Save your turkey, chicken and beef bones! They make an amazing bone broth for future soups and other delicious cooking adventures. Not only is it simple to make, it’s basically a hands-off process when using a slow cooker.
I don’t feel right calling this a recipe but rather a technique or tip. It’s too easy and I can almost guarantee success with your first try. The finished broth is concentrated and full of flavor. It can easily be diluted with water up to three-fold for soups and as the liquid portion in your rice dishes. At full strength its concentrated flavor will enhance casseroles, stews and sautéed vegetables. It’s very simple to freeze in quart or pint size containers for future use.
Simply take your leftover bones (turkey, chicken or beef) and add it to a 6 quart slow cooker. Next add the left over juices and two chopped celery stalks, 1/2 onion and a couple of roughly chopped carrots. No need to peel your vegetables. After adding the bones and veggies, fill the slow cooker with warm water to the top (fill line). Depending on my mood, I might add some salt and other seasonings but typically I leave it plain. I find that the leftover bones, juices and vegetables add a lot of flavor. My preference is to season with salt/pepper and other flavoring components when I actually make a dish with the finished broth.
Use your low setting on the slow cooker, cover and cook until the bones and vegetables have almost broken down completely. This will take 24 to 48 hours or longer. It’s worth the wait. When the cooking process has completed, strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Allow the strained broth to come to room temperature. When it’s completely cooled, remove any grease that’s floating on top. When it’s done I freeze or make soup and sometimes both.
The slower cooker I have been using for a long time is from KitchenAid. It’s a product with the features that I want without the extras that I’ll never use. It works great and produces high quality results. It also withstands massive use and has lived a long life with many more years left. I have a link below if you are in need of a slow cooker. And, if so, I highly recommend this one.
Happy broth making.