Leftover Turkey

[Hickory]

Traditionally the Friday after Thanksgiving is meant to be a frenzy of shopping, but, for my household today is the day I pressure can leftover turkey.
7 to 9 quarts will supply us with turkey noodle soup for the next year.

[wch]

Good plan; at my home those turkey sandwiches are at the top of the list.

[vzerone]

Turkey noodle soup is what we do with the left over turkey too.

[Hickory]

I just boil it down, pick the bones and strain the broth through a sieve and try to make sure each jar gets the same amount of turkey and broth. Pressure can it and add noodles later when it's you want to eat it.

[starnbar]

I had all 5 of my sons and their wives and the kids, my grandkids over for T-Day what leftovers are you talking about?

[Biggin]

+1 Leftovers? What leftovers?

[Hickory]

I had all 5 of my sons and their wives and the kids, my grandkids over for T-Day what leftovers are you talking about?

You need to buy a bigger thrkey!

[MaryB]

I make stock and freeze it, freeze vac bagged meat. And freeze meat with stuffing vac bagged for quick meals. 20 pound turkey and only 3 of us eating it this year...

[Lloyd Smale]

I do what a lot do but I'm a bit lazier. I vacuum pack it like mary does and when I want a hot turkey sandwich I just take out a pack and GOD forbid add a jar of store bought gravy. Or buy a couple cans of chicken broth and make turkey noodle or turkey and rice soup. Ill sometimes buy a whole turkey and the wife will cook it just for the two of us so I can get lots of leftovers to vacuum pack. Its cheap enough meat that a guy shouldn't only cook a bird a couple times a year on a holiday.

[bangerjim]

Problem solved.......! I HATE turkey so this year we did a 12# smoked prime rib roast. Excellent at the T-day dinner and left-overs are heavenly! I will never cook a turkey again! Ham for Christmas just around the road.

And no more turkey soup, turkey casserole, turkey and eggs, turkey meatloaf for months at a time!

Banger

[2011redrider]

Wife had to work till 9:00 on thanksgiving so ours is in the smoker now. Got a deal for 29 cents a lb so one is whole and cut other one up in parts. Parts are on the Traeger and Whole bird and Breast of #2 are in the electric smoker. Now to make the rest of the dinner for when she gets off today.

[dragon813gt]

I gave most of it away to family in to go bags. I've been eating leftovers twice a day. Only one plate full left which is good. I'm tired of eating it.

[MT Gianni]

We had a fresh 16 lb bird for us and the two grandkids. We ate half and put half in the freezer. I will soup the bones, also frozen along with two others she cooked for the church social, and we will eat turkey again in a few weeks as Florentine, sandwiches and just sliced. I enjoy turkey and bought two last week, one for Christmas and one for the smoker. Grandkids had turkey dinner for school lunch Tuesday and leftovers Wed. before Thanksgiving. They are so tired of turkey they are ready to gobble.

[frankenfab]

The only part of the bird I love is the drumsticks, unless it's a deep fried turkey. Turkey pot pie would be my choice for the rest of it.

[CASTER OF LEAD]

You need to buy a bigger thrkey!



+1 for a bigger turkey.

[CASTER OF LEAD]

I love the fact that the Turkey's go on sale after a holiday. Dad and I scoop up several and make Turkey jerky from the breast meat and roast the rest freeze or can the meat and broth for later use. We do kinda like Hickory as far as canning process. Works great. - CASTER

[MaryB]

Hands down best turkey is on the weber kettle grill. Indirect fire(coals on the sides, I have charcoal rails to hold them back). 10-12 pound bird takes 2-3 hours at most. We used to toss one on at the lake and go fish 2 hours, supper was ready when we came back in.



I do what a lot do but I'm a bit lazier. I vacuum pack it like mary does and when I want a hot turkey sandwich I just take out a pack and GOD forbid add a jar of store bought gravy. Or buy a couple cans of chicken broth and make turkey noodle or turkey and rice soup. Ill sometimes buy a whole turkey and the wife will cook it just for the two of us so I can get lots of leftovers to vacuum pack. Its cheap enough meat that a guy shouldn't only cook a bird a couple times a year on a holiday.

[MaryB]

Leftovers in fridge, will have friends over tomorrow to use up more of them then vac bag. Stock is simmering, in an hour I will strain that and put it in canning jars then freeze that. When I want gravy with leftover turkey just pull a jar out, thaw in hot water, simmer and thicken!

