Slow Cooker Turkey Stock

It's soup season!!!  I love snugging up on the couch with the fire going and a nice warm cup of soup!  I could eat soup every day! There are so many varieties and they're so easy to make. Plus you can make a huge batch and freeze it so easily!  I'm making 2 or 3 a week, and easily filling up my freezer for the rest of winter, or when a cold hits.

Now nothing adds a kick to soup than homemade stock.  I have to confess, it took me way to long to start making my own stock.  I don't know why I thought it would be a daunting task.  Now I can never look back!

I made Slow Cooker Turkey Breast, and realized I can leave the carcass in the slow cooker after getting the meat off, and then throw everything on top!  I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this, but I'm very proud of myself! Plus it's basically free, since you'd just be throwing the bones away anyway.

Seriously you just stick everything in the slow cooker for 24 hours! The bones add all the flavor, so all you need to do is add a little celery and carrots.

Once it's done I'll stick in the fridge overnight to let cool before dividing up to freeze.  You can see that a layer of fat forms, so refrigerating it lets you get that out!

Then strain the stock into a bowl and divide it into your containers. Make sure you have the measurements on them, so you'll know what you need to grab for your recipes!

I like to divide mine into different measurements (1/3 cup in the muffin tins, 2 cups in a couple mason jars, and 4 cups in freezer safe bags. Why the bags? They store so easy in the freezer, and when I'm making soup, I'll just pull a bag or two out (depending on the volume of soup) cut it open, then heat up in the pot or slow cooker.

Print Recipe
What you need:
1 carcass from a turkey or chicken
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
about 18 cups water (enough to fill your slow cooker)

Dump everything in the slow cooker.  Cook on low 24 hours.  Chill overnight.  Remove fat, and strain stock.  Divide into your containers and refrigerate up to a week, freeze up to 6 months.

Make about 16 cups stock (depending on the size of your slow cooker and how much water you add).

Total cost: basically free (just water and energy).

I hope you enjoy this!  Let me know when you try it out!

XOXO,
Sarah