This is Recipe Roundup, Episode 113. A few weeks ago, William’s parents gave us some frozen packages of Turkey Wings. This may sound stupid, but I has never considered the wings of a turkey before! 

Anyone who has attended the West Virginia State Fair or a Renaissance Faire is familiar with a smoked turkey leg – it’s an excellent meal that you can hold in one hand and it has the added benefit of making you feel like a viking king. But turkey wings? I realized I had never even paid attention to them on a Thanksgiving bird. I don’t know how I never extrapolated given that I eat chicken wings at least once a week but there I was with two packages of meat I have never cooked before. So I went to the internet. 

Like everything, there are many different ways to cook Turkey Wings, but one of the most popular appears to be in a slow cooker! This is what I opted for – Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, and a little bit of smoked paprika. I also toss in one half of a dried Habanero. Cooked on low for 8 hours with a little bit of broth. 

The resulting meat was tender and flavorful despite being a fairly plain seasoning – Turkey has more fat than chicken and the meat takes on a pinkish hue when cooked low and slow. We made some awesome tacos from the easily shredded meat. 

However…I was far from done. All in All, two wings yielded about 2.5 cups of meat, not very much. Then I looked at what was leftover in the crock pot – lovely juices and fat that there was no way I would miss out on. I entertained the idea of making a gravy, but almost instantly decided to make a broth instead. 

It was definitely the better choice. I cut onions, celery, carrots, ginger and garlic into the crock pot and filled it the rest of the way up with water, leaving all of the bones in to continue cooking. I also made sure to take out what was left of the habanero, so it didn’t get too spicy. 

After 24 hours, the resulting broth was one of the best I’ve made. It made me realize that making a post Thanksgiving turkey soup once a year is  far too infrequent! The flavor is rich and darker than that of chicken broth, but still much lighter than a beef broth. I’ve been drinking it in the mornings, but it would be excellent to cook with – imparting tasty umami amino acids to any savory dish that calls for a cooking liquid.

Get the most out of your bones and enjoy.