Homemade Turkey Stock for Noodles and Soup

A Turkey Carcass Easily Receives New Life as a Savory Stock

Dec 26, 2008 Debbie Henthorn

Stocking the freezer with homemade turkey stock creates an easy way to make a satisfying, hearty dinner in very little time during the cold of winter.

The turkey roasted for hours or deep-fried for minutes. It has been carved and nibbled on until no one wants anymore turkey. Don’t throw away that turkey carcass! Now is the time for creating homemade turkey stock for turkey and noodles or turkey and vegetable soup. Stocking the freezer with homemade turkey stock creates an easy way to make a satisfying, hearty dinner in very little time during the cold of winter.

In many households, the white meat is generally the first thing eaten during large gatherings. The thighs and legs may be carved for dark meat, but the wings usually end up pushed to the side. In most cases, even with the most meticulous carving, there is still meat left on the turkey bones. All of these little bits add up to additional flavor in a pot of turkey stock.

Stock is very simple to make, with very little preparation involved. The vegetables can simply be cleaned with no need to peel or chop. All that is really necessary to create flavorful turkey stock is time – time that can be spent doing other things around the home without standing hostage over the stove. The longer turkey stock simmers, the more flavor that is extracted from the bones. If there is a sufficient amount of meat left on the bones, allow the stock to cool until it is easy to strain, then pick any meat remaining from the bones. Freeze the meat separately from the stock in a zip-storage bag.

The quantity of turkey stock created by this recipe is only limited by the size of the stock pot used to cook it in. It is very easy to make 2-3 gallons of rich turkey stock from the carcass of a 12-15 pound turkey.

Ingredients

  • 1 turkey carcass
  • 1 head celery
  • 5-6 carrots
  • 3 yellow onions
  • 2-3 teaspoons sea salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons whole peppercorns
  • 5-6 bay leaves
  • Water to cover

Directions

  1. Cut the root end off of the celery and wash the ribs.
  2. Wash the carrots. It is not necessary to peel the carrots.
  3. Wash the onions, remove the root end and cut in half. It is not necessary to peel the onions.
  4. Place turkey carcass into large stock pot.
  5. Add vegetables to stock pot.
  6. Add seasonings to stock pot.
  7. Add enough water – two to three gallons – to cover the turkey carcass and vegetables.
  8. Place filled stock pot on stove and bring to boil over high heat.
  9. Once stock boils, reduce heat to simmer and cover with a lid.
  10. Allow stock to simmer for at least 4 hours, and up to 6 hours if there is meat left on the thighs and legs.
  11. Allow stock to cool until it is cool enough to handle the meat.
  12. Strain stock through a colander into a large bowl. It is possible to need more than one large bowl.
  13. Pick through the bones in the colander to remove any meat from the bones. Place the meat into a zip bag for freezing and label.
  14. Pour the stock into freezer containers and label. The general quantity needed for either noodles or turkey and vegetable soup is one gallon.
  15. When preparing to cook with the stock, remove from the freezer into the refrigerator the night before or the morning of cooking. The stock does not need to be completely thawed as it will be brought to a boil for any recipe.

The copyright of the article Homemade Turkey Stock for Noodles and Soup in Recipes is owned by Debbie Henthorn. Permission to republish Homemade Turkey Stock for Noodles and Soup in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Turkey Stock, Debbie Henthorn Turkey Stock
   
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