The past week has been festive, a lot of people celebrated Thanksgiving with their family and friends. Best believe that there were a lot of turkeys to go around.
But with all that turkey, comes leftover turkey bones. If you don’t have a dog to throw the bones to, you may be considering throwing them out, if you haven’t already. The turkey bones aren’t entirely useless, you see, you can actually make some tasty turkey stock with them.
But it’s not always as simple as it seems to make turkey stock. You could end up with something that is either overly thick and greasy or too bland. To be honest, it can be annoying when your stock doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. I’m not here to give you the “ideal recipe” that will keep your freshly refrigerated turkey stock from looking like a block of jelly. But, there are a couple tweaks I know would be useful to you.
Common Mistakes and Misconceptions
There are a few common mistakes that often trip people up. One of the biggest, most common issues is not roasting the bones. Remember, you’re trying to make turkey stock with no turkey, just the bones. So you need to roast the bones first to add a rich, deep flavor to your stock.
Another mistake is not simmering the stock long enough. If you don’t give it enough time to cook, I don’t see any reason why you should expect the stock to taste good. Giving the stock enough time to simmer allows it to extract all the flavor that has been locked in those bones. On the flip side, there’s also something like over-simmering. While you’re trying to make sure your turkey stock has enough time to simmer, don’t let it over-simmer.
Over-simmering can result in a thick gelatinous texture, which intensifies the flavor. This is generally the case with turkey stock, which forms into a brick of jelly when left to cool. Also, do not forget to skim the surface. If you miss this step, you will have a greasy and murky stock. Skimming the surface of the turkey stock involves removing the froth, fat, and other particles that float to the surface. If you leave those things in, your stock will get greasy and murky instead of clear and smooth. So, take a spoon and carefully skim off the unpleasant layer from the surface.
Reasons Why Your Turkey Stuck is Awful
The reason your turkey stock lacks flavor, is because:
- There was not enough roasting time.
- The stock simmered for a little while.
- There were no aromatics.
The reason your turkey stock is excessively thick and greasy, is because:
- You over-simmered.
- You didn’t skim the surface properly.
The reason why your turkey stock has a gelatinous texture, is because:
- You over-refrigerated it.
- There’s excessive collagen in the bones.
Bottom Line
It doesn’t have to be a hassle to make turkey stock with leftover turkey bones.
Just use a few easy tips, like simmering on low heat, skimming off the fat, and roasting the bones to enhance taste.
However, if you cook your stock for too long, it may become overly thick and fatty.
