Turkey Stock

OK...so you have the remains of your feast...now what? Well instead of tossing it and hoping the neighborhood critters don't discover that lip-smacking carcass, you could take some time, add a few spices and water...and VOILA! You have turkey stock.
What is the big deal about turkey stock? Well, it can be used as a base for sauces and gravy, as well as a great broth in soups.
Well, why not just buy it in a box in the store? Well, you can, but I see two HUGE benefits to making it on your own. One, you control what goes into your stock. You control the salt content. You control how much fat stays in your stock. And two, it it is so much cheaper to make it and store it in your freezer.
Now I will say I found this recipe for turkey stock at chow.com. Just click on the hyperlink to see the original.
So...what do you need to turkey stock?



Well, to start, you will need the remnants of your holiday feast (Think A Christmas Story when the Bumpus hounds obliterate the turkey). Make sure you are able to fit the carcass into a stock pot (The original recipe calls for a 15 quart stock pot, but mine worked well in a 12-quart).

You will also need:

1 yellow onion

6 Sprigs of fresh thyme

2 medium celery stalks

1 medium carrot

1 medium bay leaf

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

Place the carcass into the stock pot, then cover with cold water, until the carcass is under 2" of water

Coarsely chop the vegetables (the onion can be quartered) and add to stock pot

Add spices to stock pot

Heat the mixture over high heat until it is brought to a rapid boil, then reduce heat to low, and allow the stock to simmer, stirring and skimming occasionally (I use a slotted spoon to skim the fat)

Continue simmering until the stock has a nice turkey flavor

Once the stock is done cooking, strain through cheese cloth into heat-proof containers (If you don't have cheesecloth, you can also strain through paper coffee filters.

IMPORTANT: Do not place stock in your refrigerator or freezer until the stock has cooled to room temperature! If you place the hot stock in the fridge prior to cooling off, the temperature in your fridge will heat up!