Usually by the time I am done brining and roasting a turkey, baking stuffing and gravy-ing everything (not to mention cooking all the sides AND dessert) my kitchen looks like a bomb went off and I never want to see another turkey again.
However, every single time I’ve thrown out a turkey carcass (I know! I know! My grandmother and yours would be appalled!) I have a slight hesitation before pitching it into a large green garbage bag but honestly, by then every single pot is dirty and I have absolutely no energy left.
Making turkey stock from scratch seems like one of those things real super moms do—until now!
I may not have the energy post-turkey clean-up to put one more pot on the stove, but I do have the energy to throw everything into the Crockpot (while cleaning up) and leaving it overnight.
It really is as simple as cleaning off the carcass.
Dumping all the ingredients into the Crockpot and letting it cook overnight.
Strain in the morning.
And voila!
Ingredients:
1 turkey carcass, cleaned of all meat and broken only slightly to fit into Crockpot
2 ribs celery (with leaves), sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled but kept whole
1 cooking onion, sliced into thick strips (I used green onions because I had just bought them from the farmer's market)
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp peppercorns
3-4 sprigs rosemary
½ cup white wine (optional)
8 cups water
Place turkey carcass in Crockpot.
Add celery, carrots, garlic, onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary, wine and water.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or overnight).
Strain over large bowl.
Refrigerate 8-10 hours to allow fat to solidify on the top. Spoon off fat and discard.
Use stock as desired or freeze for up to 4 months.
Tip: Turkey carcass is best for stock within 24 hours of cleaning the turkey off of it but since this recipe is so easy and doesn’t require one of your dirty pots, throw everything into the Crockpot while you’re cleaning up. I promise, you’ll be glad you did.
Warning: I made this in the Crockpot overnight after this turkey and kept waking up all night because my house smelled AMAZING!
Bonus: Looking for recipes to help use up all that leftover turkey? Substitute the chicken for turkey in my Taquitos, Asian Peanut Butter Noodles, or Fresh Spring Rolls.
Adapted and Canned-Soup-Mom-ified from Canadian Living.
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