"Expert" Opinions

[digitS']

I try to use a couple of "thumb rules."

I'm consistent with putting in celery, onions, & carrots, using the most misshapen (coarsest) of my vegetables. They will be tossed. No salt but thyme goes in with poultry, bay leaf with beef.

90 minutes at a gentle boil.

digitS'

 

[Ridgerunner]

I use a large crock pot for that. Set it on low heat and let it go overnight. I just feel better with a crock pot than a pot on top of the stove.

 

[so lucky]

There are obviously several different ways to do this, all of them correct. Some people put in the vegetables to simmer and reduce the liquid. Some people leave the veggies in, some people don't put in the veggies till they use the broth later.
The main thing is to cook the bones with water, slowly, till the bones are pretty much clean. Then you will probably want to strain it to remove all the little vertebrae and such, Then do what you want with it.

 

[ninnymary]

Oh I'm loving this sharing on making broth. I was embarrassed to admit that I throw away the turkey carcass. My husband always makes a comment about how you could make soup with it. Of course, he says this when we're cleaning up the big kitchen mess from Thanksgiving dinner. The last thing I want at that point is for my kids to take home the leftovers and clean up!

From now on, I will be making either soup or broth with it.

Jarred, do you can it using a pressure cooker or water bath? I can only do water bath. Maybe I should just freeze it. :/

Mary

 

[NwMtGardener]

I've never canned mine. Jared, Do you skim the fat because it will can better/safer that way?

I always freeze mine if i'm not going to use it right away. Sometimes just in a big container, and sometimes i freeze it in my ice cube tray. Then i take the "boullion cubes" out of the ice cube tray and store them in the freezer in ziplocs. 1 or 2 in a batch of rice just as you start cooking it, delicious.

 

[digitS']

I use quart freezer bags.

Tomorrow should be a casserole day. Another use!

No bone leaves the house before its boiling time.

Steve

 

[so lucky]

Mary, you could just freeze the whole carcass if you are sick of looking at/smelling turkey. Just stick it all in a big bag (maybe a cooking bag, so you will know it is food safe) and then pull it out of the freezer and cook it down next week when your appetite returns. That would be a good time to make some turkey soup with some of it, too.

 

[ninnymary]

Mary, you could just freeze the whole carcass if you are sick of looking at/smelling turkey. Just stick it all in a big bag (maybe a cooking bag, so you will know it is food safe) and then pull it out of the freezer and cook it down next week when your appetite returns. That would be a good time to make some turkey soup with some of it, too.

That is a great idea. Hadn't thought of it. After cooking all day for Thanksgiving, the last thing I want to do is broth. Usually by the time we clean up, I just want to go to bed.

Mary

 

[digitS']

Now, don't just think you can wait until T-day for this!

Steak bones. The boss is over for a Porterhouse steak dinner? Snatch that bone right off his plate and rush it off to the stockpot!

Don't worry about the microbes! Heck's Fire, you are gonna boil that bone for 90 minutes! (I gotta tell you that I very seldom pick any meat off any bones after that boil. The meat comes off first and if it doesn't, and the boss has very sharp teeth & likes to "exercise" them in company, it's gettin' thrown in the garbage after boiling.)

Steve

 

[ninnymary]

Oh, I won't wait till T-day. I've got 2 turkeys in the freezer that I got on sale.

Steve, for now I think I'll just progress to the turkey and chicken carcasses. Oh, and also the ham bone. I'm making a ham that I bought at half price and the kids are coming over for dinner.

Mary