Bone broth is everywhere right now. It officially seems like a "craze" to me. Some crazes are crazy (margarine, for example); others are great (like the running or yoga crazes).
What's funny to me about the bone broth craze is that I've been making it forever. I just called it homemade soup broth. In fact, I blogged about it back in...January 2014 (actually, much earlier than that, but somehow the original blog got lost in a digital re-platforming).
My house and my family would not function without my homemade broth. I make it in bulk, using any carcass or leftover bones I have available (chicken, turkey, ham, smoked ham!, goose, duck, lamb, beef). It has, for centuries, just been a part of any good household management: You make something, and then you make something else from the leftovers.
Homemade broth is not only financially and environmentally smart, but it's also the most freaking delicious thing you can ever make. And once you start making it, everything else in the universe that claims it's broth will taste fake. Homemade broth from bones tastes like truth.
I'm not going to comment on all the health benefits and nutritional data or whether or not collagen will make you look younger. I'm just going to tell you how to make it using your leftover turkey carcass. You will be so thankful you made it!
Turkey Bone Broth
- One turkey carcass (majority of the meat removed)
- A large soup pot
- Enough water to cover at least most of the bones
- Salt
- Place the turkey carcass in the soup pot. Cover it as much as possible with water. I like to use filtered water, just because, but you don't have to. If the carcass is too big, you can try and break it up and jam it in. If you don't have a pot big enough, buy one. You won't regret it.
- Place the pot on the stovetop and turn the heat on high. Bring to a boil. Once it boils, skim the weird stuff off the top and turn the heat down.
- Let it cook. For hours. I find two to three hours is usually enough. What you want to wait for is that moment when everything just collapses and the broth is golden and fragrant and has a nice glow to it.
- Add salt to taste. You will need a lot. More than you think.
- Turn off the heat and let the soup sit until cool enough to strain. But in the meantime, enjoy eating as much as you can.
For the clearest broth, you will want to strain the liquid from the bones. I use a stainless steel fine mesh strainer that looks like a cone. Put it over another big pot, and pour the whole mixture in so the strainer still holds the bones and all that is in the other pot is a clear broth. Feel free to pick over the carcass and save the meat for use in other ways (all pets will stare adoringly at you while you complete this process).
You now have "bone broth," or basic soup stock. I vehemently dislike adding vegetables and herbs to this mixture. It takes away from the truth of the broth. Of course, you can add that later when you are making a soup. The variations of soup from broth are endless.
If you've done all this correctly, you will have way more broth than you can eat in one meal. So you'll want to freeze the extra for those times when you just need some broth. It freezes super well.
Freezing Bone Broth:
Ladle the broth into a wide-mouth glass jar (I use a funnel to reduce spillage). Make sure to leave an inch or two at the top of the jar because the broth will expand when it freezes.
Put a label on it. Wait till it cools (store it in the fridge overnight if you must) and then put it in the freezer.
For more from Maria Rodale, visit www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com