Any tips on making stock?

Any tips on making stock?
I tried it for the first time today, bought some rotisserie chicken yesterday and saved the bones in the fridge until I finished most of it. I also added some bones from beef ribs I made awhile ago.

Although it smelled rich, I didn't taste much flavor. It was rather simple, like a tea made from bones if that makes sense. Added a teaspoon of pepper, a bay-leaf, a full onion chopped in half, and some carrots along with all the leftover bones I stored recently. I rinsed the bones before putting them in the pot.

So from what I read I'm supposed to use it as a base for whatever I cook and it will enhance the flavor a lot?
I'm planning on making pot roast next week and plan on using the stock. From people with experience, how would you compare the flavor from using stock and broth on meat

How long did you simmer? It will come to life after you add salt. Sometimes I'll add bouillon if I'm making chicken noodle soup for more intensity.

Consider adding another bay leaf, a jalapeno, pepper flakes, garlic (a lot), and any other aromatics like parsley stems/rosemary/thyme. I've heard of people cracking the bones or even pulverizing them in a food processor, but mostly just to have the stock finish sooner. I don't fuck with that though, doesn't seem necessary.

Otherwise, yeah, meat tea sounds about right. Everything you use real stock with tastes better, including pasta sauce, soups, etc. I'm sure the roast won't be an exception. Once I started making my own stock I never ever stopped. I always keep some frozen. Making fresh soup out of random leftover vegetables is the best.

A stock is not a broth. That's your answer.

I let it simmer for 4 hours. I liked the way it looked and smelled by the end. I need to add pepper flakes on my list next time I go out to buy food, it was in almost every video I saw. Same with rosemary. Thanks for the ingredient tips.

Yeah I know that, basically stock comes from bones, broth comes from meat. But what I'm asking is if they are both equally usually used as bases for cooking. Like, in what situations would I rather use stock over broth and vice-versa?

Stock is unsalted vegetable/meat tea. Broth is basically salted reduced stock ready to eat. They are not necessarily interchangeable. Stock is used when liquid is needed. For example deglazing to make a sauce. Making soup, stock is a better choice than water. Roux based sauces, curry, veloute and the like.

Broth is generally made from stock and other stuff. Start with stock and reduce or add other ingredients to make it a soup.

It's generally recommended not to salt your stocks as this will affect the saltiness of whatever you're using it for. Broth on the other hand is a finished product and can be seasoned as you like.

Even cup noodles will benefit from using stock instead of water.

Stock jellies, broth doesn't. That's the only difference. Add spices and veggies to add more character to your stock. You can add it to everything and anything (mostly).
I like bay leaf, coriander, cumin, lemon peel, paprika, juniper, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Veggies can be whatever you have on hand, or the usual carrots, onion, celery.

>Stock is unsalted vegetable/meat tea. Broth is basically salted reduced stock ready to eat
What the fuck this is completely wrong

I second your opinion user

I would suggest adding celery, some peppercorns (provided you have a pentola w/ a strainer), maybe a bouillon cube, and any of the solidified juices if there were any in the package with the chicken (Costco chickens normally have this but idk about other places)

has the right idea

why would you add boullion to a stock/broth? that completely defeats the purpose of making your own stock/broth... come on man stop buying into knorr stock pots.

>hey guys, I made chicken stock
Cool. How'd you make it?
>oh you know, chicken bones, vegetables, spices, and chicken bouillon.

-_-

I use my stock every time i saute veggies, I add it right before they are done and I let it evaporate off until there's pretty much nothing left. Just that adds some flavor to the veggies delicious. bone apple tea

Yeah, it's a pretty straightforward process, but OP forgot celery and that's pretty important, in my experience

add celery salt, problem solved

I don't think anybody addressed the last question though. I wouldn't make pot roast with chicken stock. I normally go for a stout or a cheap wine (like a Kendall Jackson Cab), garlic, onion powder, oregano, etc. and just make sure to season and brown (salt, pepper, oregano) the meat before I put it in the slow cooker.

Intended that to specifically be for seasoning for soups. I never salt/season the stock until I decide what I'm doing with it.

No, you dont add chcicken bouillon to chicken stock! It defeats the purpose. That's like making homemade mayonnaise, but adding a cup of store bought mayo for good measure.

>bouillon cube
isn't that a stock cube? doesn't that defeat the purpose of making stock?

how do slow cookers compare to dutch ovens? Just in the time it take for something to cook? I have a slow cooker but I have been thinking of getting a dutch oven

A dutch oven can start on a burner (so you can brown meats in it and deglaze if you want) and finish in the stove, and I don't think you can reduce liquids well in a slow cooker.

I know that Fred Meyer has a 50% off sale for Lodge dutch ovens (ends on 9/10/17) if you have one of those stores in your area

one thing too is that the longer you cook the chicken the more it breaks down. those bits at the ends of drumsticks, the bones themselves, they'll release uh i think its gelatin. this will thicken your stock and give you more fat and flavor. also you may want to use more than one chicken carcass. i make big pots of it though myself

Roast everything until charred, simmer and simmer and simmer. It won't taste like anything until you salt it, but don't salt the whole fucking thing or it will be too salty when reduced. Only salt the finished product. For example if you're making a gravy with your stock, then roux + stock + reduce to desired consistency THEN salt. if you're making a demi-glace, reduce to desired consistency THEN salt, if you're making a soup, finish the whole fucking soup THEN salt. You get the idea.

