15 Recipes To Use The Turkey Organs And Neck

Aka, the best parts of a turkey.

Every year, millions of Americans reach inside their turkeys, pull out the neck, gizzards, and organs, and like taste-hating savages, throw them in the garbage. WTF, America? Why are you not accepting that this is the best part of a turkey?

Github / Via raw.githubusercontent.com

Julia gets it.

Okay, quick primer. When you reach into the turkey, you should pull out:

Turkey Neck

Modern Apprentice / Via themodernapprentice.com

Don't be fooled by how dense and tough the neck is. It's still really flavorful. Sear it on all sides over high heat and boil it for an hour to add it to sauces or gravies. One of the easiest things to do is just let it hang out in the gravy as it cooks, punching up that rich turkey flavor.

Turkey Livers

Locavore / Via locavorefoods.ca

If you're freaked out about the liver, you can mellow the taste out by letting it soak in milk for a few hours. Don't boil livers-- they get a weird bitter taste.

Turkey Heart

Cooking Dangerously / Via cookingdangerously.com

It's tiny, but oh does it pack a flavor. Because it's soft and such a rich flavor, it does well when it's ground up and added to sauces, gravies and stuffing.

Turkey Gizzards

Global Meat / Via global-meat.de

Dense digestive muscles. The gizzards are used to "chew" the food in the bird's stomach, so the meat is really lean and tough. They can join the turkey neck in getting pan seared, boiled and added to gravy. They'll be done around the same time as the neck meat, so you can just toss 'em in one pot.

To compare, the whole thing should look like this:

the Kitchn / Via thekitchn.com

But can you mix and match other poultry cuts? YES YOU CAN.

QBN / Via qbn.com

First things first, if you have been using store-bought gravy, this is gonna change your life: the neck and gizzards + the drippings from the roasting pan + a tiny bit of flour. That's all.

Tumblr / Via tumblr.com

So. Easy.

The Pioneer Woman's gravy recipe is ridiculously easy to follow with clear pictures every step of the way.

The Pioneer Woman / Via thepioneerwoman.com

Turkey Gizzard Stuffing

Kitchen Tested / Via kitchen-tested.com

Gizzards change your whole stuffing game.

Turkey Giblet Broth

Barbara Adams / Via beyondwonderful.com

Instead of chicken broth, use your giblets to give you super lux taste.

If you don't want to incorporate the turkey offal into Thanksgiving, you can just refrigerate (or freeze) them for your own private meatgasm later. Consider...

Pan-Fried Turkey Livers with Bacon

Saveur / Via saveur.com

Turkey Neck Curry

Caribbean Pot / Via caribbeanpot.com

Liver Meatballs

Serious Eats / Via seriouseats.com

Turkey and Chicken Liver Pâté

Gastronomy Blog / Via gastronomyblog.com

Fried Livers With Thyme, Garlic, and Leeks

Eat, Drink, Paleo / Via eatdrinkpaleo.com.au

Gizzard Skewers

Avartsy Cooking / Via avartsycooking.com

Heart Yakitori

Serious Eats / Via seriouseats.com

Bacon Fat Gizzard Confit

Forage Chef / Via foragerchef.com

Garganelli with Gizzards

Food Network / Via foodnetwork.com

Collard Greens and Smoked Turkey Necks

Phude NYC / Via phude-nyc.com

Sautéed Chicken Liver Orecchiette with Kale

Expert Eater / Via experteater.com