Turkey Stock

Author: Alex Recker

This recipe yields about 1 gallon of stock. It is made in two stages:

  1. White Stock - gently simmering meat and vegetables together to form a clearish yellow colored stock
  2. Brown Stock - simmering roasted and seared meat in the white stock to form a rich brown colored stock

General rules for making good stock:

  • Do not over-boil the stock at any point. This will encourage impurities to break down and infiltrate your flavor profile.
  • Do not let stock sit in the fridge for longer than 3-4 days. Instead, re-freeze and thaw as needed.
  • Always bring stock to a simmer before using in food and consuming.

Materials

  • water, cold (excess)
  • turkey necks, defrosted (7-8)
  • turkey wings, full sized, defrosted (4)
  • carrots, full sized (2)
  • celery (4 sticks)
  • onion (1)
  • peppercorns, whole (2 tbsp)

Procedure

Make the White Stock

  1. Rinse and pat try 4 turkey necks and 2 turkey wings. Use a knife to separate the turkey wings into drums, flats, and tips.

  2. Add the necks and wing pieces into a big stock pot. Cover with cold water and gently bring to a simmer.

  3. Use a spider, ladle, or a wide spoon to skim off the foamy, off colored scum from the top.

  4. Top off with cold water, then let come to a boil again. Skim the scum again as before. Repeat the process of adding cold water, letting come to a boil, and skimming the scum as needed until a layer of scum does not form.

  5. Roughly chop 2 celery sticks, 1 full sized carrot, and 0.5 onions and add to the stock. Add 1 tbsp of whole peppercorns.

  6. Gently simmer the stock for 3-4 hours (or until the meat is falling off the bone).

  7. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Use tongs to remove large pieces from the stock and discard. Strain the stock into a clean container and refrigerate over night.

  8. The next day, use a wide spoon to skim and remove the waxy layer of fat that settled on the top. Move the remaining stock into clean containers and freeze until next use.