1tspsalt per quart jar(optional- for flavor and texture)
Turkey Stock
1largebones from whole turkey (neck, back, wing tips)
2-3largeonions, quartered or large dice outer layers peeled & root end removed
1 ½cupscelery, washed & chopped into 1-2" pieces
1 ½cupscarrots, washed & chopped into 1-2" pieces
1bundleparsley stems, washed
1tbspwhole black peppercorns
2-3eachbay leaves
3-4sprigs/tspfresh or dried thyme
Instructions
Debone the Turkeys
A stiff boning knife is best for this, but you can use a sharp chef's knife or a stout filet knife as you prefer.
You can do this in several ways, but I like to start with removing the breast meat- make a long cut on either side of the breast bone, freeing the meat from the bone with small cuts against the ribcage, working down towards the back of the bird.
Remove the wing tips and wings, then the legs, cutting carefully around the tendons to free the leg quarters.
Make Turkey Stock
On a large sheet pan or roasting pans, roast the neck bones, wing tips, and carcasses for stock... about 25-35 minutes in a hot oven (375-425 F).
Place bones in a large stockpot, crock pot, or Instant Pot, along with mirepoix vegetables: peeled and large chopped carrots, celery, and onion (2 parts onions to one part each carrots and celery). Add a tablespoon or two of black peppercorns, a few bay leaves, parsley or parsley stems, and other fresh or dry herbs if you like. Don't use sage! It turns bitter when pressure canned.
Top up with cool water to cover the bones and vegetables by about 3-4".
Simmer stock over medium-low to low heat at a very low, lazy bubble for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Strain stock & keep hot. See notes if you'd like to make a second remi stock.
Par-Cook Turkey
Partially cook the turkey breasts, leg quarters, and wings... there are various ways to do this, but I like to roast them on sheet pans in a hot oven (between 375-400 F).
You don't need to roast them all the way through, just until they begin to color and firm up enough to slice easily. The juices should still be pink, not clear.
The exact cook times will vary based on how big your pieces are and how hot your oven is, but probably about 25-35 minutes.
Dice & Debone Meat
Remove from the oven and let cool just enough to handle (if you have latex or nitrile gloves, these can help shield your hands while prepping the hot turkey).
Slice white meat into large chunks or dice it into ready-to-use pieces. The pieces will shrink slightly during canning, so plan your cuts accordingly.
Second, debone the dark meat. This can be tricky, especially with the large tendons in the legs. Use a small boning or large paring knife in a scraping motion to free the meat from the bones. Alternately, you can simmer the leg pieces until they are more tender and use them for soup.
Pack Jars for Processing
Place the recommended amount of warm water in the bottom of your canner (check your pressure canner manual, but usually 3-4" of water) and begin to preheat the canner.
Pack clean, hot quart and/or pint mason jars with the diced or shredded meat, leaving 1" headspace at the top.
Top up the jars with hot turkey stock. You can add a teaspoon of salt to each quart jar (half teaspoon per pint) if you like. This isn't necessary for food safety but adds flavor.
Debubble the jars with a chopstick, debubbling tool, or thin flexible spatula. Top up with more stock if needed. If you run out of prepared stock, you can use boiling water.
Wipe the jar rims with a lint-free cloth or paper towel dampened with hot water or white vinegar. Top with new canning lids and jar rings.
Keep leftover stock hot while you process the meat. If you have room in the canner you can process the stock with the meat, though it has a much shorter processing time. If you are doing a larger batch of turkey, you can can the stock after the batch of turkey meat. Or, refrigerate or freeze extra stock.
Pressure Can the Jars of Turkey
Carefully place the filled jars into the preheated canner.
Check that the canner vent isn't clogged and close & seal the lid. Bring the canner up to pressure over medium heat with the vent open, and once the canner is venting a steady stream of steam, set a timer for 10 minutes.
When the canner has vented for 10 minutes, regulate the heat if necessary and drop the weight over the vent (or close the petcock if you have an older unweighted dial-gauge canner).
Can quarts of meat for 90 minutes (75 minutes for pints) at 11 PSI dial gauge/10 PSI weighted gauge up to 1000 ft (adjust to 15 at higher altitudes with a weighted canner). Start your processing timer only once the appropriate PSI has been reached (11 PSI on a dial-gauge canner for up to 2000 ft, see notes for altitude adjustments), or when the weight is jiggling to indicate that the proper pressure has been reached. Watch or listen carefully, adjust heat as needed, and reset the timer to zero and restart processing time if you lose pressure below the correct processing pressure at any point.
After the processing time is complete, turn the heat off. Once the pressure canner has cooled and returned to neutral pressure (the dial will drop to zero, and no steam escapes from the weight or petcock if jiggled) you should open the canner and remove the jars (follow your canner instructions for opening).
Cool Jars, Check Seals, & Store
Let the jars cool in a draft-free place where they can rest overnight or for up to 24 hours. Don't touch the rings until the jars have cooled and the seals are set (disregard for reusable lids and follow manufacturer instructions to tighten rings).
Remove the rings and check the seals on the jars after they have rested at least overnight. Promptly freeze or refrigerate any jars that did not seal and use within a few days- reprocessing these jars will cause a loss in quality and might not be safe. Gently wash all sealed jars with soapy water, label clearly, and store in a cool, dark place. Protect jars from freezing and safely discard the contents of any jars that lose their seals in storage and sterilize jars before reuse.
Notes
Remouillage (Remi) Stock:
If you'd like, especially if you did a shorter cook time on your turkey stock, you can make a remouillage ("remi", meaning "rewetting") or second light stock with your turkey bones while you are canning the rest of your turkey and broth. After straining the first stock, add a few cups of fresh mirepoix vegetables to the stock pot, and top up again with cool water. This second stock is lighter in color and flavor, but is a good broth for cooking rice or other grain pilafs, as a soup base, and more. Add the wing and leg bones to your remi stock after prepping the meat for canning, and can the batch of remi stock after pressure canning the meat in broth.