What To Do With Your Turkey Carcass After Thanksgiving

Finishing the Stock

Once thats done, just add your roasted bones to the pot, along with herbs like parsley, thyme, and bay leaf, and add enough water to just barely cover; a few black peppercorns tossed in wont hurt either.

Also, dont forget to use some water to deglaze the baking sheets you roasted the bones on: Thats additional flavor you want to capture and add to your stock. Then gently simmer it for a few hours to extract as much flavor and gelatin from the bones and aromatics as possible. When strained and chilled, the stock should set like jelly, a sign youve done it right.

The resulting brown turkey stock will work anywhere a brown chicken stock would be a good choice, given their similar flavors. Wheres that? Pretty much any dish that includes browning as a central part of the process. Think French onion soup with its darkly caramelized onions, most stews and braised meat dishes, and pan sauces that go with seared and roasted meats. Its not as versatile as a white stock, which can go into all of those dishes and more, but brown stock gives you the chance to double down on that deep roasted flavor when the situation calls for it.

Okay, you can pick that carcass back up—now that you know what to do with it.

• Leftover carcass from 1 (12-pound; 5.5kg) roasted or fried turkey (see notes)
• 4 tablespoons (60ml) canola or vegetable oil, plus more for drizzling on bones
• 2 to 3 large carrots, cut into large dice
• 3 large celery ribs, cut into large dice
• 2 large onions, cut into large dice
• 4 medium cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) tomato paste
• Parsley sprigs and/or thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 black peppercorns

• Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Drizzle turkey bones with oil, tossing to lightly coat. Arrange on 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets and roast until browned all over, about 45 minutes. (Check turkey often, since browning times can vary depending on the size and condition of the bones.)
• Meanwhile, in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat 3 tablespoons (45ml) oil over high heat until shimmering. Add half of carrot, celery, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned in spots, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate, add remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil, and repeat with remaining carrot, celery, onion, and garlic.
• Lower heat to medium, return all cooked vegetables to pot, and add tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fully mixed in, fragrant, and slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Add roasted turkey bones, a few sprigs each of parsley and/or thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Pour about 1/2 cup (120ml) hot water into each rimmed baking sheet and, using a metal spatula or wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from aluminum foil. Pour into stockpot.
• Add enough water to just barely cover all the solids in the pot, set over medium-high heat, and bring to a bare simmer. Lower heat to maintain a bare simmer and cook, occasionally skimming fat and scum from surface, until stock has reduced slightly and is deep and rich, 2 to 3 hours.
• Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer, let cool, then transfer to containers and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 6 hours; discard solids. Skim off and remove any fat and scum on the surface of the stock. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Re-Roast Leftover Turkey Bones for a Rich Brown Stock

The problem is that your turkey carcass has been cooked, so it wont deliver the clean, pure flavor of a white poultry stock made from raw meat and bones. But you also wont get a true brown stock out of it, since the bones were hiding under a cladding of moist meat while your bird was in the oven. As a result, their flavor will be more steamed than roasted. Simmer them as they are and youll end up with a broth thats stranded in the murky no-mans-land between white and brown stock.

The solution, then, is to toss your turkey carcass in oil and throw it back in the oven until its roasted more fully. This is going to give it a deeper, more complex flavor that you can then impart to the stock—the Maillard reactions dark and savory signature.

And, as is the way with brown stocks, if youre going to roast the bones, you might as well go all in and brown the aromatic vegetables, like onion, carrot, and celery, too. You can do that in the oven, but I find it more efficient to brown them in batches in the stockpot while the bones are roasting.

One other hallmark of a brown stock is the inclusion of tomato, which is not used in a white stock. I like to add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to the pot once all the vegetables are browned, stirring it into the oil and cooking it for a minute or two to develop and darken its flavor.

What To Do With Turkey Carcass? Turkey carcass

FAQ

How long is a turkey carcass good in the fridge?

3-4 day leftover rule: Once Thanksgiving Day has passed, you will want to eat or freeze leftovers in 3 to 4 days (including the bones of the carcass).

What do I do with the turkey neck and giblets?

Most often they get thrown away. My mom, who could never let anything go to waste, always used the turkey neck and giblets to make a quick pot of broth to use for making gravy or moistening stuffing. And, that’s what I do. This broth is so much more flavorful than anything that comes out of a can or box.

How long should I boil turkey carcass for soup?

1. Fill the stockpot. In a large stockpot, add the cooked turkey carcass (broken into large chunks), onions, celery, and carrots. …
2. Bring to a boil. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Simmer for about 3 hours. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. …
4. Strain. …
5. Cool and store the stock.

What to do with turkey carcass?

For the ultimate comfort food, use your turkey carcass to make a flavorful pot pie filling. Simmer the carcass with onions, carrots, celery, peas, and parsley until tender. Discard the bones, then add milk or cream to the pot along with shredded turkey meat.

Can one have turkey and carrots?

Eating turkey and carrots is part of healthy habits. The turkey has meat like chicken and is another healthy poultry option. Carrots are rich in carotenoids, it is a source of vitamin A, fiber, potassium and vitamin B3.

How do you cook a turkey carcass?

One of the simplest ways to use your turkey carcass is to simmer it into a rich, flavorful turkey stock. This method extracts all the remaining juices and gelatin from the bones to create a tasty base for soups, gravies, risotto and more. It only requires a few basic ingredients Simply place the carcass in a large stock pot and cover with water.

Should you throw away a turkey carcass?

Don’t Throw Away That Turkey Carcass!!!! “Don’t throw away the turkey bones after you’ve demolished your bird! Save them to make a fantastic turkey stock, which you can then use to flavor all sorts of soups and gravies.

What is a turkey carcass?

A turkey carcass is what’s left after you finish a whole turkey. Instead of throwing the carcass away, some people like to use every bit of the bird by making stock or soup. The bones and remaining scraps of meat add rich flavor to the broth, ensuring you get every bit of deliciousness out of your holiday dinner.

What can I do with leftover turkey bones?

“Don’t throw away the turkey bones after you’ve demolished your bird! Save them to make a fantastic turkey stock, which you can then use to flavor all sorts of soups and gravies. After you strain the stock you can freeze it in small Tupperware tubs, or even in ice cube trays, very handy to have in the kitchen!”