How to Make Soup Stock in Your Crock Pot

 

When I learned I could make soup stock in my Crock Pot (R) or slow cooker, I was so happy! I love the ease and convenience of making ANYTHING in the slow cooker. My husband bought me a larger, more efficient Hamilton Beach slow cooker for Christmas several years ago, and I use it at least once a week. I make sauerbraten, pot roast, rotisserie style chicken, soup and lots of other delicious recipes in my slow cooker.

I adapted this recipe from several I found online on how to make soup stock in the slow cooker. I used my leftover Thanksgiving turkey, first stripping as much meat from the bones as I could. The slightly uncooked meat and dark meat I cut up and placed in a container for my dog and cats; the nice white meat I diced into tiny cubes for turkey salad, which will be today’s lunch.

The remaining carcass was fairly easy, if messy, to break apart with my hands and add to the Crock Pot. When making soup stock of any kind, try to break the bones into small pieces. The more marrow, or inner material exposed on the bones, the better the soup stock will taste.

Are you ready to make turkey or chicken stock in your Crock Pot? Follow these steps and let’s get cooking!

How to Make Turkey or Chicken Stock in the Crock Pot

You will need…

One large Crock Pot or slow cooker. Mine is a Hamilton Beach slow cooker (see my Amazon link, above). The interior is a ceramic liner that lifts out for easy cleaning; the rest of the pot is lightweight aluminum. It is very dependable and I have used mine for several years.

• 6 cups of boiling water
• 1 cooked turkey or chicken carcass, broken into small pieces
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 large stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 leek, chopped (optional)
• You can add salt and pepper later, to taste.

 

Place half a cup of water in the bottom of the Crock Pot and preheat it on HIGH, covered, while you prepare the rest of the soup materials. Peel and slice the carrots, onion, leek and celery. Remove as much meat as you can from the cooked turkey or chicken carcass, and place the edible meat aside. Using your hands or a sharp knife (be careful, please!) cut up the bones as small as you can. Place all that will fit in the crock pot, along with the vegetables. Cover with BOILING WATER – fill the pot to about 1 inch from the top. Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn heat to LOW.

Cook on low 12 hours or more.

When the broth is done, remove and discard bones and vegetables. Any meat that floats off the bones can be reserved for soup. Use the stock to season dishes or to make soup.