Slow Cooker Turkey Broth

Turkey Broth (A. Zhuravleva / Shutterstock)

Slow Cooker Turkey Broth

The easiest way to make a rich, translucent broth is to cook meaty bones and aromatic vegetables in a slow cooker on low heat. The churning and evaporating that would occur on the stovetop is minimized, resulting in a broth that is not cloudy or dense, but still deeply flavored. This recipe can be prepared using an equivalent amount of chicken bones.

Makes about 10 cups

• Carcass of one roasted 12-pound turkey, some meat and skin included
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 rib celery, cut into several pieces
• 2 carrots, cut into several pieces
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 6 black peppercorns (omit if not available, do not substitute ground pepper)
• Stems from a bunch of parsley
• A few mushrooms or mushroom stems
• 1/4 cup white wine
• Sprig of rosemary or dill (optional) 
• Salt and ground pepper to taste

Break up the turkey carcass as much as possible and place meaty bones and leftover skin into a 6-quart slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients with the exception of salt and ground pepper. Fill the slow cooker vessel with cold water. Cover and set the slow cooker to low heat for 8 hours or overnight.

Turn off heat and allow broth to cool in the slow cooker for about one hour. Place a strainer or fine mesh colander over a large bowl and ladle broth into the bowl. (Press the bones to get as much liquid out as possible.)  Allow the strained broth to cool a half-hour longer, stirring occasionally, then cover and refrigerate.

Once the broth is chilled, any fat should have congealed on top. Remove the fat. At this point, the broth can be heated, seasoned, and sipped, or used as the base for soup. For a more concentrated broth, cook the liquid to reduce as desired, then use or freeze.