My Best Ever Turkey Carcass Soup

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Ok, I'm not saying this is the ultimate turkey soup. I am saying it's the best I've ever made. After carving the bird, and removing most of the white and dark meat, I cut the carcass into segments, and threw them, and any leftover skin from my charcoal-grilled turkey into a large soup pot and covered with water. I let it simmer for about three hours. The bones were soft. I then removed and picked the meat from the bones, and put it back into the pot, with the broth. I transferred this to my slow cooker and set the temperature to the low-cook position. I seasoned it with salt and sage.

The above is pretty standard. It's what everyone does. This next part is where the soup becomes good. I opened a fresh bag of carrots, and selected 3 of them for the soup. One of them was a good foot long. All of them were large. This gave me about four carrots-worth of slices. Add it to the soup with one large, peeled and diced onion (large dice). Next, I took a large handful of fresh spinach, washed and coarsely sliced it. Add it to the soup. Finally, add 1/2 cup of pearl barley. And for fun, take your 4 year old granddaughter, have her dip "socks" made from cheesecloth into soy sauce, and then place them into the soup. I let it simmer for about 5 hours.

I'm telling you, this soup came out with an outstanding flavor, in spite of the dirty socks. The flavors of the carrots and onion were there, along with the spinach, all working with the turkey broth, and barley to give it body, and a perfectly balanced flavor, like Wedding Soup, only with turkey, and IMO, better.

I have pictures of the soup bowls filled, and with dirty socks in them.

I was very happy with this soup. Give it a try. I'm sure you will enjoy it as well.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

[Whiskadoodle]

I made stock Saturday, cleaned the chopped cooked carcass after it cooled and put the turkey bits and pieces in a baggie. Let the stock chill overnight. I cooked the stock about 5 hours, with some onion, carrot, celery, garlic, peppercorns and parsley, dried thyme and savory. Soup on sunday with the usual suspects, carrots, potatoes, a new onion, frozen garden green beans. I debated about adding cabbage and said, not this time. I made Gramma's egg dumplings ( same as joy of cooking's spaetzle recipe, Which I Look At. She never used a written recipe in her life, that I ever saw.

I didn't have any dirty sox I wished to contribute. Who knew one can do laundry while the soup bubbles on the back burner. Is that a washboard or a grater in your hand. Grand kids is meant to be spoiled. .

I am reminded when Jr was little. He liked Alphabet Soup. I found a package of alphabets in the pasta aisle. He had letters in his soup for a couple years running, even when it was home-made soup.

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Today's soup warm-up. I grated some fresh ginger in a hot bowl of soup. Tasty. I didn't add it to the pot, in case it didn't match. Had to let the soup cool so it sort of cooked? released the ginger flavor. Very tasty.

[Kathleen]

I remove the meat from the roasted turkey carcass and cover it with water. It simmers from 6 to 8 hours and I strain it. Then I add carrots, potatoes, and celery, and simmer about 50 minutes. Then I add chopped turkey and a bag of frozen peas. Salt and pepper to taste. It's a pretty soup, and it is simple to make, but it's scrumptious.

[jabbur]

Sounds lovely Chief. I'll be putting my carcass in the crockpot in the morning. I'm not sure what I'll make with it yet. Maybe Brunswick stew. We'll see what I want to do when I get home from work.

[bakechef]

I picked the turkey clean and threw the carcass, skin, onion, bay leaf, carrot and peppercorns in the stockpot while cleaning up. Let it go for a few hours and was rewarded with a beautiful gelatinous amber colored stock. It sits in the freezer for future quick soups!

[PrincessFiona60]

Must see the Dirty Sock soup!!!

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by PrincessFiona60

Must see the Dirty Sock soup!!!

+1
The Chief wrote that he has a photo of it. Post it already.

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Here are the pics. The socks made were longer than required, knee-highs really, and so don't hold the perfect sock shape. But they're in there. Here, take a look.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

[PrincessFiona60]

Beautiful, Chief!!!!

[Addie]

I usually made two roasted chickens for the holidays as my kids were not fond of turkey. The one year I did do a turkey when they were all older and their taste buds had developed, I made the standard stock with the carcass. Only I put pearl barley and kale in it. I don't know why but I don't like potatoes in soup. So I usually put rice or barley in it. Preferably the barley. It adds a lovely creaminess to the stock. And this family loves kale. Specially in the Italian Wedding Soup.