Let's Talk Homade Stock

[Anonymous]

Skin has more flavor (and nutritional value) than meat, but neither of them are nearly as important to the stock as the bones. I think it is ok to remove it to cut down on greasiness, especially if you need to use the stock immediately. If you are chilling and skimming the stock, I would leave the skin in since the fat will be easy to remove later (in fact, I find the more fat there is at the start, the easier it is to remove at the end).

[Anonymous]

I have made stock from both roasted bones and fresh backs and necks. I prefer the flavor from fresh but I make both because wasting the bones from a roasted chicken seems wasteful.

[Anonymous]

In culinary school and professional service we used mostly necks and backs, but since I don't have a consistent source of those for home use I usually use the leftovers from a roasted chicken (the supermarket rotisseries are fine).

I use 1 part onion to 1/3 part celery and 1/3 part carrots. I make a little bundle (a bouquet garni or bg) of bay leaf, fresh thyme, parsley stems and a few peppercorns wrapped up and tied in cheesecloth. Since the bg is removable you can taste the stock and when it has the appropriate amount of seasoning you can remove the herbs, even if the stock is still simmering.

I simmer the stock for 3-4 hours; much longer than that and bitterness can leach out of the bones. I strain through a chinois and that's about it. I skim off the fat as it's simmering, but leaving it and removing it after it solidifies in the refrigerator is just as good.

[Anonymous]

I follow pretty much exatly the same recipe, except I omit the herbs because I would prefer to select them based on the finished dish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In culinary school and professional service we used mostly necks and backs, but since I don't have a consistent source of those for home use I usually use the leftovers from a roasted chicken (the supermarket rotisseries are fine).

I use 1 part onion to 1/3 part celery and 1/3 part carrots. I make a little bundle (a bouquet garni or bg) of bay leaf, fresh thyme, parsley stems and a few peppercorns wrapped up and tied in cheesecloth. Since the bg is removable you can taste the stock and when it has the appropriate amount of seasoning you can remove the herbs, even if the stock is still simmering.

I simmer the stock for 3-4 hours; much longer than that and bitterness can leach out of the bones. I strain through a chinois and that's about it. I skim off the fat as it's simmering, but leaving it and removing it after it solidifies in the refrigerator is just as good.

Well, I consider a short simmer of 3-4hrs being perfect for a stock.

However, if a broth is what you are after, that cools to a stiff gelatin and all the health benefits that come along with that, then a bare minimum of 8hrs is what is needed, ideally 24hrs with a reduction.

The key to the broth not souring is to NEVER bring it to a boil, just a slight bubble here and there, plus the critical step of skimming it frequently the first two hours. After following these important steps and filtering the broth through a tight cheesecloth (tight enough that the fat struggles to get through), my broth turns out crystal clear...of course I do an egg white raft as a final step, because I like my broth with absolutely no cloud.

[Anonymous]

As for the necks and backs from the butcher. They might charge you (or not if you are friends) - these parts are often discarded.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I went with leg quarters and picked up some chicken feet from the Korean grocery. Turned out decent.

However, next weekend I'm driving down to my farmer and picking up a dozen stewing hens. Can't beat those tough old birds.

[Anonymous]

I like to parboil the chicken to reduce skimming - I throw the chicken in boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes. Then I drain the pot and rinse the chicken, and I start over with a gentle simmer in fresh water with water ever herbs/ ingredients I have saved in the freezer. I find this results in a very clear broth. I usually use family sized trays of leg quarters because these are the cheapest chicken parts I can usually find and because I want the gelatin from the big bones.

Sometimes, instead of parboiling, I will put the chick in the oven and roast at high heat for about 20 minutes to darken up the skin, while the inside is still raw.

To the OP, I don't find that the older chickens produce better broth. I do find that more naturally raised chickens taste more like "chicken".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Use the bones of a roasted bird. I always get a much thicker stock if I used already-cooked bones. (Obvs., you have to buy the whole bird; I use supermarket rotisserie chickens and keep the bones in a bag until I have enough for a stock.)

This is exactly what I do. The bones are a mix of chickens I've roasted and rotisserie chickens we've bought for a quick dinner. I keep a gallon bag in the freezer and while its full I make the stock. I am surprised so many people on here are using chicken meat in their stock. Seems like a waste of meat and money.

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