Yesterday I took a mental health day to regroup. I needed to chill since I have been running around like the proverbial headless chicken for weeks. First I missed work due to a nasty cold, then I got inundated with tasks when I returned. I needed a day to reflect and relax.
While I was taking stock and catching my breath, I decided to make stock. For quite some time I was in the habit of making my own chicken and beef stock, but I got lazy (I would say busy, but then again I'm always busy) and stopped for about a year, relying instead on canned broth. However, after reading Michael Ruhlman's impassioned pleas to either use homemade stock or just plain ol' water, and never to use canned stock with all of its tinny, chemical tastes, I decided he was right - homemade stock is miles beyond the canned stuff and I needed to make it again. A bag of chicken backs at the butcher's last week got me started, and now I'm on week two of stock making. Last week it was chicken and beef, this week just chicken.
The process for stock making could hardly be easier. I don't know why I stopped in the first place. If your grocery store doesn't cut its own chicken to have extra backs and necks, buy some wings, drumsticks or thighs on sale and use those. The extra meat in the thighs and drumsticks will add flavor, even if you will be spending more. But if you have a butcher or grocer who cuts up chicken, just ask them for the backs and necks. I get mine for 29 cents per pound, which actually makes it cheaper to make my stock than to buy the canned stuff. Beef
stock ends up being more expensive, but it is loads better.
I almost always make a brown stock, so named because the meat is roasted first to impart flavor and drive out impurities. The chicken pieces (which I probably should have cut up into smaller bits) went into the oven for about 40 minutes until they were golden brown. My cat kept watch at the oven to make sure the chicken didn't escape.
After roasting, I put the parts into a 12 quart stockpot and just barely covered them with water. Some people say they can't make stock because they don't have the equipment. This is utter nonsense. If you don't have a large stockpot, you can use a smaller pot with less meat, but the end result will be the same. It will be more effort per pint of stock, but not having a big pot shouldn't stop you. Also, you can pick up an inexpensive pot to use if you have space to store it. I think mine cost $25, and that included a colander and lid.
I put the pot on to a low simmer for about 3 hours. When I say low simmer, I'm talking 195 to 205 degrees. A bubble or two should emerge every few seconds, but the stock shouldn't boil. If it boils, the stock will still be usable but it will be cloudy. It's mostly an aesthetic thing, although some folks say the flavor is compromised too. I say if it boils a little, oh well. That happened to me last time because I didn't watch it when I was getting it up to temperature. This time, though, the stock stayed at the right temperature and the result is pure liquid gold.
After around 3 hours, I put in some aromatics to add flavor. I used parsley, thyme, onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Some people don't use garlic, some people add different herbs, and it's all good. The beauty of stock is that you can play with it, and you don't have to follow to hard and fast rules. I would usually use more onion, but that's all I had available so I didn't worry about it.
Another nice thing is that you don't have to finely chop anything or peel the vegetables. They do have to be cleaned, of course, but then a few chops and it's ready to go. I let the vegetables simmer for about an hour, then I strained the entire batch into a large bowl.
I remember the first time I made stock. I was intently reading the recipe and saw that it said to strain it, so I set the colander in the sink. I didn't notice that I was supposed to strain it into a bowl, so I poured it all down the drain. Aarrrggghhhh! What a disappointment (not to mention an embarrassment).
Once you are finished with the stock, you need to cool it rather quickly to avoid any nasties growing in it. I have a method that has it ready for the fridge in 15 minutes. I use a thin stainless bowl that easily conducts the heat. The bowl is placed into the sink which has several inches of ice water in it. Finally, and I believe most importantly, I put two frozen bottles of water in the stock and stir those around. It's hard to tell from the photo, but I am an equal opportunity bottle freezer. One of those was Pepsi, the other Coke. Any plastic bottle will do. I've cleaned and reused those bottles for about three years.
The stock came down from about 195 degrees to 65 degrees in 12 minutes. How's that for quick cooling?
After the stock chills and the fat congeals at the top, ready to be skimmed (and used to fry potatoes!), the stock is ready for soup. I can also reduce this stock (by cooking it until much of the water evaporates) and use it in sauce making. You'll notice I didn't add any salt, so that I can reduce this stock down to gelatinous goo without it becoming salty.
However, since I don't make a lot of sauces, I usually just freeze the stock as is in freezer bags to use in soups. And boy, does it make a difference there. I made French Onion Soup with the beef broth I made last week, and it was just divine.
