Turkey posole made with Thanksgiving turkey bone broth

Before cooking it we brine it for a day (24 hours, double-bagged, in a cooler), and then rinse really well. Then we stuff it with sprigs of rosemary, chunks of garlic, and quartered lemons. I stuff in as much of that as I can!

(The brine:

Apple cider- one gallon
Molasses- 1 cup
Kosher salt- 1 cup
Garlic powder- 1 Tablespoon
Poultry seasoning- 1 Tablespoon
Rosemary- 1 sprig
Orange rinds- 3 (or 4) halves, cut in STRIPS/chunks
Peppercorns, freshly ground, about 1 teaspoon

Heated up to dissolve salt & allowed to cool.)

Later, when we have carved off all the meat that we can, I put everything left into a large stock pot -the carcass, skin, rosemary, garlic, and lemons, and any other scraps. I cover all that with about 8-10 quarts of water (enough to cover), and then simmer until the bones start to fall apart.

I remove all the bones and other remnants and put in a large bowl. Then I strain the broth into a large pot, periodically ladling some into quart containers. I usually get 6-8 containers filled, which go right into the freezer. It’s great broth for soups such as pea soup and pumpkin soup, as well as for other typical uses for broth. Bone broth, unlike other broths, has a fair amount of protein so it is more nutritious and satisfying than other broths, at least to me. Our turkey broth is particularly delicious because of the rosemary, lemon and garlic in it.

I reserve about a quart or so, to make posole (pronounced “po so lay”).

Next, I sort through the bones to get all the meat (and there is quite a lot!) that we couldn’t carve off but is now accessible because the bones have fallen apart. I’m always amazed at how much meat is in the back. This meat goes into the posole.