Stocking up on Stock

This winter has been a quiet one and I have spent some of my days off making batches of stock for my freezer.  I had a few chicken carcasses and a bag of pork bones from a while back that have been in my freezer long enough.  When I have the time I take out a bag or two and throw them in my stock pot and cover the bones with water.  If the bones had not been already cooked, I would roast them in the oven for a while to help release their savory flavor.  I add a couple of chopped up onions, carrots and celery to the pot to add flavor and color to the rich liquid as it simmers.  I also add a couple of cloves of garlic and a few bay leaves to enrich the stock.

Once everything goes into the pot, it is put on the stove to simmer for hours.  Every so often I would stir everything up and add a little water to it so it didn't cook down too far.  Stock can be ready to use after just a few hours of cooking, but I like to let mine cook all day to really loosen up all the nutrients locked away in the bones.  I even add a splash of apple cider vinegar to my stock to further demineralize the bones.  

When I feel the stock has cooked long enough, I strain the whole pot to remove all the bones and vegetable scraps.  If the bones had some meat on them, I would go through and pick off as much of the useable pieces as I could.  I generally find enough to be able to add it to another meal like a pot of soup or a chicken salad sandwich.  The liquid will go into the fridge overnight to cool down. This usually helps the fats to congeal on the top of the pot where I can easily skim them off.  After removing as much of the fat as possible, the stock will go back on the stove to cook for a few more hours to concentrate it a bit.  

A batch of stock generally yields around a gallon for me, give or take a few cups.  How much I make really depends on what I am using to make the stock.  For chicken stock I like to wait until I have two or three carcasses to fill the pot with.  More bones make for stronger flavor.  The pork bones were big enough that I just put all that would fit into the pot.  The result is a rich golden broth that I can use in my home cooked meals.  I usually freeze my stock in two cup batches to make it easy to use when I need it for a quick meal.  I have also canned quarts of stock in the past, but pressure canning is time consuming, so I usually stick to simply freezing it for long term storage.  

I use my stock in many things from cooking rice to making soup.  I have used it to make brine for the thanksgiving turkey and as the liquid when I make a crock pot meal.  It adds flavor and nutrition to everything I use it in and I have even drank it straight when I wasn't feeling well.  It is a very versatile ingredient in any kitchen and it is always nice to have some on hand when you want to make something rich and tasty.