Making homemade turkey stock is so simple and a great way to get even more from your turkey at Thanksgiving. Making turkey stock is not hard to do and will yield tons of flavorful, rich stock that you can use in countless recipes.
I used to only buy chicken broth in the cartons. I didn’t grow up in a house that cooked much, so I never learned the skills. Back when we first got married, my husband was the one who knew how to do any cooking. But I tried! I kept trying. I used to coupon like a crazy person to keep our grocery budget under control and I would carefully match up my coupons with sales on chicken broth so that we could make soups and things like that at home.
Then one year around Thanksgiving I got to thinking about how wasteful it felt that we just threw the carcass away after we were done. Same thing with chickens. So, a few years back, I decided to try my hand at making my own broth.
I didn’t cook it long enough the first time. The broth turned out bland and left much to be desired. But I didn’t give up. I added more veggies, more herbs, and cooked it for almost 12 hours. This time, it came out much better, with more flavor and smelled divine.
Nowadays, I let my stock cook for even longer. Usually about 24 hours. Especially if I’m making bone broth which I’ll talk about later in the post.
Why you should make homemade turkey stock
Store-bought broth is kind of spendy. So for me, one of the best things about making stock at home is that it saves money. We’re going to buy at least one turkey for Thanksgiving anyway, we might as well get as much use out of it as we can.
Another thing I like is that I can control the sodium content. In fact, I don’t salt the stock at all when I make it. I leave it unseasoned and do it only when I’m ready to use it in a recipe.
But best of all, according to countless resources, stock made from bones can have a lot of health benefits. According to healthline.com, bone broth dates all the way back to prehistoric times. Bone broth is rich in vitamins, minerals, and collagen.
What is bone broth?
Bone broth is just broth, but there are a few factors involved. Bone broth is derived from the bones and connective tissues and produces a rich, nutritious stock. Unlike other types of broth or stock, bone broth requires a much longer time to simmer to release the nutrients from the bones, connective tissues, and sometimes meat. The nutrient in particular that draws a lot of people to bone broth is collagen which is an abundant protein that is found in connective tissue, bones, skin, and muscle. Collagen is crucial for strong hair and nails, skin elasticity, joint health, and wound healing. To make bone broth, it is recommended to add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to the bot to help release the collagen from the carcass.
Health benefits of bone broth
- May support bone health
- May improve skin elasticity
- May support the healing of wounds
- Helps you stay hydrated
- Contains the amino acid glycine, which may help you sleep better
- Gives you a collagen boost which may help make your hair, skin, and nails stronger and healthier.
- May reduce inflammation inside the body
- Provides more protein to your diet
- May help with gut health
How to store homemade broth or stock
If you’re planning on using your stock soon, it can stay refrigerated for up to five days. I usually store my broth in 32oz deli containers and put away it in my freezer. For optimum freshness, you should use your stock within 6 months, but if kept properly frozen, it will last for a very long time.
An easy way to save space is after your broth is cooled off, put it in a freezer bag. Then you can lay it flat on a freezer shelf and it won’t take up nearly as much room. You could also store it in Food Saver bags.
I would advise against putting it in any glass containers, though. The broth will expand when it freezes and could potentially break this glass (I may or may not know this from personal experience!).
What can I make with homemade broth?
The possibilities are truly endless. Some of the obvious choices are soups and gravy, but you can add broth to so many recipes. At Thanksgiving, we often have at least two Turkeys, so I end up with quite a stockpile of turkey stock. I use it to make all kinds of recipes like chicken noodle or potato soup, use it in place of water to make rice, and add more flavor to mashed potatoes, polenta, and grits. But one of our favorite recipes we use it in is my Crock Pot Tortellini Soup.
How to make homemade turkey stock
First, gather your ingredients. For this last batch, I used an entire turkey carcass that I broke apart. Place the carcass in a large stockpot. As an alternative, you could use a slow cooker instead.
Next, chop some veggies into big chunks and dump them into the pot. I typically like to use one or two whole onions, cut into quarters (leave the skin on!), 3-4 stalks of celery, several scallions, one bulb of garlic, and 3-4 carrots. If you like to save your veggie scraps and store them in the freezer, now is the perfect time to use them! Just be careful to not use produce that might make your stock bitter like Brussels sprouts or asparagus.
After I add the veggies, I like to use a ton of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and a couple of bay leaves. If you don’t happen to have these on hand, that’s okay! You could even omit the veggies if you wanted to. It just adds some depth to the flavor, but it’s not required by any means. To me, the whole point of making homemade broth is reducing food waste, using as much of the turkey as you can, and saving money! So don’t feel like you have to go out and buy a bunch of ingredients to make it work.
Finally, bring your pot to a steady boil, then reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer for 12-24 hours. If your aim is to make a bone broth, add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to the pot as well.
If you’d rather not have it sitting on your stove, you can do all of this in a large crockpot as well. I like to put the crockpot on high for about an hour, then switch it to low. Keep your crockpot going for 12-24 hours. I like to taste it every so often to see how it’s going. Be careful – it is going to be FREAKING HOT. So don’t burn your mouth. When it’s cooked to your liking, you’ll be left with a rich, flavorful broth.
After the stock is done cooking, shut off the heat and let it sit for a while to cool down. Then transfer your storage containers, and mark and date them! Now your sweet little broth babies are ready to get put in the freezer.
Homemade Turkey Stock
Rich and flavorful turkey stock that can be used throughout the year all different types of recipes and is filled with vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients
- Turkey carcass
- 3-4 carrots
- 1 large onion
- 1 shallot
- 3-4 celery stalks
- 3 whole scallions
- 1 bulb of garlic
- Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaves)
- Optional: 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Begin by adding your turkey carcass to a large stockpot. The one I use has a built in strainer, which makes clean up easier, but it's not necessary by any means.
- Next, add your veggies and herbs to the pot.
- Completely cover the ingredients with cool, filtered water.
- Optional step: If you want to make bone broth, add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
- Bring to a steady boil, cover, and set burner temperature to low.
- Allow to cook for 3-4 hours for broth and 12-24 hours for stock. If you're wanting to make bone broth, simmer for at least 24 hours.