.
• Add onions, celery, and carrots to fat in pan and roast, stirring halfway through roasting, until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Add vegetables to turkey in stockpot.
• Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners, then add 2 cups water and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Add deglazing liquid to turkey and vegetables in stockpot, then add remaining 3 1/2 quarts water along with remaining ingredients and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered, 3 hours.
• Strain stock through a large fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. (You will have about 10 cups stock.) If using immediately, let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and discard fat. If not, chill, uncovered, until cool, then covered, before skimming fat (it will be easier to remove when cool or cold).

DARK TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place bones, meat and chopped or broken-up carcass in a large roasting pan, and place in the oven. Roast, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, or until nicely browned. Don't worry if the meat sticks to the bottom of the pan.
• Add chopped vegetables, and roast for about 30 minutes more, stirring once or twice.
• Remove roasting pan to stove top, and place it over one or two burners, whichever is more convenient. Turn heat to high, and barely cover the bones with water, about 8 to 10 cups (it's fine if some of the bones poke up out of the water). When water boils, turn heat down so that the liquid simmers.
• Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pan to loosen any bits of meat, for about 30 minutes. Cool, then strain. Refrigerate, and skim off excess fat. Then, store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator (longer if you bring the stock to a boil every second day), or up to several months in the freezer.

CLASSIC TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Pat neck and giblets dry, then cut neck into pieces with a large knife.
• Heat oil in a 4-to 5-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook neck, giblets, and onion, turning occasionally, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, then simmer, partially covered, skimming any froth, 2 hours.
• Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids. If more than 5 cups, boil to reduce.