http://www.democraticunderground.com/115748268Oh my.
I'm really tired of watching the primitives get all upset and bent out of shape about cops doing their job, that of protecting innocent life and property, and so sought refuge in the cooking and baking forum.
rhett o rick (40,323 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:00 PM
I am cooking down my turkey carcass. I have some questions.
Most recipes I've seen say to cook the carcass for 2-4 hours. Maybe they assume you have all the good meat cut off. I have found that I can get nice pieces of meat after I cook the carcass for 1/2 - 1 hour. I try to collect the good pieces and put aside. If I left them for 2 - 4 hours, I don't think they would be very tasty. I guess my question is, will the meat left after 2-4 hours be ok for soup? Or should I strain it out?
Suich (9,788 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:04 PM
1. I usually try to get the pieces of meat out as soon as I can.
I always thought the point of cooking the carcass 2-4 hours was to get the flavor out of the bones.
rhett o rick (40,323 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:06 PM
2. I agree. As I see it, any meat left in the pot after 2 hours, won't have any flavor left.
The flavor will have been cooked out.
Fortinbras Armstrong (2,788 posts) Tue Dec 2, 2014, 08:59 AM
14. If I'm making a chicken or turkey stock, I will simmer the bones and any attacked meat
For four hours. I then give the bones to the dogs -- they are now so soft they cannot splinter. But that will extract almost all the flavor from them.
flamin lib (6,053 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:08 PM
3. I wouldn't keep any meat simmered more than an hour,
after all it's already fully cooked. If you let the bones go for 6 hours the stock gets like jello when it's cooled with all the collagen dissolved from them. Gives the stock a really nice mouth feel.
Bragi (7,527 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:10 PM
4. Me, I don't use that meat at all
I usually take all the meat I can off the carcass, then I put the carcass into the oven at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to get it golden brown, which helps the colour.
I then slow-cook it for 8 or more hours. The broth should be kept just under boiling temperature as it cooks.
After that, I toss the carcass, I strain the broth carefully, then I put the meat I'd taken away earlier into the broth, plus veggies. I sometimes poach some turkey breasts separately and add them to the mix at the end.
The works for me. The result is great turkey soup, which is a favorite around our house.
Warpy (80,220 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:12 PM
5. Waterlogged, overcooked turkey meat is not nice.
I'd fish the pieces out after 1/2 hour to remove the usable meat. There will always be some left behind. I'd also take the opportunity to whack the drumstick and thigh bones to expose the marrow, something that will also flavor the broth.
If you're looking for turkey stock, only, then you can sacrifice the meat. If you're looking for turkey soup, do rescue the bigger chunks of meat before it becomes wet cardboard. After you've strained the stock, you can throw the meat back in after you've added whatever else is going into the soup.
The problem is that Thanksgiving is now 4 days ago and everybody is getting sick of leftover turkey. A lot of people are going to question your sanity for bothering to save still more turkey for leftovers!
^^^yeah, right; Ms. Hindenburg must not have any taste buds, if she "gets tired" of turkey. Maybe she burned them away years ago, consuming the pharmaceuticals she was supposed to give to patients in the hospital, but took for herself.
rhett o rick (40,323 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:18 PM
7. "A lot of people are going to question your sanity " I am used to that.
Day after T-day we have turkey sandwiches. Then last night we had turkey, leftover stuffing, sweet potatoes, and cranberry relish (like a chutney). Tomorrow is turkey soup. I expect to have enough turkey stock for soup again in a couple of months.
A HERETIC I AM (13,541 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:16 PM
6. Treat it like a big chicken.
No need to boil a chicken longer than about 30 - 40 minutes. Ditto your turkey. You are correct that the longer you boil it, the less tasty the meat will be. So when I have done what you're doing, I've pulled the carcass out of the water after a half hour to 40 minutes of boiling and strip it of the last chunks of meat, which at that point have always come off easily.
If your main point is to make stock for soup, there is really no need to boil it longer than about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the bird.
I've used Gordon Ramsay's vid for making chicken stock as a guide;
after which a video
Kali (39,929 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:49 PM
10. I have to feed hoards so taste isn't an issue
I clean it all at once when I strain the broth off. if there is a ton of meat I may get two or three more meals*, otherwise it all goes back in the soup.
*usually Mexican food with other added flavors - green chile burros or chimichangas, tacos, or enchilada casserole
Trailrider1951 (1,538 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:56 PM
11. Here is what I did: On Saturday afternoon, I removed all of the remaining large pieces of meat
from the carcass. I put the carcass, skin and bones, into a large crockpot and covered with purified water. I added some of the roasted onions and celery from the roasting pan, but you could add fresh onion and celery at this point if you have no roasted veggies. I left the crockpot on high, and simmered that carcass for 4 hours. I then removed it from the broth, let it cool, and divided it into two parts: Skin/meat/soft parts (aka Cat Food) and Bones (trash).
I strained the broth into another pot and put it into the refrigerator overnight. Sunday morning, I skimmed off the excess fat, added baby carrots and chopped celery and onions. Again the broth was brought to a boil, and then simmered over low heat (covered) until veggies were nearly soft. Last step was to bring to a boil again, add 2/3 cup frozen peas and 1/2 pkg (8 oz) wide egg noodles. Cook until noodles are done. Guaranteed to be the best turkey noodle soup you ever ate.
NRaleighLiberal (36,413 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 04:03 PM
12. I put all the "stuff" - liver, giblets, neck that I rescued from the uncooked turkey, carcass,
any bones like wings and legs after most of the meat is removed - add the water and simmer for 30 min or so. I then dump it all into a strainer, let it cool a bit and take all the meat off of the bones, returning it to the stock in the pot and simmering for another hour.
