Chicken/Turkey Broth

This is how I make my broth.

1. Get out my big (6L) crock pot with the removable crock
2. Turn the oven on to 375F.
3. Put poultry carcasses into the crock. (After I roast a chicken or turkey and get all the meat off, I stick the bones in a ziploc bag and throw it in the freezer. Once I have 2 or 3, I'll make a batch of stock.)
4. Add the following to the crock
- an onion or two, quartered
- a couple of carrots, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
- a couple of celery stalks, cut into 2-3 inches pieces
- a couple cloves of garlic, peeled, whole
5. Put the crock into the oven (No lid! Just the ceramic crock part.) for 45 minutes or so.
6. Take the crock out of the oven (using oven mitts of course) and stick it into the base of your crock pot. Turn the crock pot on LOW.
7. Fill up your kettle and turn it on.
8. When the water boils, carefully pour it over the stuff in the crock.
Repeat 7 and 8 until the liquid is about 1 1/2 inches from the top of the crock.
9. Put the lid on and leave it alone for 3-10 hours.

Note that I don't add any salt. I'm never sure how I will end up using the broth and I can always add salt later to whatever I'm making with the broth..

This makes the most wonderful stock. The oven roasts the bones and veggies a bit to enhance their flavour and the final colour of the stock. The crock pot cooks everything so gently that you don't get any foaming or clouding or yucky stuff happening. When you're done and the broth is strained and chilled, it will gel because of the protein.

I usually ladle the broth through a mesh strainer into a 4 cup glass measuring cup in batches, then I can take the fat off and pour the broth into appropriate containers for freezing without making a huge mess. I dump the last bit into a colander over a bowl and let it drip for a bit before straining it.

I have 2 Tupperware covered ice cube trays that I use for food only. I got these when the kids were babies for freezing baby food. Whenever I make broth, I fill them up so that I have "broth cubes". Whenever the kids have soup, I can use a broth cube to cool it down and it won't dilute the soup.

I'll try to remember to take pictures next time I make broth and add them to this post.