Make-a-da-Stock

I love days when I can stay home and cook something that simmers on the stove for hours or slow cooks in the oven until the whole house smells delicious and warm and cozy. Even when it’s still hot outside and fall seems too far away, this helps me feel like the summer-that-won’t-end might not make me lose my mind after all.

Today I decided to make both a beef bone broth and a chicken stock. I had frozen both some short rib bones from a recent grill out on the Big Green Egg and a chicken carcass from making a roast bird a few weeks before. In checking my produce drawer the carrots and celery were nearing the end of their usefulness, so stock time is definitely upon us!

Chicken Stock

• Chicken carcass, with some breast meat remaining, from a roast chicken or rotisserie chicken.
• 2 chicken thighs with bone – in and skin on
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 3 stalks of celery with leaves, cut into large pieces
• 2 onions, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 6 – 10 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
• handful of parsley or other fresh herbs
• bay leaves
• peppercorns – about 2 tablespoons
• whole coriander seeds – 1 tablespoon
• dried oregano
• oil
• salt and pepper
• water
• large stock pot

Heat a bit of oil in the stock pot over medium heat.

Add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides.

Add all the veggies to the pot and brown those up a bit, too.

Throw everything else into the pot and cover with water.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

At about 20 minutes in, remove the chicken thighs, let cool and then remove the meat.

Reserve meat and add the bones and skin back to the pot.

Simmer for at least 2 hours (3 is better).

Strain out the solids through a fine sieve or cheesecloth (or both). I usually strain twice.

Salt and pepper to taste.

The stock can be used right away to make a pot pie (coming soon to a blog near you), soup, chicken and dumplings or a million other things. If not using all of it right away, allow the stock to cool completely and then place into containers that can be frozen. This will keep forever in the freezer to use whenever you need stock.

Beef Bone Broth

• 2 lbs of short rib bones
• 3 lbs of left over short ribs with bones
• 2 onions
• half a head of garlic (unpeeled)
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 3 stalks of celery with leaves, cut into large pieces
• large handful of parsley or other fresh herbs
• 3 whole pods of star anise
• peppercorns (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 nutmeg pods
• bay leaves (3 or 4)
• splash of apple cider vinegar
• Large stock pot
• Sheet pan
• oil
• salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the short ribs and bones with the carrots, celery, onion and garlic on a sheet pan with a drizzle of oil and roast in the oven until the veggies start to get soft and the bones/ribs are dark.

Once roasted, dump the sheet pan contents into your stock pot, scrape all the brown bits from the pan into the stock pot as well. Add all of the other ingredients up to the apple cider vinegar and then cover with water.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer.

Bone broth should simmer for a minimum of 8 hours. Ideally you would go up to 24 hours, by removing from the stove before you go to bed, letting cool, refrigerating overnight and then returning to simmer the next day. (Do not leave your stove on overnight!)

After the broth has finished simmering (or you are done waiting and can’t take it anymore), strain (twice, same method as the chicken stock), season with salt and pepper and then enjoy.

I plan to use this in various ways, including to make a ragu for lasagna later this week (stay tuned), but it also can just be eaten with some good crusty bread and cheese. Please do yourself a favor and open a nice bottle of red wine with that.

“Laughter is brightest

in the place where the food is”

Irish Proverb