broth

[mom61508]

Is it better to make broth with the meat on or off?

I wanted to do it with the meat on but wasn't sure IF that's as good!

[Drummer's Wife]

I don't think it matters - it's personal preference.

Are you making chicken or beef stock?

I was doing the whole chicken, and pulling the meet off several hours into it - and it worked just fine, and was delicious. But, the last 3 times or so I have roasted the chicken in the oven first and used the carcass for broth (bonus in that I can toss it in a large ziplock and freeze until I'm ready to made broth).

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

I don't think it matters - it's personal preference.

Are you making chicken or beef stock?

I was doing the whole chicken, and pulling the meet off several hours into it - and it worked just fine, and was delicious. But, the last 3 times or so I have roasted the chicken in the oven first and used the carcass for broth (bonus in that I can toss it in a large ziplock and freeze until I'm ready to made broth).

chicken broth. I was wondering when I would have to pull the meat off. So you pull the meat off after 3 hours and let the bones simmer longer but how do youpull the meat off without burning your self?

[Daisie125]

I personally roast and refrigerate - easier to pull meat off when cold. Then I make broth with the bones.

[serenbat]

Don't just go by 3 hours, it will depend on what type of chicken you have, "stewing hens" may take longer. You can tell when you poke the chicken and it just lifts off the bone, ex. the legs.

I remove it in sections, since at this point it is "cooked" it breaks apart and is no longer a WHOLE chicken. I remove and let cool, up to about 20 minutes and use my hands, save the meat and throw back in what ever bone you have (the smaller ones at this point) and continue to cook the bones and what ever else you have put in the pot.

[onetrumpeter]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

But, the last 3 times or so I have roasted the chicken in the oven first and used the carcass for broth (bonus in that I can toss it in a large ziplock and freeze until I'm ready to made broth).

Originally Posted by Daisie125

I personally roast and refrigerate - easier to pull meat off when cold. Then I make broth with the bones.

So funny to hear people's experiences; I have recently been roasting then immediately putting the carcass into the stockpot to avoid dealing w/ putting it in the fridge. And I find it easier to remove the meat when the chicken is still warm. So funny.

Regardless, maybe it's because I'm still relatively inexperienced, I find prepping for making broth a LONG process. I'm sort of pumped about getting the feet/heads (posted about that recently) and having more bone-bang for my time! lol - does that make sense?

Anyway, I usually roast the chicken first, and take the majority of the meat off.

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by onetrumpeter

Anyway, I usually roast the chicken first, and take the majority of the meat off.

oh, yeah - that's what I meant We roast it to eat for dinner (I have bushes of rosemary in the front of the house that I add ) , then I throw the carcass (with bits of meet left here and there) into the freezer so I don't have to start the broth right then.

When I was using the whole chicken (well, body w/meat on) and making stock in the crock pot, I would pull the meat off several hours later (not 3, not sure how many, though). It practically falls off at that point -- it just tastes better to us, to roast it in the oven.

eta: and I'm pretty new at this, too.

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

oh, yeah - that's what I meant We roast it to eat for dinner (I have bushes of rosemary in the front of the house that I add ) , then I throw the carcass (with bits of meet left here and there) into the freezer so I don't have to start the broth right then.

When I was using the whole chicken (well, body w/meat on) and making stock in the crock pot, I would pull the meat off several hours later (not 3, not sure how many, though). It practically falls off at that point -- it just tastes better to us, to roast it in the oven.

eta: and I'm pretty new at this, too.

I feel like it sounds more complicated than it is

[mbravebird]

I find it infinitely easier to work broth into my week if I just focus on making some sort of chicken meal. I usually make chicken and rice. Then I keep the bones and freeze them until I am ready to make broth -- usually a few days later, but if it's an off week and I don't get to it, no worries.

I also buy chicken backs from my farmer, and chicken feet, and keep them in the freezer. Backs and feet make a good broth by themselves without the rest of the bird, and the backs give you a little bit of meat to throw back into whatever soup you're making.

When I am making broth, it doesn't take long. I chop up an onion and carrot, put in pot with the bones/backs/feet/whatever you have, fill with water and soak with some vinegar for a half hour, and then start cooking it. We have an electric stove so I just leave it on until it's convenient for me.

I do think it becomes more second nature the more you do it. Go, ladies, go!

[orangefoot]

If I am doing a roast chicken I pick the carcass clean-ish of meat once we have eaten most of it for dinner then I put the bones in the stockpot, cover with water add ends of veg and bring it all to the boil. Then I simmer it on very low until I go to bed which can be up to 8 hours or so depending on when I switched it on!

Last week ds2 was complaining about just having ham or cheese for his sandwiches so I cooked the whole chicken in the stock pot as normal but pulled it out after a couple of hours and pulled the meat off - WITH 2 FORKS not my hands. I put the carcass back in the stockpot and let it cook until I went to bed just as normal.

I put this picked off meat in a bowl in the fridge and it lasted a couple of days: ds2 had chicken sandwiches, we had chicken and pasta for lunch and dh at chunks of chicken on their own. It made a change to have chicken like this and I will do it again.

[mom61508]

So I made my broth buttttt I think I might have used to much water because it wasn't like jello???

I only used one chicken to and the bones are so small that I will have to do 2 chickens next time I think.

[ginnybee]

The longer you cook it, the more gelatin you'll have. It also helps if bones are cracked and you add a T of vinegar to the pot. NT suggests cutting the wings and neck into several pieces. We usually throw the whole chicken in, although I'm switching to more roasting ahead of time to get more bang for my buck. Afterwards we have much chicken salad, gumbo or enchiladas. I usually cook the broth for much more than 3 hours , more like 20 on very low. A friend uses a crock pot to make broth, which I haven't tried. Eat Fat Lose Fat mentions that you can use bones to make 2 pots of broth - so you could roast a chicken, make broth, pick off little bits of meat, and make broth again. I'm sure it wouldn't be as good the next time around but worth trying.