Need help making stock

Thatgrimguy

I'm wanting to make more homemade stocks and have been overthinking it as I like to do.... In the past I just threw some stuff into a pot and boiled it and sometimes it's good and sometimes it's kind of off (usually too much celery)

So... I have a few questions for you more classically trained cooks. 

Is there a ratio for carcass-feet-vegetable-water?

When do I know that I've reduced it "enough" is it just a taste thing?

Anyone have a recipe or tried and true method or just some great tips. I'm all ears! 

Langner91

My tips / tricks:

1.  Make sure bones / meat / veggies are "roasted" or cooked prior to putting in the stock pot.  I supplement with some cheap cuts of extra meat if I don't have enough actual meat.
2.  Save all the "bits" from the original roasting / cooking.  Scrap the pans, get all the brown stuff you can, even if it means reheating your cooking vessels and deglazing them with hot water.
3.  I keep the temperature just below boiling 190°-200°F for as long as I can stand it.  8 hours is my usual target.
4.  Skim the scum

The raw soup bones, some cheap stew meat, onions and carrots:


Roasted.  Save all that brown stuff on the tray!


All in the pot, carefully monitoring temperature:



Nothing better!  I used most of that stock for French Onion Soup, but it also made great beef and noodles!

lkapigian

I do beef and pork stocks ( not combined ) I only use onion salt pepper corn and bay leaf …tons of marrow bones , anything with connective tissues, not so concerned with the amount of meat on the bones , just a bit is fine 

I quick boil then rinse scum , then add seasoning and bring to a simmer , just barely a bubble, minimum 12 hours , strain …that’s it, pretty consistent…my pork stock gets used for Posole ( great for ramen ) beef for chili , French onion soup, endless uses 

should set up very solid 

billyray

Here's a recipe for roasted chicken stock from Chef Jean Pierre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlDR761JSX8&list=PLnujfCpADfgdD1f1nGeAW4nhG2nejyGpO&index=7

MasterC

Ratios in baking are critical but not so much in stocks, which may very from cook to cook. The most basic is bones 50%, mirepoix 10%, water 100%.
Mirepoix is 8oz onion, 4oz celery, 4oz carrots.

 During stock and sauce 101, we used these ratios for 1 gallon
White or brown stock
Bones                5 to 6lbs
Mirepoix.           1lb
Water.                6 qt
Sachet.              1

Fish stock
Bones.               4 to 6lbs
Mirepoix.           8oz
Water.                1 ga
White wine.       8oz
Sachet.              1

Seasonings  and spices only lightly so not to dominate or have a pronounced flavor, accomplish this with your finished sauce. I never use salt in my stocks, it might become to concentrated. Again this is my opinion, some think it adds in extracting flavor. 
This is where the Sachet plays a roll. This is a cheese cloth pouch filled with herbs that can be tied to the stockpot handle during the simmer.
Simple Sachet 
1. Bay leaf
4  Sprigs of Thyme 
1/4 tsp of pepper corns
2 whole clove
6 parsley stem

Mirepoix in the south omits celery, replacing it with green pepper and refers to it as the holy trinity 

Thatgrimguy

@MasterC that's extremely helpful! Thank you so much!

danhoo

I'm not classically trained, but Don't boil the stock.

If you boil it it will be cloudy and not as good.

MasterC

My Grandparents and thier generation simmered their stocks for hours upon hours thinking that's the way you needed to get all the goodness. That's not necessarily true, it does get a little more gelatin but gelatin isn't the only factor in a good stock. Flavors can break down and degenerate after a period of time. 
You can achieve great stock with plenty of gelatin with these times.

Beef and veal bones.   6 to 8 hours
Chicken bones.             3 to 4 hours
Fish bones.                    30 to 45 minutes 

Temperature is a major player in a good stock. Like danhoo said do not boil, you want a low simmer. 

