Every year so many people throw away the turkey bones & leftovers after Thanksgiving. You can use those to make you own turkey stock and due to the size of the bird, will be enough to can and stock up your pantry! Making your own stock is not only rewarding when you reach into the pantry, it can be much healthier!
You get to control the salt, the preservative, and the ingredients used to save your family from yet more unnecessary chemical intake. Plus, you can save some cash by stocking the pantry up with nutrient rich, homemade stock.
If you aren’t ready to commit to making this right after the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving cooking, and easting of course, you can easily store them in your freezer in 2 gallon freezer bags. Then just pull them out when you’re ready!
What to save
Everything you can! We tend to host and fry 2 turkeys every year. When you fry them, the wings are not the best to east, but are fantastic for stock! I pull the neck and “gizzards” out and put them into a freezer bag right away. We don’t make gravy from them or anything but they are a great addition to the stock!
What makes a good stock?
The basics of a stock are honestly what make is it so good. It’s just primary protein source, veggies or veggie scrapes, and water. Some people will add aromatic herbs like bay leaves and thyme.
The main thing that makes a good stock is the use of bones and the condensing of the water, hence the flavor!
Keep in mind that the vegetables are not necessary. I’ve made stock in the past with just the bones and leftover meats from the turkey and it is just fine. If you keep a stash of vegetable scrapes from cooking in the freezer, they are easy to dump into the stock.
You can also just cut up some fresh celery, carrots and onions and toss those in the stock instead. No worries!
What you need
- Scrapes & bones from turkey and veggies (optional)
- Pressure canner
- Large pot to cook and condenser. A stew pot or dutch oven will work great!
- Large strainer and or colander
- A large bowl or a second pot for straining into
- Canning supplies such as tongs, lid magnets, etc.
Is Pressure canning necessary?
Yes. Any foods with a lower acid content must be pressure canned. Unfortunately, this is most items. Pressure canners are able to get to a much higher temperature than boiling water alone. This gives them the ability to kill toxins that can be in the foos such as the one that causes botulism, a serious infection that attacks your nervous system.
How to make Homemade Turkey Stock
Put all bones into a pot
Take all of the bones and scrapes and put into a large pot. You can add the veggies or veggie scrapes at this point if you would like.
The bigger the pot the better. A large stew pot will work, but I use a huge stock pot designed for the outdoor propane burners. That’s just because I’m doing two turkeys and vegetables and do not want to do multiple batches. I’m a bit greedy with my time, as you should be!
Cover in cold water completely and add herbs, if you choose. Common herbs additions are bay leaves and thyme or even oregano.
I typically do not add herbs as I want the stock to be as versatile as possible for canning and storing. However, if you are making for a specific recipe, adding herbs now if a great way to enhance the flavor of your dish!
The bones may be peeking over the top of the pot at first if using a smaller pot, and that perfectly ok. Just push them down as they cook.
Cook at a simmer
Bring everything to a boil and reduce heat to a steady simmer. It will need to simmer for at least 4 hours. I like to keep them going for 6 hours just to make the stock as rich and fortified as possible. You can actually simmer for up to 24 hours but…wow.
Keep in mind that you may need to add water along the way to keep everything covered up. Since you are using a whole turkey caresses, stir and move the bones around to separate everything as to cooks and rotate everything through the water.
Do not boil! Simmering allows for a more efficient extraction of the flavors and nutrients, especially in bones. Boiling will also change the color, but that doesn’t really matter for the flavor.
Strain
Once everything is cooked and simmered the proper amount of time, straining is needed to remove all of the food bits.
I like to double strain everything since it will be going back and forth between container anyway. Once is with a colander over a large pot. I get as much juice out as possible and run through the strainer first using a measure cup. This just makes the pot weigh least for pour the last of it out. So much easier to handle and less messy!
Now rinse out you stock pot just to be sure nothing is lingering on the edges. Now I use a finer mess strainer to pull out the small pieces as I put it back into the large pot.
You want the second strain to make the stock as clean as possible for canning.
Condense
Now you get to see where to stock actually stands. Give it a taste and remember that you’ve likely added additional water throughput the process. If it doesn’t have a strong enough flavor or the flavor you’re going for, put the stock on a light boil to condense it down.
Pressure Canning Turkey Stock
Here is the simply step by step process for pressure canning the homemade turkey stock. Remember that no matter what type of stock you are working with, the basic process is the same. Which makes it super easy to get the hang of!
