Every year I roast 18 kilograms (40 pounds) of turkey wings on baking sheets to make several quarts of rich stock that I stash away in the freezer. After an hour or more at a high temperature in the oven, the wings are deeply brown and there’s a beautiful combination of crispy bits and caramelized juices stuck on the sheet. So for the last 30 or so minutes of roasting, I pour enough water on the sheet to make a thin layer— maybe a scant .3 cm (1/8 inch). This water layer loosens the baked-on goodies so I can scrape them into a stock pot and do an easy clean-up. The same principle applies to roasting meaty bones for stock, roasting legs of lamb, prime rib, etc. any long-roasting project where juices drip down and bake on. You’ll want those profound flavor boosts in your soup or gravy.
