Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

sauce essentials: fresh turkey stock

Recipe by
Andy Anderson !
Wichita, KS

One of the essential ingredients (or it should be) in your holiday planning is yummy, homemade turkey stock. You can use it in your casseroles, dressing, and the turkey gravy. But, do not reserve this stock for just the holidays. You can make it any time you feel the need for turkey. The good news is that it freezes quite well, so you might want to make a big batch. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.

yield serving(s)
prep time 2 Hr
method Slow Cooker Crock Pot

Ingredients For sauce essentials: fresh turkey stock

  • PLAN/PURCHASE
  • 4 - 5 lb
    turkey wings, separated at the joint
  • 1 lg
    yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 lg
    carrot, roughly chopped
  • 1 lg
    celery stalk, roughly chopped
  • 6 sprig
    italian flat-leaf parsley
  • 3 clove
    garlic, roughly chopped
  • 2 md
    bay leafs
  • 6 - 8
    black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp
    salt, kosher variety

How To Make sauce essentials: fresh turkey stock

  • 1
    PREP/PREPARE
  • 2
    Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
  • 3
    Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 400f (205c).
  • 4
    Place a wire rack onto a baking sheet with a raised lip, and add the turkey wings.
  • 5
    Chef’s Note: If you can find a turkey neck, throw it in… the more the merrier.
  • 6
    Add the baking sheet to the preheated oven, and bake for about 2 hours, or until the turkey legs are nice and brown.
  • 7
    Chef’s Note: Turn the turkey legs over, halfway through the baking process.
  • 8
    Place the turkey wings, and the other ingredients into the pressure cooker or the slow cooker.
  • 9
    Add filtered water until all the ingredient are covered by 1 – 2 inches (2.5 – 5cm).
  • 10
    Now, all we have to do is wait… Pressure cooker = 4 hours cooking time. Slow cooker (on low) = 30 hours cooking time.
  • 11
    Chef’s Note: If you are working with a pressure cooker, you do not want the total volume of water to exceed 2/3rds the height of the pot.
  • 12
    Chef’s Note: Although it takes a whole lot more time in the slow cooker, I prefer this method. The depth of flavor achieved by slow cooking the ingredients for 30 hours is mind-blowing.
  • 13
    At the end of the cooking process, pass the stock through a fine-mesh strainer, and discard the solids.
  • 14
    Allow to cool overnight in the fridge, and skim off any congealed fat on the surface.
  • 15
    PLATE/PRESENT
  • 16
    Use this stock to make yummy gravy, or in casserole dishes, or holiday dressing.
  • 17
    Chef's Note: This is my go to stock for making Thanksgiving turkey gravy. I have it in a saucepan over medium heat, and when the turkey comes out of the oven, I add the pan drippings, and flour to make an awesome gravy. Enjoy.
  • 18
    Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT