Don’t ditch that bird! You can make an easy delicious homemade turkey stock with it and make our favorite Turkey Gumbo Recipe or substitute it for chicken stock in any of your favorite recipes!
Turkey Gumbo has become a tradition for us after the holidays. Thanksgiving leftovers are never a worry in our house! When when we have a turkey carcass our favorite thing to do with it is make Turkey Gumbo! This is Emeril’s recipe and we have not deviated from it ever. That says a lot since we love to add our own spin on recipes all the time!

This is so seriously easy you will kick yourself for not doing it sooner! Just make sure you have a HUGE stock pot to make it in. I have a few stock pots, but I usually use this 20 qt Stock Pot because it’s really hefty and not thin on the bottom. I like to buy a big bird!
This makes a huge amount so just put it in zip lock bags and freeze it for later!
Homemade Turkey Stock
Author: Kelley @ Miss Information Blog
Ingredient List
- 1 turkey carcass
- 3 ribs celery cut into 4" pieces
- 2 medium onions quartered
- 4 qts water or enough to cover the carcass
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 4 bay leaves
Directions
- Place the turkey carcass in the stock pot
- Add the rest of the ingredients and make sure there is enough water to cover the carcass.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to Medium and simmer uncovered for 2 hours
- Remove from the heat and skim any fat that rises to the surface
- Strain out and pick out the turkey meat as well as pick any that is still on the carcass to make Turkey soup or Gumbo