American · Soup · Easy
Turkey Stock
Deep golden stock from the neck, giblets, and vegetable scraps, made while the turkey roasts. It is the backbone of the gravy and tomorrow's soup.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Turkey Stock, in 5 ideas
- A gentle simmer keeps the stock clear. A rolling boil makes it cloudy and greasy.
- Onion skins in the pot give the stock its deep golden color for free.
- Skip the liver in stock. It clouds the liquid and adds a bitter note.
- Salt lightly now. You can season the gravy or soup properly later.
- Start the stock before the turkey goes in so it is ready the moment the drippings are.
What you need
Ingredients
- Turkey neck and giblets (no liver)
- 1 onion, quartered, skin on
- 2 carrots, cut into chunks
- 2 celery stalks, cut into chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- Handful of parsley stems
- 10 cups cold water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
How to make it
Directions
- Combine everything except the salt in a large stockpot and bring slowly to a bare simmer over medium heat.
- Skim any foam that rises in the first 20 minutes for a clear, clean tasting stock.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, never boiling, for 2 hours. A lazy bubble now and then is perfect.
- Strain through a fine sieve, pressing gently on the solids. Discard the solids.
- Stir in the salt, cool quickly, and refrigerate. Lift off the solidified fat from the top before using.
- Use within 4 days, or freeze in quart containers for up to 3 months.
Freeze leftover stock flat in zip top bags. They stack like books in the freezer and thaw in minutes under warm water, ready for weeknight soups and risottos.