Broth of the carcasses of one deep fried, one traditional roast turkey, simmered since Friday morning. Cooked until the bones crumble. Today added aromatics and other ramen standards (soy, sake, mirin), peppers, and a glug of sriracha.
A warming layer of leftover dark meat is hiding under the noodles.
Isn’t Tonkatsu a fried pork cutlet?
Yes; the word OP was probably thinking of is tonkotsu – which means pork bone. They’ve imitated the style of tonkotsu ramen using turkey carcasses instead of pork bones.
Looks tasty OP!
It does indeed look very tasty, I love a rich broth.
Thanks, I didn’t realize my typo! Fixed in the title.
And yeah, one of my better ramen attempts.
Maybe with turkey bones you could call it chōkotsu instead! (meaning bird bones–the ton part means pork/pig)
Indeed I shall! Thanks, I’m not well-versed in Japanese.
Apparently so. TIL. This was heavy and umami-forward so it seemed most like that kind of ramen.
I think it seems more like a paitan style. Looks good regardless.
What was your process? I’ve tried tonkotsu broth (with pork bones), and it felt like a challenge.
If you want to do tonkotsu the easy (eg, very much non-traditional way), here’s a hack for you; make a classic pork bone stock - being sure to give the bones a boil first to remove any scum, and adding some chicken wings to round out the flavour - in your slow cooker or whatever, then take the finished, strained broth and run it through a high powered blender.
The reason tonkotsu is cooked at a rolling boil is to emulsify the fat into the broth, creating the signature creamy texture. But chefs in Japan didn’t have high powered blenders back when they invented that method. Turns out you can emelsify fat very easily with one of those. If the texture and colour aren’t right you can add a little bit of pork lard to get the consistency you want.
Obviously for proper tonkotsu flavour there are some additional steps needed, like using konbu water to make the stock and having the right mix-ins, but just getting rid of the need to babysit the stock at a rolling boil makes the process significantly easier.
The fried bird was crispy, so the bones were good and ready, the regular roast I threw in the oven under a broiler for a bit. Then just simmered them in water for a day. It’s better than an instant pot. The fried bird also had a lot of cajun spices and salt, so the flavors were already working there.
Then the next morning I strained the broth, puled more meat off the bones and set that aside. Sauteed 5 carrots, 1 onion, garlic, and chili flakes in butter until brown, then added carrot tops, green onions, a lemon, some cabbage, ginger, chives, parsley, and all the bones on top. Then broth back in, topped up water, and that simmered for 8 hours and then strained. Bones by then are getting mushy and you can easily snap them by hand or mush the ends with your fingers. Added in soy, sake, mirin, a touch of rice vinegar, and some sriracha. Simmer for another 3 hours.
When I’ve made it with all pork, it’s very funky and porky in a not pleasant way, except for the time I made it with BBQ rib bones. At this point I prefer half pork half chicken, and turkey did me well last year. This was even better, I think the fried bird helped.
When I’ve made it with all pork, it’s very funky and porky in a not pleasant way
Yes, exactly! It was not great. You and another user have given me good food for thought, though, and it sounds like including some chicken or turkey bones can help balance out the flavor profile of pork, especially if the poultry was fried.
Thanks!
You bet. Fried turkey bones and guinea fowl are both a step above chicken. Roasted chicken + pork mixed isn’t bad for a middle step, either. That’s my usual recipe at this point.
How did you cook the mushrooms?
I’m working on asian profile for mushrooms.
No cook for them, I messed up and should have sauteed them and forgot. They sopped up the hot broth and were excellent.
What would you have done with the sauté?
My instinct is butter and maggi, maybe some garlic, but I feel that’s more European than Asian.
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That broth look thick and delicious!
Nothing to add other than…
Hot damn that looks tasty!
I’m gonna need more broth for that.




