When 3-packs of whole chickens go on sale at Costco, I like to pick up a couple packs.
I will then proceed to cut each bird into halves, vacuum seal the halves in pairs, and then into the freezer.
Before I vacuum seal the backs, I sprinkle some Kosher salt on them, seal, then toss them into the freezer.
This past weekend was time to give these backs some kettle love. Fall weather has arrived, so soup was on order for Sunday.
Found another 3 backs in the freezer, so I had a total of 9 backs on the Performer, along with some BSCTs.
Used some apple and cherry wood for smoke.
I also found a couple Ziplocs in the freezer containing scraps from a turkey carcass that had been smoked this past Easter.
The backs were smoked on Saturday, and Sunday afternoon was the day to make soup.
All of the turkey scraps and the chicken backs into the pot and covered with water.
I like to let that go at a nice rolling boil for at least an hour. While it's doing that, I cut up the veggies - celery, carrots, onion, and garlic
I then strain this concoction and separate the scraps to be dealt with shortly …. Got 6 litres / quarts of broth.
I bring this back to a boil, add the veggies, and a cup of pot-barley. A little later I added another quarter cup of barley. Salt & Pepper to taste.
… Now, the tedious task of picking at the carcass and backs to get as much meat off of them as possible.
Lots of meat here that would otherwise be tossed into the trash.
Ended up with 7 quarts of soup.
It may seem to be a lot of work, but it's not, really. More time than anything. I believe that it is always worth the little effort to make something great.
Everytime I make this, I say, "This is the best soup that I have ever made." It truly is awesome soup for cool, Fall weather.
Topic: Chicken Backs - Never Throw Them Away (Read 3779 times)