–Jarhead Survivor
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Stocks and Broths – just because you’re eating canned/dehydrated/freeze dried food, doesn’t mean it has to suck!
4lbs- Chicken carcasses (For stock- use bones only) (For broth- use meat, skin in domesticated poultry broth, and any connective tissues- Connective tissue will turn into gelatin, will explain why that’s good further down
1 bay leaf, 5 parsley stems, 1 ½ tsp peppercorns, 1 strip lemon zest (approximately 1”x2-3”), 2 rosemary stems, 2 garlic cloves- peeled
1 lb onion, ½” dice (avoid “sweet” onions, yellow, white and Spanish work best)
2 gallons water
½ lb celery, ½” dice
2 tbsp fat, oil/lard/butter- whatever you have will work
½ lb leeks, ½” dice (if you don’t have leeks use half the amount of onion)
10 comments
Very cool. Thanks for all the info!
To answer your question, I’ve never made stock or used it. My wife bought some one time and used it for something then it was never used again. We threw it out.
I’ve been looking for ways to stretch my protein sources (using the entire chicken for example, not just eating the meat) and it looks like you have me started in the right direction. I also never considered canning it, that’s a pretty powerful option.
Here is a simple idea that you can use today if you haven’t made stock before. Buy one of those precooked chickens you see in the grocery stores for dinner. with just two of us I can get three meals out of one chicken and have some stock left over. I cut the legs and thighs for our meal then I cut the breasts for another meal. Then I strip it of all other meat and put this in a baggy for a soup. Then take the carcase left over including skin and bits and pieces and put them into a pot with two quarts of water. Bring to a boil and set to a simmer for 2-3 hours. Strain out the broth and put into the firdge ofr another meal. I get three chicken meals for two of us from one $4.99 chicken already cooked for me plus some broth for a forth meal. When I make chicken soup I usually only use about a 1-1 1/2 cup of broth and add about the same amount of water. The broth is rich and can easily be thinned when you use it. Let your own taste decide this. For those of you who do not want to put the backbone into the stock pot just use your kitchen shears to snip it out. If you have never done this before let me tell you when the chicken is uncooked it takes more pressure to shear through the bones/ribs but the cut is pretty clean. When you cut the cooked chicken the bones are more brittle so protect your eyes by placing your hand or dishtowel over it when you shear through it.
Prepared N.D.- The canning idea definitely works best when you reduce the stock to a Glace, but it will work for regular stock. I keep both on my shelves.
GoneWithTheWind- I thought I left it in, but must have taken it out when editing, sorry… The spinal cord/skull in a stock is only really an issue when you are using bones from quadrupeds such as beef, deer and animals like them. It’s best to avoid using those parts due to issues such as CWD (mentioned above, typically found in deer/elk) and “mad cow” disease. Chiscken, turkey and other poultry should not be an issue. Remember whenever harvesting any type of animal, if it acts differently than normal or has any unusual characteristics its best not to eat them.
Also, again I must have mistakenly taken it out when editing; Stock can be used to re-hydrate freeze-dried and dehydrated foods. It will help to add flavor to more bland dishes and deepen the flavors in others.
Great ideas. I was planning, when I raise chickens again. To use their parts for stock. This included the spine. I was also thinking of using the wong tips as well to make broth, after I cut off the winglets to use for BBQ wings.
If I’m not mistaken, you can use all parts of a rabbit as the same as poultry. So the spine and skull therein is also safe, but I definitely agree that any hoofed animal should not gave their spine/skull used for food. Perhaps they canbe used for bonemeal for a soil amendment instead?
You are correct, the biggest concern is in large hoofed animals, though it is probably a good idea to not use animals that may have “scavenged” large hoofed animals. Therefore most smaller animals like rabbit should be fine. You can use every part of the chicken for stock, except organs and feathers, I know a few people who use chicken feet they buy from the Asian market they work great and add a lot of collagen.
I usually make stock with chicken or turkey bones. A couple of weeks ago I made pork stock, and it turned out well: lots of garlic, onion and some bay leaves. I use it to make flavored rice, also as a soup base. Although I have never heard of using unflavored gelatine for stock before-this I have to try!! Thanks for sharing your secret recipe.
The last stock I made was lamb dark stock it made some great “Sheppard’s pie”, I have made pork stock it’s almost as versatile as a chicken stock. As mentioned the gelatin really only adds some textural components and helps to make all of your taste buds “pick up” the flavors. Your welcome, and thanks for reading/replying.
Thanks, ChefBear, for your great stock & broth recipes. Can’t wait to try your method of sauteing the veggies first and cooking them with the bones. I think your stock will taste so much better than mine…I go the lazy route and just throw the bones in, then add the veggies after the broth is strained and bones removed.
GoneWithTheWind…you might want to try roasting the chicken yourself. (Although those storeboughts sure are mighty easy). The reason I say this is, save the drippings (the jelly and the fat). I usually throw this into the pot when I’m making up my soup….makes the broth very rich and tasty. I usually end up scooping out most of the fat, though. Just a thought. Hmmm…getting hungry for another chicken LOL. Something I also do is use most of one breast and make up some enchiladas. Usually makes 8 enchiladas with enough left over filling for one BIG burrito. Depending on how much meat is actually used, I might add a can of corn plus some black beans. Mmmm…very tasty. Am just thinking here, but if you’re eating your dehydrated food stores, you could probably use some of the broth from the soup to rehydrate the corn and soak the beans. OK, I’m officially hungry now…..
LindaG- The liquid that comes in the bottom of the rotisserie chickens you buy from the store does contain some gelatin, but as you stated it is mostly fat. It is a good little addition to the stock/broth, but again as you mentioned should be separated from the finished product. An easy way to do this is to chill the stock, the fat will solidify when it is cold enough and make it very easy to remove. This fat can be saved and used to cook with in a situation where the calories ingested really count.
One important thing to note when using stock to rehydrate foods, is that especially for vegetables, using stock will “open it up” for food borne pathogens that they would not typically be subject to. Therefore it is best to rehydrate only what you will be using within a day or so. In everyday life where access to refrigeration is not an issue, re-hydrated foods can be kept up to 7 days (according to the VA dept. of Health).
Thank you all for the responses! I was kind of expecting folks to read and not respond, or just pass this subject by. I hope my post has “sparked” some ideas for your kitchens, and I hope that these ideas will help you all in situations that will certainly happen in the future.
Also, your responses have “sparked” my imagination and I am considering an attempt at squirrel/rabbit stock! Depending on the luck I have hunting in the next few weeks. If I get enough carcasses I will attempt it and will post a reply with my results.
Jarhead & Ranger Man, Thank you again for allowing me to share a little of my knowledge on your blog!