Yeah, I KNOW that a lot of Toikey Day recipes call for just chicken stock, or canned/boxed broths. But if you knew how wicked easy it is to make a wonderful turkey stock, in your Crock-Pot (I hope you have one!), you will never look back.
You will need to have a slow-cooker (Crock-Pot is Rival’s trade name, but you get the idea) of at least 5 quarts. Then you need to go to the store and look for a package of turkey necks. Yeah, I know that your turkey comes with a neck, but for one, it alone is not enough to make a good stock, and two, if you bought a frozen bird, there is NO WAY you can get it out yet. Use the neck and giblets inside the bird in the pan, they will help flavor your gravy. An inexpensive package of necks (4-5 to a pack) will be enough to make a most wicked awesome stock!
To begin, place the necks on a baking sheet and roast for 10-15 minutes, then turn and roast for another 10-15 minutes. Oven temp should be, say 400 degrees. Remove the necks to the slow-cooker. Then add some celery, carrots, and onions, exact amounts are not important here, just leave enough room for water! You can also add herbs like parsley, thyme, bay leaf, as well as black peppercorns.
Once you’ve put it all in, including water to fill, cover and turn to LOW. Let it go on all day and all night. The beauty of stock making in a slow-cooker is that it will NEVER boil, and makes for a much clearer stock. Plus, you don’t have to stay at home and watch it 24/7.
Then you strain the solids out, letting the liquid go into a pot. You will need to cool the stock down quickly, do this by setting the pot of stock into the sink, plugging the drain, and running cold water around the pot. It will cool down quickly enough, once it hits under 90 degrees, it’s time to put it into a fridge-safe container and refrigerate.
Once this stock gets really cold after being in the fridge, two things should happen, if you did it right. First of all, any excess fat will have floated to the top and formed a congealed layer over the top. You can easily scrape this off and discard it. The other, even better thing is that your stock should be at least slightly gelatinous in texture.
With a 5 quart Crock-Pot and a package of 4-5 necks, you should yield at least one or two quarts of stock. This will be enough to make stuffing, gravy, and maybe even to put towards turkey soup leftovers.
If you cannot find a package of necks, and you can’t find a decent butcher shop who can sell them to you, the next best thing is turkey wings. They are still very cheap, easier to find, and make a decent stock, but I still say that the necks are better. Roast them in the same way that I said to roast the necks, and proceed the same way.
TOIKEY DAY TIMELINE: You can start this up ASAP now, let it go 12-24 hours, chill, and you will have it ready by Thanksgiving or before!