Heat Broth & Water
Start by putting jars and lids into water and boiling for 10 minutes. It may be necessary to do these in batches, depending on the number of jars and the size of the pot you’re using. I recommend a canning pot due to it’s large size.
Heating broth while you wait on the jars. Remember that we always want to work with hot warm liquids with canning.
Heat up water in Pressure Canner. How much depends on the manufacturer’s instructions but it tends to be roughly 3 inches. I know it seems low! Especially if you have been canning via water bath for a while where you have to cover the jars completely. Remember that the canner creates a pressurized environment that will process the entire pot as long as it has the proper water level and is closed up properly.
Fill hot jars
Now use the tongs to remove the hot jars from the pot. Best to place them on a towel to prevent sudden temp. Change.
Use the canning funnel and a large ladle to fill your jars. Be careful not to get burned by the hot liquid and jars! Leave about 1 inch of “headspace” at the top. If you are using small jars in your little variety pack, 1/2 to 3/4 space should be fine.
Wipe the rims with a clean rag or paper towel to remove all stock residue. We need a clean surface for the lids to seal to.
Place Lids & Rings
Using a magnet, remove the lids from the hot water bath and place carefully on the jars. The rings go last but do not tighten completely. Just a little nudge. They are mostly to keep the lids in place throughout processing.
Fill the Pressure Canner
Make sure the water in the canner is hot and boiling. We need everything to pressurize quickly once you set your timer. Using the the tongs, set the filled jars into the hot water in the canner. Put the jars onto a the canning rack to keep them from touching the hot bottom of the canner.
You can stack jars!! This even better as now you can fit more into the already quite large pressure canner. Keep in mind that it is never recommended to stock more the once, even if you’re using small jars. I tend to do quarts or 24 oz jars on the bottom with pints and half paints on top of those.
If you do stack jars, put a second canning rack on first to evenly distribute the weight of the second layer.
Processing
Turkey stock must be processed for 30 minutes using 10 pound pressure weight. Make sure to put the weight! Otherwise, the pot will be releasing steam the entire time. The cans may seal, but they haven’t been pressure canned and may not be safe for consumption.
Close the canner following manual
I cannot stress enough how important it is to properly close and tighten your pressure canner. These guys can be dangerous at worst and will not pressurize at best. Read the instructions that came with your canner and follow manufacturer guiltiness for safety.
Once the lids is secured properly, put on the pressure control weight and set a timer for 30 minutes.
Cool Cooker & Remove Jars
When the timer goes off, just turn off the heat. You can technically vent the pressure by removing the weight control and releasing stem, but I my friends am a coward when it comes to heat. Why risk it?! I’m good.
Simply turn off the heat and the pressure will slowly, naturally release. Even if you have other things to cook, the canner can be pushed to the back of the stove. After about an hour, you should be more than good enough to open the lid and pull out the jars. Believe it or not, the jars may still be hot so use the canning tongs to be safe.
Clean the canner
Some people assume that since the food isn’t going directly into the canner, no need to wash it. You’ll notice thought that it smells like whatever you have canned. Be sure to wash it out along with the weight and allow them to proper dry before packing everything away.
All Done!
Once your jars are cool, label and date. Feel proud of yourself as you put them away. Making and canning things is a cool skill that is slowly being lost and you have a reason to feel like a boss. Keep S%#t that up!
Until Next Time!
PJtxGirl
Frequently Asked Questions
Are broth and stock the same?
They are not. Broth is mostly made from meat & stock is made from the bones. Stock is also cooked much longer and condensed to make a much more rich flavor. In vegetables that are basically the same but stock is cooked longer to condense it down.
Once you start using and making your own stocks, you get a bit spoiled to the flavor. Whenever making a broth out of fresh chicken for something like chicken and dumplings, I end up condensing it or adding Homemade Bouillon to enhance the flavor.
Why don’t you salt stock?
Due to the richness in stock, adding salt isn’t needed to enhance the flavor. There fore you are cutting back on sodium as well.
Is turkey stock healthy?
Yes! While you will need more then stock to survive and be healthy, if you make a rich stock using vegetable scrapes, you will have a liquid that is low fat & low in calories. It will also contain protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Is Pressure canning turkey stock necessary?
Yes. Any foods with a lower acid content must be pressure canned. Unfortunately, this is most items. Pressure canners are able to get to a much higher temperature than boiling water alone. This gives them the ability to kill toxins that can be in the foos such as the one that causes botulism, a serious infection that attacks your nervous system.
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