Name: Homemade Turkey Stock
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h 35 min
Yield: 8 quarts
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 turkey carcass; 3 onions cut in to quarters; 2 cup carrots; 2 cups celery; 3 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon peppercorns, whole; 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, Read how to make your own tomato paste in this post.; 2 sprigs of thyme, optional; Water to cover the ingredients

The perfect way to get the most out of your roasted Thanksgiving turkey is to make homemade turkey stock. Follow these easy instructions for making turkey stock from turkey carcass at home. You may never buy turkey stock in a box again!

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If you have never made your own Thanksgiving turkey I can walk you through the entire process. From making a turkey brine mix, to how to perfectly roast a whole turkey, or try your hand at making a sous vide turkey breast and I will walk you through step my step instructions on how to carve a turkey breast. Making chicken stock or vegetable stock is very similar to making turkey stock.

What is the difference between turkey stock and turkey broth?

The difference between turkey stock and turkey broth is small but mighty. Turkey stock uses a turkey carcass, vegetables and additional herbs to make a flavorful stock. Whereas turkey broth does not have the additional herbs can can be made with turkey meat in place of a turkey carcass.

For the full recipe and complete directions scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe card! You can also print the recipe!

How to make turkey stock from turkey carcass.

Start with a well picked turkey carcass. Use the extra roasted turkey meat to make turkey poutine!
Place the turkey carcass in a large stock pot.
Add onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, pepper corns, tomato paste, and thyme to the stock pot.
Add enough water to cover the turkey.
Bring to a simmer and reduce by 25%.
Cool completely.
Store in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.

How long do you cook turkey stock?

My answer to how long do you cook turkey stock is…. it depends! Your favorite answer, right? I say let it simmer, not boil until the stock has been reduced by at least 25%. Depending on the amount of stock you are making this can take anywhere from 3-12 hours. The longer you reduce to stock, the more intense flavor it will take on.

Turkey Stock Ingredients:

turkey carcass
onions cut in to quarters
carrots (use leftover carrots from the vegetable tray from Thanksgiving dinner!)
celery (use leftover celery from the vegetable tray from Thanksgiving dinner!)
bay leaves
peppercorns, whole
tomato paste
thyme (optional)
Water to cover the ingredients

Turkey Stock Recipe:

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot.
Make sure the water covers all ingredients completely.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Simmer for a minimum of three hours or until the stock has been reduced by 25%. The longer you simmer the more depth of flavor you will achieve.
Strain the stock through a mesh colander and discard the carcass, vegetables and herbs.
Cool quickly by placing the stock filled container in an ice water bath.

Can you can turkey stock?

The short answer is that you can NOT use the water bath canning method to can turkey stock. The only way you are able to can stock is to use a pressure canner. Water bath canning is not an option for meat stocks. Find more information on pressure canning see what the national center for food preservation has to say.

How to freeze turkey stock

Cool the stock completely.
Skim the fat from the top, if desired.
Pour into freezer safe canning jars, leaving 1/2″ space at the top to allow for expansion.
Close with a fresh lid and ring.
Freeze.

What stock pot to use for turkey stock?

In my opinion, the bigger the better! Here are some stock pots that might fit your stock making needs:

What to do with turkey stock

Here are some delicious recipes that use turkey stock:

Yield: 8 quarts