Also by adding acid by smearing tomato paste on your beef bones and roasting in the oven prior to placing in the stock pot extract more flavor.
Roasting Chicken bones will discolor your white 

fishlessman

high simmer for beef stock if using in a stew or french onion, low simmer for a clear stock for something like pho. im ok with cloudy in some dishes.

nolaegghead

lkapigian said:

I do beef and pork stocks ( not combined ) I only use onion salt pepper corn and bay leaf …tons of marrow bones , anything with connective tissues, not so concerned with the amount of meat on the bones , just a bit is fine 

I quick boil then rinse scum , then add seasoning and bring to a simmer , just barely a bubble, minimum 12 hours , strain …that’s it, pretty consistent…my pork stock gets used for Posole ( great for ramen ) beef for chili , French onion soup, endless uses 

should set up very solid 

I do similar for bone broth.  Don’t roast the bones.  Add cold water to bones, bring to a boil.  Pull right when it starts boiling, dump the water and rinse down the bones.  Add water to bones a second time and simmer for 3-4 hours.  Skim any scum off top.  Bones give everything up after 3 or 4 hours, pointless to go longer.  Strain and filter broth.

This is geared for very clear broth suitable for Pho or anything needing beef stock.  With Pho there are some additional ingredients, but for other uses you don’t need anything, but stocks are a great time to clean out the produce drawers in your fridge 

Thatgrimguy

Ok on this one the end goal is gumbo, I pulled the bulk of the meat off the chicken. Should I boil the skin or discard?  

Should I roast the chicken feet?

caliking

I say yes, and yes.  Both have a good bit of collagen, which is what makes stock yummy. 

Ozzie_Isaac

caliking said:

I say yes, and yes.  Both have a good bit of collagen, which is what makes stock yummy. 

Disagree!!  Use the feet for tacos, they shouldn't just be relegated to stock.

Botch

For you guys who've used cheekunfeetz for stock, do you clip off the "toenails"?  I haven't, but have seen some things on the web saying I should.  

caliking

Ozzie_Isaac said:

caliking said:

I say yes, and yes.  Both have a good bit of collagen, which is what makes stock yummy. 

Disagree!!  Use the feet for tacos, they shouldn't just be relegated to stock.

First time I've heard of this. Need to check it out!

Ozzie_Isaac

caliking said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

caliking said:

I say yes, and yes.  Both have a good bit of collagen, which is what makes stock yummy. 

Disagree!!  Use the feet for tacos, they shouldn't just be relegated to stock.

First time I've heard of this. Need to check it out!

Chicken feet and chicken head meat are both very tasty.  Feet have a lot of collagen too, so it will help you keep your youthful look.

dbCooper

Had chicken feet at a Dim Sum place years back.  They were tasty for sure.  Downside was hardy any meat on them.  Many we got ones that were anorexic or something.

Langner91

Boiled geese feet are where it is at!  A lot more meet than chicken feet and nothing beats sucking the webbing out from between their toes!

I do not miss business meals in China.

buzd504

MasterC said:

Mirepoix in the south omits celery, replacing it with green pepper and refers to it as the holy trinity 

Holy trinity replaces the carrots, not the celery, but we don't always do it.

fishlessman

cant say ive even ever picked up a package of chicken feet, do they price them out like beef marrow bone gold. must be the pho rage that raised marrow bones from 2 bucks a pound to 8 bucks in the last couple of years.....they used to pretty much just give them away

xfire_ATX

I generally roast a chicken once a month.  Eat half then, debone the remainder and put in the instant pot with onions and carrots for 30 min pressure and 30 wind down.

That smoked stock makes great gumbos and soups.

MasterC

buzd504 said:

MasterC said:

Mirepoix in the south omits celery, replacing it with green pepper and refers to it as the holy trinity 

Holy trinity replaces the carrots, not the celery, but we don't always do it.

My bad

Thatgrimguy

Got 7 quarts of this. I used beef and chicken and roasted all my stuff. I need a chinois, my strainer wasn’t as fine as I would like.

Reducing the rest to Demi glacé