Cooking Delicious Turkey Giblets for Gravy and More

Happy Thanksgiving! Don’t forget to include the giblets this year. I like to make the gravy right in the roasting pan. I add the giblets to a pot that already has tasty browned bits and gelatin from the pan’s bottom. Turkey Pan-Gravy with Giblets is the perfect nutrient-dense sauce for your roast turkey and holiday sides!.

Giblets are the edible internal organs and neck of a turkey. Most whole turkeys come with a bag of giblets tucked inside the cavity. Don’t toss these out – they can add incredible flavor to gravy, stuffing, soup and more! Here’s everything you need to know about cooking turkey giblets.

What Are Turkey Giblets?

Turkey giblets typically include

Neck – Add to broth for extra flavor. Meat can also be picked off and used.
Heart – Rich, flavorful muscle meat. Often used in gravy.
Gizzard – Acts as a natural grinder in birds Meaty texture when cooked
Liver – Nutritious with a mild, distinctive flavor. Chopped for gravy.

Why Cook with Giblets?

Giblets may look unappealing, but they provide outstanding flavor.

Neck and gizzards add rich, meaty flavor to broths and gravies.
Hearts and livers provide depth of flavor when chopped up in gravy.
Cooking giblets yields giblet broth perfect for moistening stuffing or gravy.
Using giblets reduces waste and makes the most of the entire bird.

How to Clean and Prep Giblets

Before cooking giblets, proper cleaning and prep ensures the best flavor:

Separate giblets from neck and wash thoroughly under cold water.
Trim any visible veins, membranes or discolored spots from giblets.
Pull excess fat and membranes from neck. Peel off outer skin if desired.
Chop heart and gizzard into bite-size pieces. Finely chop or mince liver.
Place prepped giblets and neck in a saucepan and cover with water.

Simmering Giblets for Optimal Flavor

Low and slow simmering coaxes out the most flavor and tenderizes giblets:

Cover giblets with water by 2 inches in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer giblets for 45 mins up to 1 hour.
Simmer until giblets are fork-tender but not falling apart. Skim any foam or scum.
Strain and reserve giblet broth after cooking. Pick neck meat off and chop hearts.
Mince liver and gizzards if desired. Refrigerate giblets and broth until ready to use.

Making Rich Giblet Gravy

Giblets are a key ingredient in rich, flavorful giblet gravy:

Use giblet broth to thin out gravy instead of plain water for extra flavor.
Finely chop and add cooked gizzards, heart and liver to gravy for texture.
Shred any neck meat and add to gravy just before serving for a meaty boost.
For smooth gravy, purée cooked giblets in blender before adding to gravy.
For chunky gravy, dice giblets before adding so they remain intact and visible.
Cook gravy with giblets an extra 5-10 minutes so flavors mingle.

Cooking Giblets for Soup and Stuffing

Giblets can also be used to enrich soups, stuffing and side dishes:

Add chopped giblets and neck meat to bread or cornbread stuffing recipes.
Stir cooked, chopped giblets into vegetable sides like green bean casserole.
Toss diced giblets and shredded neck meat into noodle or rice dishes and pilafs.
Use giblet broth to cook grains like rice, quinoa or barley to infuse flavor.
Make giblet soup by simmering broth with chopped giblets and vegetables.
Mix a spoonful of minced cooked liver into mashed potatoes for added richness.

Helpful Tips for Cooking Giblets

Follow these handy tips for hassle-free giblet cooking:

If short on time, simmer giblets for only 30 minutes until mostly cooked through.
Roast giblets and neck in a 400°F oven for 25-30 minutes until browned and crispy.
If omitting livers, saute with onions, garlic, herbs as a nutritious side dish.
Refrigerate cooked giblets in broth up to 2 days or freeze for longer storage.
Add a bay leaf, peppercorns and other aromatics when simmering for extra flavor.
Stir a spoonful of minced liver into pan gravy, sauces or meat loaf for richness.

Common Turkey Giblet Questions

How long does it take to cook turkey giblets?

Simmer giblets for 45 minutes to 1 hour until very tender. Roast at 400°F for 25-30 minutes.

Can you cook turkey giblets from frozen?

Yes, but they may take longer. Thaw first for quicker, more even cooking.

What’s the best way to chop giblets?

Finely mince livers. Chop hearts and gizzards into very small pieces. Shred neck meat.

Do you have to cook giblets before making gravy?

Yes, always cook giblets fully before adding to gravy for food safety.

Can you freeze leftover cooked giblets?

Yes, freeze cooked giblets in broth or gravy for up to 3 months.

Get the most from your turkey and savor the rich, savory flavor of giblets in gravy, stuffing and more this holiday season!

how do you cook turkey giblets

Turkey Pan-Gravy with Giblets

To make gravy, mix the same amount of fat and flour as you did for the roux. Then, add broth until the gravy is the consistency you want. For the gravy, I will use 1 tablespoon of fat, 1 tablespoon of flour, and 1 cup of broth.

To make gravy without flour, use a broth that gels and this consistency should also hold. Without the flour, it’s a bit harder to make an emulsion – where the fat is mixed evenly. In this recipe, we’ll blend the Gravy with Giblets, so it should emulsify in the blender.

To prepare the giblets, I gently pan-fry them. After, I cut them into pieces that will blend evenly and reserve until my gravy is ready.

I wait for the fat in the pan to get hot before adding the flour with a whisk. If you want to make the broth taste better, you should add it little by little after the flour turns brown. Every time, I try to scrape up more of the browned bits from the pan’s bottom until they’re all mixed in.

Boil the gravy, check your consistency and pour into your blender along with the reserved organs. Make sure that it’s blended well and voila – gravy!.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, appreciating and giving thanks is a worthy habit. I like to appreciate things until I’m filled with happiness and thanks, and I think you should too! Like other habits, appreciating seems to be a muscle that, once trained, is easy to use. So let Thanksgiving be the start of practice and appreciate every day!.

How to Boil Turkey Neck & Giblets: Cooking with Kimberly

FAQ

How do you cook turkey giblets to eat?

1First, take the giblets and neck from the raw turkey and cover them with water by 2 inches in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer it for 1 hour to both to cook the meat and to make a giblet broth for the gravy.

How do you cook giblets?

Boil giblets in salt water for about 1 hour or until giblets are tender. Use about 1 tablestoon salt and enough water to cover. When done, drain and cut in bite-size pieces, Heat oil in frying pan and cut oinions and brown slowly. Add giblets cover and slowly cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

What part of the turkey giblets do you not use?

Innards are not left in turkeys. The gizzard, heart and neck are left in, and they are known as giblets. Innards refers to guts, lungs, and other visceral items. If you leave them in, they will just get cooked. I usually use my giblets to make stock to make gravy.

What is the best thing to do with giblets?

Don’t throw those giblets away! With just a bit of time and attention, they will make a delicious broth you can use in Thanksgiving Gravy, Herbed Bread Stuffing, or any dish where you would normally use chicken broth.