Countdown to Thanksgiving Tip ~ Turkey Stock

I woke up early this morning with anxious thoughts of Thanksgiving in my mind. What is it I need to do today to get ready? Turkey stock!

Thanks to my brother-in-law and his fabulous turkey smoking skills, I will not be roasting a turkey for Thanksgiving. Yay!

So today, I roasted some turkey thighs and chicken drumsticks for making stock. My reward? The whole house smells like Thanksgiving Day!

Easy Turkey Stock

Rub 2 turkey thighs and a 5 pack of chicken drumsticks with salt, pepper, a couple of tablespoons of poultry seasoning and a little canola oil.

Place them on a large baking sheet with a couple of washed carrots, celery sticks and 1/2 an onion. Roast them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour (to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit).

Let cool. Remove most of the meat from the bones and store in the refrigerator for later use.

Place all of the bones and the vegetables from the baking tray in a crock pot along with the rest of the onion, another carrot and celery stick (broken into pieces), a tablespoon of peppercorns and 2 bay leaves.

Place some hot water onto the baking tray and let sit for a few minutes. Scrape with a spoon to get all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan, then pour all of the liquid with the browned bits into the crock pot.

Fill the rest of the crock pot with cold water, turn on high heat and let cook for 3 to 4 hours. Turn off crock pot and let stock cool 45 minutes. Strain stock and store in the refrigerator. Remove fat from top before using.

Use your homemade stock to make my Yankee Cornbread Stuffing!