What Can You Actually Do With Turkey Giblets?

Seeing the gleaming golden-brown sheen on a Thanksgiving turkey can be an awe-inspiring experience. But before you can get to properly thawing your turkey, then undertaking the seasoning and basting that makes the poultry spectacular, there is one task you have to complete that many don't like to consider. With most store-bought varieties, you have to reach into the body cavity and remove the turkey giblets. Then you need to decide what on earth you are going to do with them.

Many simply throw giblets in the trash, but before you follow suit, it would behoove you to understand how they can elevate your Thanksgiving feast. Turkey giblets are classified as offal — the organ meat that comes from various animals. This typically includes the heart, gizzards, and liver. These somewhat unsightly edibles are loaded with meaty flavor that can enhance your gravy or stuffing, or they can be eaten on their own if prepared correctly.

One common way to serve turkey giblets is to fry them. Marinating them in buttermilk overnight is best if you have time, but you can just dredge them in flour and cook in a pan with oil. Add garlic and onions for a tasty side dish or serve them as a crunchy, savory appetizer while folks wait for the main course to finish cooking. However, the most common way to include them in your Thanksgiving meal is to add the intense dark meat flavor to your gravy.

Luscious brown gravy is an essential part of any Thanksgiving celebration, and adding the wow factor to yours starts with boiling the turkey giblets in water for roughly an hour. Once they are tender, let them cool, then chop into small pieces — the finer, the better. After making a gravy from the savory drippings of the roasted bird, stir in the giblets. These will lend an intense dark meat flavor combined with a touch of piquant earthiness to the gravy that will have folks around the dinner table wondering how you packed so much taste into a simple sauce.

Many people enjoy adding the turkey giblets to the stuffing, and this is just as easy as incorporating them into the gravy. Boil and chop them as you would for the sauce, then stir them into your stuffing mix as you cook it. Bear in mind that because their flavor is intense, you may want to be conservative doesn't overpower your stuffing or sauce.

Of course, there are some who couldn't be convinced to do anything with the offal but plug their nose and toss them out of sight. If this sounds like you, consider finding a turkey that doesn't come with giblets hiding inside, like Butterball's turkeys that don't need to thaw. They are about as convenient as it gets and don't have the offal inside the body cavity of the bird. However, if you really want to take the flavor to new heights, including the turkey giblets with the feast is a surefire way to impress your guests.