Them bones .. them bones... them Turkey Bones!

The holiday is over, and your left with a carcass of turkey bones - what to do with them? I'm sure that you have heard somewhere that drinking bone broth is good for you. I'm not a nutritionist, but based on prepping for a surgery a couple of years ago, that bone broth was recommended as something I could drink while prepping!

I've seen many people on my Instagram and Facebook feeds talking about the benefits of bone broth, when to drink it, what to add to it, and brands they recommend - but what I haven't seen much of, if at all, is how to make it.

Bone broth is a more reduced stock - same ingredients, cooked for longer than your basic stock, which makes it thicker and more flavorful. Kettle and Fire (not affiliated) has a pretty good definition of the difference on their site: Normal Stock vs Bone Broth.

I like many of you, had a pot of turkey bones sitting in my refrigerator post the holiday, so I decided to make stock, not bone broth - I'll save that for after the next big holiday, or after I roast a chicken in the next few months.

For my stock, I followed a standard process, browned the bones, then boiled them for 4 hours with aromatics. I used similar aromatics to those used when roasting the turkey; this is important for maintaining consistency in flavors.

Stock, once it has cooled, can be frozen and used for soups, stews, cooking rice, or ... cooking it down further for demi-glace or other sauces.

To help with the process, I kept the ends of the carrots, carrot shavings, onion ends and skins as well as the celery stalks and base from when I cooked the turkey; I did add more onion (you'll see some chopped in a picture), I realized I had more skins than flesh when I started the process.

The bones browned in the oven at 400°F for 45 minutes. I sautéed the onion/carrot/celery mixture in the oil from the pan where the bones were roasted, and I added a bit more. Once the saute was done, I added the bones, aromatics, and enough water to cover. This simmered for 4 hours, strained, then cooled.

It's now in the freezer, awaiting its subsequent use... for Christmas, most will be used for the best my cousin and I have for making our grandmother's scratch dumplings!