>Although it smelled rich, I didn't taste much flavor. It was rather simple, like a tea made from bones if that makes sense.
If you want to try the "end result" taste, put like two or three grains of fine salt in a spoon and pick up a spoonful.

A sneaky little trick to creating stock I learned from my grandpa (he was a chef in ye olden tyme) was to first throw pic related in the microwave for 2 minutes, then throw out the macaroni and VOILA. A perfect, creamy base stock for almost any creation you make.

...

Get decent instant stock. It's not fucking worth it.

Although i support trying things out once only to realize it's too much effort or simply not applicable at personal level

If you want to check how good your stock is coming along, get a ladle and pour a full one into a small bowl and salt it lightly, then sip. Stock itself will have aromatics but not much in the way of predominant flavor due to not being seasoned with salt. The flavors won't really come alive until it's added.

>broth: under 12 hours and cloudy
>stock: over 12 hours and clear

You also need to reduce it quite a bit.

The most I do is crack the bones once. I'm actually looking to upgrade to a 100qt stock pot now.

>stock: over 12 hours and clear

damn, should it really take that long? you using a slow cooker

Ok, so never salt the stock when preparing it because most of the last will be left over after the evaporation process and it'll be to salty, got it. Always do it after your done until you have the flavor you want.

salt*

Shouldn't lemon be added only at the end?

OP why is your stock liquid? reduce it down to a jelly and freeze it. also one chicken may not be enough for chicken stock, and double also you shouldn't mix beef and chicken bones for the same stock wtf are you doing

>you shouldn't mix beef and chicken bones for the same stock wtf are you doing


It's all bone and I felt that I had too little chicken bone at the time. Is it really blasphemous? it's all about the bone breaking down that's going to be strained in the end anyways. My only goal was making a stock to use as a base ingredient and make things tastier so I didn't see it like a big deal.

For the future I guess I should aim for specific flavors by only focusing on one type of animal bone.

I'll try to reduce it more to a jelly substance next time I make it.

Acid components can be added at any time. You won't get the brightness at you would when you add it at the end of the dish which is what's typical, but throwing it in at the start just cooks in some subtle lemon flavor which will affect how the palette will perceive it. Add at the end, you get the flavor up front. Add at the start, you'll get flavor on the back.

This is the correct response. Broth is not really that different from stock, put water back into stock and you have "broth". Myself I roast till charred any bones then simmer six hours, there are fairly easy to follow recipes if you want to know proportions ahead of time, you can adapt David Chang's chicken stock recipe to beef if you like. I usually reduce to the same level he calls for, which means very concentrated and fatty, then I freeze into ice cube trays then throw into a bag (this is another reason why you do not salt, it will not freeze if you salt).

For meat, like I'm Chang's recipe, a good browning on all sides helps, but I'll add that you want to boil the meat for ~20 mins first alone, skimming the scum off the top the whole while. Then add your garlic and onions, carrots etc. I'm not a fan of too much herbs as they can get bitter with hours of simmering, but I also prefer fresh herbs with my soups and such, YMMV.

Stock is actually a legit food on its own, four good size frozen cubes of stock in a coffee mug, fill with water, nuke for three minutes then salt to taste, this is a legitimate meal any time of day.

You're an idiot. I get chicken carcass (leftover from cutting away breast meat) for $1 a pound, similar for beef bones, I can make soup, sauce, gravy, anything really easy, one day of cooking makes for two gallon bags of frozen cubes to work with. Can even use a programmable Crock-Pot to make it so will cook while you are away.

You are literally a retard who would probably advocate buying diabetes level instant ramen because it's "economical". Stock can feed you like a real human being for 30 cents per meal.

A whole lemon should never be added to a stock as the rind (white part) will make the entire stock bitter, with a tannic after taste.
You only add the peel.
I've made this mistake once. Only once.

That's the way it should be. The aroma and the texture is what you should judge it by, the flavor will be comparatively weak until it cooks down a bit and gets some seasoning.

General rules for stock:
>5 parts bones to 1 part mirepoix
>the less time you'll be cooking your stock for, the smaller your mirepoix should be cut. General guideline is fish stocks 45min-1 hour, chicken stock 4 hours, beef/veal stock 8 hours.
>add aromatics (garlic, thyme, parsley stems, peppercorns)
>add just enough water to fully cover the bones
>heat slowly and maintain a very low simmer, start timing onluly when simmer is reached
>often during the initial heating and occasionally during the simmer, use a ladle to skim off the fat and any scum or foam that rises to the top. This will ensure better flavor and color and clearer stock.
>strain and ice down quickly

If you want a stock with richer flavor and darker color, roast your bones and mirepoix first. For a brown chicken stock or say squab stock or rabbit stock, just roadt until they're golden brown. For beef/veal stock or venison stock or similar you want a very deep brown, but no black. Go as far as you can but stop before anything starts to actually burn. Don't forget to deglaze your roasting pan with something afterwards.

Where you buy these?

probably talk to a butcher at a supermarket, or just buy the chicken in wholes and keep the leftovers after you cut all the pieces you want to cook

Try not to use bones from meat that's already cooked if you can. Actual meat scraps like skin, chicken wing tips etc. will give a stock that Good Fat. Stores in my area usually have leftover bones labelled as soup bones too. Don't be afraid of weird shit like chicken feet or cow heel they make very tasty stock :))