Instant Pot Turkey Stock - | Bakersbeans (Wanda Baker) (2024)

FAQs

Can you overcook turkey stock? ›

Turkey Stock Tips

Yes, especially if it's at a rolling boil. To ensure your stock doesn't overcook, make sure it simmers over low heat for an extended amount of time. Cooking over a high heat for a long time emulsifies the fat, making it nearly impossible to separate and remove.

Typically, stock includes bones - it's made with drippings and scraps from chicken, turkey, or beef. Stock also tends to have a longer cook time in order to pull all of the nutrients and collagen out of those bones, and can therefore have a thick, gelatinous texture once it's cooled.

As long as the stock is (and has remained) frozen solid over the entire year, it is fine to use for cooking. It has probably lost some of the flavor that would make it delicious as a soup, but will still make excellent gravy. Make sure to bring the stock to a full boil as you thaw it.

Finishing the Stock

When strained and chilled, the stock should set like jelly, a sign you've done it right.

It is okay to keep our canner 2 or 3 PSI higher than the required temperature, but do not let the pressure exceed 4 PSI above what is required or the jars may result in liquid loss from syphoning once you bring the temperature back down to correct the increase. Know your altitude.

When Thanksgiving dinner is over, there's just one more thing to make: turkey stock. But this is an easy one, I promise. All you have to do is add the ingredients to a large stockpot (at least 7 quarts, but not too tall to fit in the Anova Precision Oven) and let it simmer for anywhere from 12 to 24 hours.

If the stock does boil, some of the fat will emulsify into the liquid, which can make it cloudy. Another reason for cloudiness is that the stock wasn't strained well or at all.

BUT: The sign of the 'jelly' is what lets you know you've cooked the bones long enough, you've not used too much water, and you've used bones that have high gelatin in them. Gelatinous bone broth is the visual sign (when it's wobbly once cooled in fridge) that you've got a great amount of gelatin in there.

I add a little vinegar to my stocks to help pull the minerals from the bones, creating a nutrient-rich stock. Place all of the ingredients into a very large stainless steel pot, at least 12-quart, if not larger. You will want to add enough water to just cover the turkey and vegetables.

Do you simmer this stock uncovered? A. Yes, but don't let it simmer too hard (a bare simmer is best) because you don't want the liquid to reduce too quickly. In fact, if you have the time, you could partly cover the pot with the lid.

Which is better turkey stock or turkey broth? ›

We like using stock for soups where the liquid is the star, like chicken and dumplings, lemony turkey rice soup and French lentil and carrot soup. Since broth is thinner, it's better suited for dishes where you want other flavors to shine, like tomato soup, chili and slow cooker sweet potato soup.

The stock can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up 6 months.

To freeze stock, place it in a plastic freezer container or a wide-mouth mason jar. Leave some space at the top of the container to allow for expansion when frozen. Thaw the stock in the refrigerator or as part of the cooking process, not on the counter at room temperature.

It's not a good idea to reheat turkey more than once. Technically, as long as it reaches 165° each time, it's safe to eat. That said, it's a food safety hazard to some degree, since every time you heat and cool food, it passes through the danger zone (between 40° and 140°).

It's absolutely possible to overcook Instant Pot bone broth.

Keep an eye on your cook time and especially your depressurizing time. Overcooked bone broth will taste bitter and I can't imagine it'd be very enjoyable.

Wash, rinse and sanitize jars in preparation for canning the broth. Heat the jars and ladle the boiling broth into the jar leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe the rim of the jar clean, place a lid and ring on the jar and screw it on finger tight.

Process pint jars for 20 minutes and quart jars for 25 minutes, maintaining 10 or 11 pounds of pressure the entire time. Turn off heat and allow pressure to release pressure naturally. Once pressure canner is down to zero pounds of pressure, allow jars to sit for 10 more minutes inside the canner.

Storage: Store turkey broth in the refrigerator and use within 4 days. Freezer: Divide the broth into freezer-safe containers (I like to use 16-ounce glass jars) and leave 1/2-inch head space for expansion. Label and date, then freeze for up to 3 months.