Slow Cooker Poultry Stock

I had enough points at the local grocery store to get $0.80 off per pound of a fresh turkey this Thanksgiving. Since it was only going to be the 3 of us and the boys wanted ham and not turkey, I cut it into pieces and put it in the freezer for later use. The spine and wing tips were add to some other ingredients and toss into the crock pot to make a tasty stock.

Poultry Stock

adapted from Slow Cooker Cooking by Laura Brody, William Morrow  p.8

4 pounds of chicken and / or turkey parts and bones

2 medium onions, quartered

1 large carrot, cut into 6 pieces

1 large parsnip, cut into 6 pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into 3 pieces each

2 bay leaves

8 whole cloves

10 whole peppercorns

3 garlic cloves, whole

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

3 springs fresh parsley

8 cups water

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 6-8 hours. All the stock to cool. Strain solids through a fine mesh sieve. Put the stock into a grease separator to remove as much fat as possible. There may still be bits of chicken and herbs floating in the stock. If you want to remove them strain again through food grade cheesecloth. I prefer to leave them as them add another depth of flavor and texture.
Refrigerate until ready to use for freeze for later.