[Lloyd Smale]

My favorite is after a day in the smoker but its a lot more work and my wife isn't that crazy about it. She likes them baked or deep fried. I'm a skin man myself. best part of the chicken or turkey. My dad isn't and he will just inject one and stick it in the pressure cooker and pick the meat and bag it and save the broth. Couple hours in a pressure cooker and you don't even have to carve the meat. Just pick it off the bare bones. Its all good. Only thing I insist on no matter how I cook one anymore is that its brined overnight. makes for much juicier meat and more flavor if you ask me.
Hands down best turkey is on the weber kettle grill. Indirect fire(coals on the sides, I have charcoal rails to hold them back). 10-12 pound bird takes 2-3 hours at most. We used to toss one on at the lake and go fish 2 hours, supper was ready when we came back in.

[Bulldogger]

I also pressure can leftover meats when supply exceeds a few day's eating. The company I work for has a large conference center and from time to time badly overorders on catering. Cancelled flights, bad RSVP counting sometimes all add up to trays of leftover meats when those happen to be the menu item of choice.
I take home bags of the meat and cube and can it, perhaps mixed w celery and onion or some such.
I can at 10lbs for 30 minutes, since the meat is already cooked. The canning books all assume you're starting from raw when they say 90-120 minutes.

Makes for super fast chili w a can of tomatoes and can of beans (sorry to those who get twitchy about beans in chili, it's cheap protein!). Also good to make fast chicken salad sandwiches with when in a hurry. When packing permits, I even take some jars camping, since it doesn't need refrigerated.

Can away!

Bulldogger

[Lloyd Smale]

be carefull with that theory. You can for 90 minutes and some of the reason is to get then internal temp of the meat up past a 160 degrees. If you start out with cold cooked meat or cold raw meat you still have to get it up to the same temp to kill bacteria. I do AT LEAST 60 minutes with anything with meat in it. Like canning chilli or spaghetti sause I made a big batch of that has meat in it. Now you might be able to reduce that time if your starting out with just cooked hot meat but not cold meat.

[MaryB]

Vac bagged 6 meals of turkey with stuffing and 4 of just stuffing and 4 of just turkey. Plus 1/2 quart bag of shreds for a batch of soup. Carcass stock made 5 1/2 pints plus a quart jar for soup use.

[Boaz]

I didn't cook a big meal this year , I'm missing the leftovers . My son came over and we had a sandwich , piece of store bought pecan pie and watched a movie . Always enjoyed turkey sandwiches , turkey hash and turkey stew after . Turkey is a good deal !

[MaryB]

If I had freezer space I would grab an on sale turkey but I am maxed out right now with just getting 202 pounds of beef....

[gwpercle]

GUMBO !
Around here that's the only way to use up the leftover carcass (makes good stock) add some andouille sausage, a little tasso and any leftover turkey ....man that's some good eating .
Gary

[bangerjim]

How do you guys and gals tolerate that horrible "left-over turkey" flavor?!?!?!?! For decades we have tried to re-warm, re-cook, warm-up, use left-over turkey and it all tastes like c<<p! I have been in good 4* restaurants and sent back "fresh" turkey dinners because I could taste left-over turkey!

We have tried turkey casserole, turkey & eggs, turkey sausage, turkey sandwiches, turkey meatloaf, turkey tacos, turkey everything.......it all tastes like old left-over turkey!!!!!

The only meat you can warm over successfully is fresh pork, ham, and fish. Turkey, chicken, beef all taste horrible when warmed over after cooking and then being refrigerated or frozen.

We throw away more "leftovers" than we ever eat! I love a good beef roast, but usually throw most of the leftovers away. Medium rare can be warmed over only once.

More power to 'ya if you can use old left-over turkey! Our family has voted unanimously to never cook a turkey again. Only spiral sliced hams and prime rib roasts for the holidays. And my son gets an 18-20# bird every year from his business for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas! He gives them to charity.

[dragon813gt]

How do you eat ham? I find it one of the worse meats available. It's personal taste. I have no issues reheating any meat. It tastes better when freshly cooked but it still tastes good warmed up. Truthfully I eat a lot of leftovers cold. Pasta and potatoes have to be heated up. But a cold steak or slice of pizza is fine by me.

[MaryB]

Tastes like turkey to me *shrug* sure it isn't fresh but still tasty. Vac bagging leftovers prevents oxidation that can give that freezer taste...

[Shiloh]

Mine is in the freezer. There will be a batch of turkey enchiladas, and a turkey tamale casserole.

SHiloh

[MaryB]

Wild Rice Turkey Soup coming up soon. Colder weather next week so good timing for it!