How to Make Turkey Stock

Ingredients

• turkey carcass
• carrots
• celery
• onion
• dried thyme
• dried sage
• water
• turkey soup base

Directions

Save the entire turkey carcass, including any bits of skin or things like wing tips that are cut off before cooking the turkey. Leave a bit of meat on the bones when you’re stripping the carcass.Put turkey carcass into a big stock pot with water to cover, leaving a bit of room to add vegetables.Add a generous amount of cut-up carrots, celery, and onions to the stock pot.Add dried thyme (about 1/2 tsp. per quart of water) and dried sage (about 1/4 tsp. per quart of water.) You can also use a blend of spices called Poultry Seasoning if you prefer.Adding a small amount of turkey soup base can really increase the flavor of the stock. I prefer Penzeys Turkey Soup Base, but I’ve also used Better Than Bouillon brand. If you don’t have either of these, you could add a tiny bit of soy sauce or some Kitchen Bouquet to give the turkey stock a bit more flavor and color.Let the stock simmer all day on the stove, adding more water as needed. I usually start with a small amount of turkey soup base, thyme, and sage, and then after a few hours I taste to see if I want to add more of those ingredients.When you’re ready to stop cooking the stock, use a fine-mesh skimmer to remove the vegetables, or strain the stock through a fine strainer into a different pot.Taste for flavor and simmer to reduce until the flavor is as concentrated as you want it. (If you’re not going to use it right away and you have limited freezer space, you can boil it down to a very small amount and add water when you use it.)If the stock seems fatty, use a fat separator to remove fat, or put the stock in the fridge overnight and the fat will rise to the top where you can scoop it off.Frozen stock will keep in the freezer for at least six months, and delicious turkey soup will taste good all winter!