Stock/Broth?

[Sk8ermaiden]

I have never done this before! I have a chicken carcass with most dark meat still on, as well as giblets. I also have a bag in the freezer with huge uncooked bones from a beef roast along with some meat and a lot of fat.

What do I do with these?

[Rikki Jean]

There are some great threads in the TF sub-forum about this.

You'll obviously want to make the chicken broth and beef broth separately, but here are the basics: throw the bones/carcass/giblets/whathaveyou in the crockpot. You can add veggies if you want to, but it's not necessary (some people like the flavor with veggies, some do not). Cover everything with water. Add a few splashes of apple cider vinegar, and let sit for two hours. Put your crockpot on low, walk away for 24ish hours, and, voila! You have broth.

[Sk8ermaiden]

Thank you!

[velochic]

I would pick as much of the meat off of the bones as you possibly can. Then I would brown the bones in the oven. A couple of hours in a low oven. Browning the bones helps the flavor and also gives the stock a deeper color. I do my stock on the stove top, so I can be more exact with the heat. I use very chunky mirepoix - celery, onions, carrots along with a bay leaf, some peppercorns and salt then simmer (DO NOT BOIL) at a low temp for several hours. Strain and freeze.

[kjbrown92]

The 24 hours in the case of chicken and 48 hours in the case of beef is to get all the calcium and nutrients out of the bones. If you just want a flavor stock, then a few hours will do. I wouldn't put the gizzards in there. The meat that is left tends to get gray and dry, so take whatever meat you want off the bones before you simmer.

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

The 24 hours in the case of chicken and 48 hours in the case of beef is to get all the calcium and nutrients out of the bones. If you just want a flavor stock, then a few hours will do. I wouldn't put the gizzards in there. The meat that is left tends to get gray and dry, so take whatever meat you want off the bones before you simmer.

I didn't know beef broth had a longer cook time. Good to know! I'm assuming the same would go for bison or other red meats...? Any idea about lamb?

[JessicaS]

Make sure you take out the liver. The liver can make it bitter.

I make mine in the crock pot too. I use celery, carrots, onions I don't really chop them or if I do I leave them in large chunks, about 3-4 inches. I also use parsley, thyme, 3-4 cloves garlic (just smack with knife and toss in) and bay leaf.

I run my stock through a wire mesh strainer into a big pitcher. I stick the pitcher in the fridge overnight so the fat hardens on the top. I remove the fat and then freeze it in ice cube trays so I can use small amounts at a time or I use it.

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by abimommy

Make sure you take out the liver. The liver can make it bitter.

Really? I put liver in my broth and stock all of the time, and it never tastes bitter.