Just the meat that came off the bones after that first 30 min simmer was all we needed for a turkey tortilla soup.
grasswire (41,971 posts) Mon Dec 1, 2014, 04:46 PM
13. Roasting the bones next time will enhance the flavor.
Put all the bones and scraps in a roasting pan. I always have some halved onions and celery stalks that were baked underneath the turkey and inside it, and I put those in the roasting pan with the bones. Roast that for an hour or so and there will be a lot of brown fond (goo) and flavor bits there. Then I deglaze the pan and bones with about an inch of water and let it continue to bake for an hour.
Cool that, strain out the debris and bones, scrape the bottom of the pan to get the fond. There you have some pure flavor for future use.
^^^it's good to see Judy grasswire discussing something she knows something about, instead of making herself look like a silly old fool talking politics in General Discussion.
sir pball (2,082 posts) Tue Dec 2, 2014, 07:01 PM
15. You shouldn't have any meat in the pot with the carcass, period.
Assuming the bird has been roasted already, you should pull all the meat off, then stick the "naked" carcass, gizzard, and giblets (sans liver, if it's there) back in a screaming hot oven till it's deep brown. While that's working, toss your mirepoix into the stockpot and cook it high and fast until it's also brown. Deglaze the pot with some wine (I use white, if you want to use red go for it but stir a few spoonfuls of tomato paste into the veggies first), add the bones and offal, some peppercorns, a few sprigs of thyme, whatever else you like, and barely simmer for at least four hours. I usually do eight, myself.
Strain, degrease, add whatever veggies you want in the soup. Cook till they're just tender and only then add the picked, cleaned turkey meat, just long enough to get it hot. Cooking it any more will only dry it out. Correct the seasoning, add a squeeze of lemon juice, share and enjoy!
^^^the only primitive who
really knows anything about cooking and baking.
<<<wouldn't trust his judgement, though, on firearms; he owns some and uses them, but Tucker says he doesn't know a damned thing about them.
rhett o rick (40,323 posts) Tue Dec 2, 2014, 08:04 PM
17. Thanks for the tips. I have one question, why do you go to the trouble of
making mirepoix instead of tossing in large chopped carrots, onions, and celery?
sir pball (2,082 posts) Tue Dec 2, 2014, 09:24 PM
19. It's just a term, I usually hack 'em up myself
"Mirepoix" in a commercial/professional environment is virtually never actually a regular, medium dice in specific proportions like they teach in school (unless you work for Thomas Keller) - it just means the three veg chopped into a manageable size for the stockpot you're using. For a 50-gallon steam kettle running overnight you can literally just halve all the veg; for my 2 gallon stockpot at home it's more or less a "proper" size but still just hacked up. The veggies will give up their flavor pretty much no matter how you cut them.
cbayer (138,730 posts) Tue Dec 2, 2014, 07:11 PM
16. I take all the good meat off before I make the broth.
Then I cook it to death.
rhett o rick (40,323 posts) Tue Dec 2, 2014, 08:19 PM
18. How long? Gordon Ramsey says that over an hour is wasted. Not that I believe him.
cbayer (138,730 posts) Wed Dec 3, 2014, 10:35 AM
23. There are two schools of thought.
Some make a light broth using chicken with meat on, then use the meat.
Others make a much richer broth by boiling the non-meat bits for hours. This gets the marrow out of the bones and if you do it right, you will end up with a broth that will gel when cooled.
They both have their purposes.
rhett o rick (40,323 posts) Wed Dec 3, 2014, 11:18 AM
26. I follow the second method. Just made soup yesterday.
Very good comfort food. I use Pappardelle Pasta and fresh mushrooms.
cbayer (138,730 posts) Wed Dec 3, 2014, 11:29 AM
27. I tend to go for the second as well, except for the times when I am
making something "delicate".
I love a rich broth. My favorite is just simple with egg noodles or rice.
But I also love risotto and there is none as good as that made with a rich chicken or turkey broth.
Enjoy yours!
shireen (7,781 posts) Tue Dec 2, 2014, 10:00 PM
20. Does it make a difference if you leave celery and onions out
from the stock? What other herbs and veges can be used to enhance the flavor of the stock?
I've tried making stock using just chicken bones collected from store-bought rotiserrie chickens -- never seems to come out right.
rhett o rick (40,323 posts) Tue Dec 2, 2014, 11:51 PM
21. I don't know the answer to your question. I have made great stock
from store rotisserie chickens but I always include onions, carrots and celery.
shireen (7,781 posts) Wed Dec 3, 2014, 11:10 AM
24. Thanks ...
I guess I should try it sometime. I hate celery, and don't like buying it at the store because it only comes in big bunches.
Now, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.
It's been years, maybe a couple of decades, since I've read it, but I once read that celery has a "negative" caloric value--that is, one burns more calories chomping down on celery than what are in the celery.
If that's the case, the big guy in Bellevue and the LynneSin primitive should check it out; it's too bad this knowledge is too late to help the now-late Systematic Chaos primitive, the Las Vegas Leviathan, who appears to have expired this past year.
rhett o rick (40,323 posts) Wed Dec 3, 2014, 11:15 AM
25. I understand but it isn't very expensive, but if you don't care for it then
leave it out. I use celery seed a lot. You don't need to keep celery on hand.
cbayer (138,730 posts) Wed Dec 3, 2014, 11:33 AM
28. I put in carrots, celery, onion and any other veggies I have laying around that need using.
I don't generally use herbs, just salt and pepper. You can add others later if you want.
Keep all the bones from the rotisserie chicken. Don't let anyone throw them away.
Put everything in a big pot and cook for a couple of hours.
Cook down until the broth has the density that you want.
Let it cool and strain off all the solid. Let it cool more (refrigerate) so you can easily remove the fat.
You can use right away or freeze.
Keep playing with it. You'll get it.
