Smoked Turkey Soup

Our family often enjoys smoked turkey for Thanksgiving, whether it’s ordered from Greenberg’s Holiday Turkeys in Texas (you have to try them!) or off the smoker in the back yard. We love this recipe from Serious Eats for the leftovers, but I’ve also made it with smoked turkey wings and legs from the market as suggested in the recipe. Enjoy!

  • Cook Time1 hr 30 min
  • Yield4 to 6 servings
  • Cuisine
    • American
  • Course
    • Soup
  • 2 smoked bone-in turkey wings or drumsticks (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
  • 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock or vegetable broth
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced small
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
  • 2 large celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 lb. okra, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
  • 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 14.5 oz can cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp. malt or cider vinegar
  • Freshly ground black pepper
1

Pull the turkey meat from the bone and skin. Cut the meat into chunks and set aside. Put the bones and skin in a Dutch oven or large stock pot over medium heat. Render the fat from the skin for about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, transfer the bones and skin to a separate medium saucepot and cover with the stock or broth. Simmer over medium heat while you prepare the rest of the soup.

2

Return the Dutch oven to medium heat. Add the onions, carrot and celery to the reserved fat and fond and sweat the ingredients for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom to release the bits while the liquid cooks down until mostly gone. Stir in the mushrooms and okra and sweat the vegetables for another 5 minutes.

3

Add the reserved turkey meat, potatoes, and beans. Strain the stock into the pot with the other ingredients. Discard the bones and skin. Add the sprigs of thyme and simmer for 1 hour.

4

Stir in the vinegar and season the soup to taste with freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Okra, potatoes and beans add richness and viscosity to complement the smoky flavor of this substantial soup.

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