Easy Turkey Broth Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to can homemade turkey broth? ›

Is Broth Different from Stock? There is one major difference between broth and stock: Broth is made from meat and vegetables, but stock is made with bones. While both are flavorful, broth tends to be thinner. It's cooked for less time, and it doesn't contain stock's thick, viscous texture.

Turkey stock: Easy, economical way to use more of the bird. Making turkey stock is a great way to use what you have on hand post-Thanksgiving. It's easy and economical: Almost all leftover parts of the bird can be put to use, including the bones, the skin, and small bits of meat attached to the carcass.

I add a little vinegar to my stocks to help pull the minerals from the bones, creating a nutrient-rich stock. Place all of the ingredients into a very large stainless steel pot, at least 12-quart, if not larger. You will want to add enough water to just cover the turkey and vegetables.

The stock can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up 6 months.

It's great for moistening leftovers and even mixing baby cereal. The collagen in homemade broth is so good for you along with all the vitamins from the fresh vegetables that are going into it. Also, even though I add salt, it has a considerably lower amount of salt than commercial broths.

To make homemade chicken stock, place chicken bones, vegetables, herbs and spices into a large pot. Cover with cold water then simmer for about 3 hours. Let it cool, then skim the fat. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Can you overcook turkey stock? Yes, the culprit is high heat. A really long simmer time (even up to 4-5 hours) is totally fine, as long as it's a gentle simmer and not a fast boil. High heat deadens the flavors of all those wonderful herbs.

If you'd prefer to remove any extra fat from your turkey stock, don't worry: This fat will cool into a fairly solid piece as the stock sits in the fridge. Once the stock is cold, you can lift that solid fat off the surface of the stock and discard or compost it.

A great deal of recipes for making meat stocks recommend adding vegetables in the last hour of cooking. An even greater deal of recipes adds them at the beginning, together with the meat. I have done it both ways and find that latter approach produces more concentrated flavors.

Why did my turkey stock turn white? ›

Emulsification of fats: Just like how water and oil can emulsify into an opaque mayonnaise, fats from meat or bones can emulsify into the water of your stock, making it cloudy. The culprit? Boiling.

Onion skins, herb stems, peppercorns, brassicas, bitter greens, and tough celery greens are some of the suspected causes of bitter broth.

It turns out, if your turkey stock turns into a jelly-like consistency after it's been cooled, you've made your stock perfectly. The bones (especially the wings) have collagen inside of them, and when you simmer them for a long time, it breaks down into gelatin and makes a very rich and delicious stock.

Then add apple cider vinegar, which is added primarily because the acidity breaks down the collagen and makes it more abundant in the broth. You can also sub lemon juice, but we prefer apple cider vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.

That means the foam will typically appear when making meat-based broths and, to a lesser degree, soups made from high-protein vegetables such as chickpeas and lentils. When those coagulated proteins cluster together, they can create air pockets, which is what causes the “sudsy bubbles,” says Trout.

Pressure Canning the Finished Broth aka Stock

Once the stock has reached a full boil, ladle it into the hot jars. (You may use quarts or pints. I prefer pint-sized since most of my recipes call for smaller quantities.) Leave 1″ headspace.

You cannot do this safely without a pressure canner (not pressure cooker). Freezing is probably your safest and easiest option, if you don't want to invest in a pressure canner. To save space, cool the broth, then transfer to freezer style zip lock bags and freeze flat. This would also decrease thawing time.

There are two ways to can turkey, either by hot packing or cold packing. Hot packing requires the meat to be cooked before caning. Cold packing is canning the meat without first cooking it. The preferred method by many is using the hot packed method.

Does pressure canning destroy or take away the nutritional properties of bone broth? No! The appearance of the broth may look different (especially from the outside of the jar), but the jiggly gelatinous broth is the same in both the pressure-canned jar and the non pressure-canned jar.