Turkey Stock

Turkey carcass 

Once you’ve removed the meat from the carcass, it will be ready to make homemade turkey stock. It’s the main source of flavor for your stock. 

Turkey bones

Bones contain a lot of flavor that will infuse the liquid when cooked for long enough. Don’t worry too much about taking all the meat off the bones, as this will only enhance the flavor. If you don’t have a large stockpot, you might need to cut some of the larger bones down.

Turkey neck

Sometimes your whole turkey will be supplied with the turkey neck. They can be very tough to eat, hence why they aren’t typically used. However, they bring a lot of flavor when cooked for long periods of time, which makes them ideal for homemade turkey stock and turkey broth.

Both turkey stock and turkey broth are rich liquids made from leftover turkey carcass and bones. However, turkey broth tends to be made by slowly simmering the turkey bones and carcasses for up to 24 hours. Sometimes, turkey broth is made just with meat and without the bones.

Stock, on the other hand, isn’t simmered for quite as long and is always made using bones. This means it often gels when it cools.

Ultimately, you can use turkey stock and turkey bone broth interchangeably.

Turkey stock is so versatile! You can even use your homemade turkey stock for recipes that call for chicken stock or chicken broth.

The first thing you should think of when you make turkey stock is gravy. Fresh made homemade turkey stock makes the richest, tastiest, most downright delicious gravy. For me, it steals the show at a festive feast. 

Another great use for turkey stock is soup. Soup recipes that call for chicken stock will taste amazing with the addition of homemade turkey stock. Also, risotto, paella and any rice dish that calls for a rich stock.

It certainly is! Both turkey stock and turkey bone broth are packed full of nutrients and are incredibly soothing, especially on those cold winter days.

Turkey stock is almost like a thin soup. In fact, as I mentioned above, you should definitely make turkey stock to use in soup recipes.

You should simmer turkey stock for around four hours, or until the liquid has reduced by half.

This turkey stock recipe can easily be adapted for slow cooker use. To make stock in a slow cooker, place all the ingredients in your slow cooker, then set it to cook for at least 8 hours. The flavor will be unbelievable.

If you cook your stock on a very high heat, the fatty tissue and unpleasant parts of the turkey will end up boiling down into your stock. You’ll risk getting an unpleasant taste and a greasy, cloudy appearance. Also, when boiled, the flavor of the vegetables in the stock will be ruined.

When cooking any kind of stock, low and slow is the way to go.

When making stock, you don’t have to peel the skin from the onions. In fact, if you leave the skins on, your chicken stock will take on a gorgeous rich color.

This recipe calls for simple vegetables that bring wonderful flavor – carrots, onions, celery and garlic.

I’d avoid using vegetables like broccoli and cabbage, or starchy root veg like turnips or potatoes. Instead, leeks, mushrooms, a few parsnips and a few herbs like thyme, rosemary, parsley and oregano.

If you want to keep your stock to use later, first let it cool completely, then transfer it into airtight storage containers. 

Turkey stock will keep fresh for a few days, but is best used the next day.

Yes, don’t worry it’s totally normal!

When you store it in the refrigerator, it will turn into a jelly-like substance. This is because the bones, particularly the wings, contain lots of collagen.

When you make turkey stock, the collagen breaks down into gelatin after a long time simmering away in the stock pot. The result? A delicious, rich, tasty liquid that becomes jelly-like when cooled.

When you reheat your stock, it will become liquid again.

Yes you can! If you want to keep your stock longer than a week, your best bet is to freeze it.

Freezing it is simple – you can either freeze it all in one large, freezer-safe, airtight container, or ziploc freezer bags. You can also freeze it in smaller portions.

If you want to freeze your stock in smaller portions, simply take a few large ice cube trays and pour stock into each compartment. Then, whenever you need a small portion of stock for a recipe – whether it’s soup, a stew or a rice dish – you can add the stock ice cube and simply cook it into the dish.

Frozen turkey stock will keep for up to three months.

This turkey stock recipe brings some fantastic rich flavor to whatever dish you use it with. However, if you want to take the depth of flavor even further, there are a few tricks you can use.

Umami enhancers

Firstly, you can use a few splashes of the one and only Worcestershire Sauce. If you can’t find any, check out my Worcestershire Sauce substitute guide.

Another great flavor enhancer is Marmite. Just a teaspoon of Marmite will bring an extra umami taste to your stock. Soy sauce or miso are also excellent flavor enhancers that you could use for your stock.

Acidity

Acidic ingredients also help to liven up the flavor. When it comes to turkey, lemon is the go to ingredient when it comes to balancing out the acidity.

Spices

In terms of spices, ground paprika, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric and fenugreek can add some lovely warmth and extra character to your stock.