Turkey Gumbo


This recipe is traditionally made the day after Thanksgiving with the leftover turkey carcass. You can pick the carcass nearly clean before making the stock; there is enough meat in wings, back, and other areas usually not carved for the gumbo. Meat from the drumstick or thighs will definitely add to the final product. Alternatively (or to double the recipe), you can get three or four turkey necks and backs cheaply from the butcher and use them instead of a carcass: preheat the oven to 450°, place them in a roasting pan covered with salt, pepper, and a little oil, and roast for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 400°, and continue to roast for 45 minutes to an hour more, basting occasionally.


For the roux, you need an equal amount of fat as flour. Vegetable oil will work just fine, but you can add depth of flavor by using rendered turkey fat, bacon fat, or both—it’s well worth the trouble. If you don’t have enough fat, just add vegetable oil to get an equal amount as the flour.


Turkey bone stock

1 roasted turkey carcass, broken up into manageable pieces (see note)

2 large onions, peeled and quartered

4 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch chunks

4–5 cloves garlic, whole (no need to peel)

2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns

2 tsp. dried thyme

4 bay leaves

Gumbo

¾ cup rendered fat or vegetable oil (see note)

¾ cup flour

2 cups chopped onions

1½ cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped bell peppers

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

2 quarts turkey bone stock

1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced thinly

1 lb. okra, sliced (fresh or frozen)

Reserved turkey meat, onions, and celery from stock, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 cup chopped green onions (scallions)

½ cup chopped Italian parsley

Salt, pepper, and Tabasco to taste


For the stock: 

Add all ingredients to a large stockpot. Cover with water, at least 4 quarts. Give a quick stir to settle the ingredients together. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours.  Skim scum from surface occasionally. Do not stir at any time, or the stock will be cloudy.

Remove stockpot from heat, and pour through a fine-meshed strainer (or a colander lined with cheesecloth) into a large bowl. Press gently onto the solids in the strainer to extract additional liquid.  Pour solids out onto a sheet pan or other large surface. When cool enough to handle, pick through the bones and vegetables, reserving turkey meat, onions, and celery; be careful to look for small bones, peppercorns, and bay leaves. (You’ll chop the meat and vegetables anyway before adding it to the gumbo, so don’t worry about keeping the meat and vegetables pristine; feel free to mush them around to find any hidden bones or peppercorns.) Discard bones, skin, fat, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Reserve meat, celery and onions for the gumbo.

Defat the strained stock: if you are not making gumbo immediately, the easiest way is to put the stock into the refrigerator overnight (place the bowl into an ice bath for 20 minutes first to avoid overheating your refrigerator or allowing the stock to enter the “danger zone” for bacterial growth).  The stock will solidify into a gel, with a crust of fat on top. Just use a spoon to gently scrape the fat off, and reserve it for the roux. (Leaving a bit of fat behind in the stock is fine; do not allow any stock to get into the reserved fat.) The stock will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two, or frozen for months.  If you refrigerate it for more than a couple days, put it in a pot and bring it to a boil for a minute or two every day or so to prohibit any bacterial growth, then return it to the refrigerator.

If you are making the gumbo immediately, working in batches, use a gravy separator or fill a heatproof liquid measuring cup with stock, and allow it to sit undisturbed for several minutes until the fat rises to the top. Remove the fat from the top with paper towels or by spooning it off. (This fat is not pure enough for roux; discard it.)

For the gumbo:

Season the chopped celery, onions and peppers with the salt and cayenne; set them by the stove so they are close at hand. Heat the stock and keep it warm on the stove.

Make a roux: in a heavy-bottomed pot or pan (cast iron is best), add flour and fat. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir to incorporate (a whisk or wooden spatula is the best tool for the job). Stir constantly until the roux begins to bubble. Turn the heat down to medium and continue stirring constantly, scraping the bottom; the spoon should leave a clean trail behind it as you stir. Adjust the heat if necessary to keep it steaming hot but not boiling. Do not stop stirring even for a moment. Continue stirring until the roux is the color of a milk chocolate bar, 20–25 minutes. If dark flecks form, you’ve burned the roux; discard it, clean out the pot, and start over.

When the roux reaches the desired color, immediately arrest the cooking process by adding the seasoned celery, onions and bell peppers. Stir to coat with the roux, and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the sausage to the other. Brown the sausage briefly, then stir together with the vegetables.

Add the stock (or, if the pan isn’t large enough for the finished gumbo, add a few ladles of stock to deglaze the pan and add the contents of the pan to the stockpot). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a very slow boil, barely more than a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the okra, bring to a boil again, and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 25 minutes, or until all ropiness from the okra is gone. (Frozen okra will take less time.) Add the reserved meat and vegetables from the stock, bring back to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes more. Add the scallions and cook for 5 minutes. Check the seasoning and add salt, pepper and Tabasco as needed (gumbo is not supposed to be very spicy, just enough to have a “kick”). Add the parsley and serve over rice, with Tabasco and filé powder for guests to add as desired.

Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days. The gumbo will freeze for months in an airtight container.

— Trey Ethan Harris