Roasted Turkey Stock (Wings, Make-Ahead)

Made with turkey wings, carrots, onions, and celery, this roasted turkey stock will give you 6+ quarts of rich, golden stock to have on hand for the holidays ahead. Use it immediately in your favorite stuffing, potato gratin, and gravy recipes, or store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

A few weeks ago I pulled up a Google doc I had made last December, roughly a week after Thanksgiving, with my notes from the occasion. Here they are:

• Turkey was delicious. It was done in 1 hr. 50 minutes.
• Gravy wasn’t very thick when first making it, but it thickened right up on Thanksgiving. 
• Loved the roasted turkey stock, Gourmet’s old recipe, used it in everything: potatoes, stuffing, gravy.
• Mixed pie fillings on Tuesday. 
• Parbaked the crusts on Wednesday morning. 
• Baked the pies on Thursday morning.
• Stuffings delicious.
• Potatoes need more salt.
• Make 2x red wine cranberry sauce.
• Next year: 2 turkeys, 1 additional stuffing 

I’m not sure what I’m more surprised by — that I took the time to write these notes or that I was actually able to locate them — but regardless, I’m so happy I did. I can’t believe I mixed the pie fillings on Tuesday — that feels early! — and I had forgotten how two stuffings and 1 turkey (a small guy) were not enough to satisfy our post-Thanksgiving meal needs.

Most important: I had forgotten that last year, after a many-year hiatus, I had brought back Gourmet’s roasted turkey stock recipe. It was originally published in the October 2006 issue, which I still have somewhere, and I made it every Thanksgiving for many years. Why I stopped I do not know, but I’m so happy it’s back.

The recipe calls for roasting turkey wings (or drumsticks or thighs) followed by some vegetables (onions, carrots, celery), deglazing the pan to release the fond (see below), then transferring the contents to a pot, covering them with water, and simmering them for 3 hours. The exercise will make your house smell like Thanksgiving and, as you ladle your rich, golden, aromatic stock into storage vessels, you will feel so accomplished, so inspired, and so ready to tackle the holiday season ahead.

Last year I used this stock in my stuffing recipes (this one and this one), in my potatoes (Alice Waters Potato Gratin and Hasselback Potato Gratin), and in this gravy, all of which can be made ahead.

Friends, are you ready? Thanksgiving is less than 5 weeks away! I still need to update my annual Thanksgiving post with some of the notes from above, and I will do so shortly, but if you are ready to get after it, here it is! Gobble gobble 🦃🦃🦃

Why Roasted Turkey Stock is More Flavorful

In short because: browning = flavor and aroma. Let’s go deeper: the reason roasted turkey stock is more flavorful than a non-roasted stock comes down to two things: the Maillard reaction and fond.

The Maillard reaction, if you are unfamiliar, is a chemical reaction that occurs between proteins and sugars when food is cooked at high temperatures. You know and love foods that have undergone the Maillard reaction: think the edges of a seared steak, the crust of a loaf of sourdough, caramelized onions, etc.

In the context of roasted stock, the maillard reaction takes place when the turkey parts and vegetables roast in the oven. Moreover, this roasting creates a “fond”: a layer of concentrated juices and browned bits stuck to a pan. By deglazing the roasting pan and incorporating those browned bits into the stock, you are loading it with flavor compounds giving it incredible depth of flavor.

Roasted Turkey Stock, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients: carrots, onions, celery, parsley, a bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and…

… turkey wings!

You’ll start by roasting the wings seasoned with salt at high heat:

Then you’ll transfer them to a pot reserving your sheet pan:

To the sheet pan, add your chopped vegetables:

Then transfer them to the oven:

Add the vegetables to the pot:

Then straddle your sheet pan across two burners and add some water:

Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the fond and any stuck bits on the sheet pan; then transfer to the pot:

Add the parsley, bay leaf, salt, and peppercorns:

Then cover with 6 to 7 quarts of water depending on the size of your pot:

Transfer to your stovetop:

And simmer for 3 to 4 hours:

Strain the stock in batches:

When the stock has cooled, transfer it to storage vessels: these are so handy to have on hand this time of year:

It is the best feeling having 6+ quarts of rich, roasted turkey stock on hand:

You can freeze the stock for up to 3 months or store in the fridge for 1 week.

A beautiful sight:

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