By Request: Stock pot turns leftover turkey into treasure

One Thanksgiving I took home four turkey carcasses. Through some potluck snafu we had ended up with multiple birds, and no one else wanted the bones. I didn’t understand that, but I also wasn’t going to argue.

It was a Thanksgiving miracle.

I made gallons of stock, followed by buckets of soup, and that year I gave away pints of turkey corn chowder for Christmas (better than cookies, I think, especially for the bachelors of my acquaintance).

It is my belief that failure to recycle a turkey skeleton is a crime. That bird gave up its life for you, the least you can do is make complete use of it.

I have a similar feeling about ham bones — in fact it is tradition at my house that Thanksgiving ham is followed by Black Friday Portuguese bean soup, made with stock that simmered overnight in a slow cooker.

Homemade stock is simple, economical and useful in so many ways. It gives you the means to make soup or gravy, or to fulfill recipes such as stews, chilies, a risotto or stir-fry.

Stock also packs a nutritional boost in the protein-rich collagen that cooks out of the bones, tendons and joints, creating a viscous liquid. Stock — sometimes called bone broth — contains gelatin derived from the collagen, and when cool it will solidify.

WHAT YOU NEED

1. Bones (turkey, ham, beef)

2. Cooking receptacle (pot, for example)

3. Water

4. Heat source (slow cooker, multicooker, stove)

HOW TO

Put No. 1 into No. 2, cover with No. 3 and turn on No. 4.

Recipes for stock often start with raw, meaty bones that are first roasted to bring out toasty flavors, then simmered for hours with herbs and aromatics such as garlic and onions. But when you start with bones from a roast turkey, ham or prime rib, they’ve already been roasted and in many cases carry the seasonings from however you flavored your meal.

So I prefer to make my stock with just bones and water. Keeps the process simple and the stock basic, so when you use it later to make soup you can change up the flavor profile as desired.

These methods can be used with any type of bones, or a mix of them. You can also add skin and if you’re using turkey bones, don’t forget the neck. Cover the bones with an inch or two of water.

Cooking times here are minimums. You can’t overcook stock, so stop whenever it’s convenient.

>> Using a slow cooker: My favorite method because you can turn it on and go to sleep. Cook on low at least eight hours, preferably much longer.

>> Using a pressure cooker or multicooker: Bring to pressure and cook two hours for poultry, three to four for beef or ham; release naturally. Bones can become brittle with longer cooking, so strain well.

>> Using the stove: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a bare simmer and cook, covered, four to six hours, until the stock is richly flavored (or hours longer if you want). Watch the water level and skim the surface occasionally.

AND THEN …

Strain stock and skim the fat. Larger pieces of meat left on the bones can be pulled off and added to the soup you make later. The bones can actually be picked clean, although smaller bits of meat may not have much taste. At my house those bits go to the dog.

Store stock in 2-cup containers, as this is a handy amount for many recipes. Mason jars work well if you have room in your fridge, as do plastic tubs that originally held the likes of margarine, sour cream or yogurt. These can also be frozen, but be sure to leave head space in the containers for the liquid to expand as it freezes.

If space is an issue, pour stock into quart-size freezer bags. Lay flat and freeze; then they can be stacked or stood up in tight spots in the freezer.

Stock can also be frozen in ice-cube trays, which will provide portions of about 2 tablespoons, good for stir-frying. Once frozen the cubes can be stored in bags.

MAKE IT A HABIT

Bones never go straight into the trash in my kitchen. Rotisserie chickens, pork chops, lamb chops, short ribs — their bones all accumulate in the freezer until I have enough to make stock.

For those who’ve never made stock, a post-Thanksgiving trial is a good way to get started — all it will cost you, after all, is water. Then you can develop the practice into a habit as your New Year’s resolution.

Write By Request, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.