Making Turkey Bone Stock

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  I hope you all have a great day visiting with family and friends whether in person or remote. 

As usual, I bought a bigger turkey than what we will eat for our Thanksgiving dinner.  We love leftovers.  I love leftovers.  I love not cooking for another two days, playing games, and decorating for Christmas. 

While for the past seven years I had a cold, screened in back porch where I could safely store the turkey carcass, I don’t have that luxury in the new house, and I’m pretty sure there won’t be any room in the refrigerators.  The carcass will have to be immediately turned into stock.  It’s so easy to do.

First off, for clarification purposes, let’s discuss the differences between broth and stock.

Broth is based on meat.  It is thinner than stock and takes less time to make.  If cooking the broth longer than an hour, remove the meat or it will become tough.  Add the meat back in later, if desired.  Bouillon is the French word for broth and is often used interchangeably with broth.  One teaspoon of bouillon powder is usually added to one cup of water to make broth. 

Stock is based on bones, sometimes with meat still attached.  It is thicker and takes several hours of cooking to release the minerals, collagen, and bone marrow.  For a neutral stock, seasoning and aromatics are not added.  As much meat as possible should be removed.  Stock contains more carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.  A few tablespoons of vinegar is often added to help extract the minerals from the bones.

Bone broth is made by simmering bones and often vegetables in water up to 24 hours.  While it is often called a broth, because bones are involved it is technically a stock. 

Both stock and broth are often used interchangeably in recipes to make sauces and soups or eaten alone.  However, for best results, use a broth when the flavor is based largely on the liquid, like with soups.  Use stock when the flavor of the dish comes from other ingredients, like in stews.

The directions below are for turkey stock, but chicken can also be used.

Turkey Stock

Place the turkey carcass in a large stockpot.  Add in the following:

• Celery, including leaves
• Carrots, including leaves and root ends
• Onions, including ends and skins
• Thyme and oregano stems leftover after you've stripped the leaves (avoid strong herbs such as rosemary, sage, and cilantro, which can overpower the flavor of the other ingredients)
• 2-4 tablespoons vinegar

Add water to cover and simmer.  Do not allow to boil or the stock will be cloudy.  Reduce heat so that the stock just barely bubbles.  Top with boiling water as necessary to keep bones and vegetables covered.  Cook at least 6-8 hours.

Cool overnight in refrigerator.  In the morning, remove the solidified fat from the top.  Bring the stock to a boil.  Remove from heat, strain and pour stock into canning jars, leaving 1-inch head space.  Add salt if desired, about 1 teaspoon per quart, ½ teaspoon per pint.  Process per instructions in your canning book, usually 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure for quarts, adjusted for altitude if necessary.

Notes.  The vinegar helps extract minerals from the bones, yielding a more nutritious stock.  The organs will make the stock bitter and should not be used.