Post Thanksgiving Turkey Broth

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We had family over for dinner at our house at noon (and for the the football game - Go Pack Go!), and in the evening we had another feast with more family.  It was wonderful to share so much great food with so many cherished family members and friends.

Today, I made broth by tossing a few key ingredients into a big old pot, and then the kids and I went to see a movie with my mother in law.  For dinner, we had leftover veggies and pie, along with an amazing dish my mother in law made last night; squash, peas and egg noodles all wrapped in a decadent cheesy Alfredo sauce and topped with a crunchy cracker topping.  By the time dinner was over, my broth was done and I have exactly 5 quarts of awesome broth from our most generous 14lb turkey.  I love the day after Thanksgiving almost as much as I love Thanksgiving day.

You know, I dislike the actual word for the left over turkey bones a great deal (so much so, in fact, that I'm not even going to type out the word either here or in the recipe itself).  So, in an effort to find a more...palatable...name for this very important part of the post Thanksgiving dinner, I checked the thesaurus for apt synonyms.  "Skeleton", "cadaver", "remains", "ruin", "frame", and "stiff" were definitely not going to work.  Neither were "crow bait", "food for worms", or "the defunct".  I thought about how to use something like "the departed", or "the loved one", but nothing sounded...edible.  "Nervous wreck" was listed, and that could have been fun, but possibly not so tasty in the end.  So, I'm quitting and just calling it "Post Thanksgiving Turkey Broth" because I think that way I might still consider eating it.

I'm planning to come back with a much better picture, but after hearing from several people that they toss the bones without making broth, I wanted to get this post out before that happened, and this was the only picture I could snap before it cooled completely.  So, without further ado, here is a rather simple recipe to a very delicious broth.

Post Thanksgiving Turkey Broth
cook time: 5-8 hours
quantity: depends on the size of the original turkey

5 quarts

• bones and wings from fully carved turkey
• 4-5 carrots, chopped into very large pieces
• 5-6 stalks celery, along with any leaves, chopped into very large pieces
• 2 large onions, quartered
• 5-6 cloves garlic (no need to peel)
• small handful of thyme sprigs (about 12 or a few more)
• 10-12 sprigs parsley
• 15-20 peppercorns
• 1-2 tsp sea salt
• enough water to cover everything 

Combine everything in a very large stock pot.  Bring to a boil, partially cover, and reduce heat to medium.

Go find something else to do for about 5 hours.

Begin checking for flavor after 5 hours.  The longer it is simmered, the fuller the broth.  Ideal simmering time is between 6-8 hours.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve (lined with a layer of cheesecloth for very clear broth, if desired) into a large bowl; discard bones and vegetables.  Cool.  Skim any fat.