Monday, December 20, 2010

Beef Jello

You know your stock is good when it turns to gelatin in the fridge.  Here, I'm spooning out borsch to reheat:  it stays in a lump on the spoon.



Broth is made with meat only, whereas stock includes the bones.  And long, slow cooking with a little vinegar ensures that all the good stuff is extracted from the bones.  My Amish butcher told me they simmer their beef stock for days and when it's done, the dogs aren't even interested in the scraps and bones.  Here's a short article that explains why homemade stock is so good and so different from commercial junk.

I encourage you to make stock:  it's thrifty, nutritious, and simple to do.  And really delicious.

1.  get chicken backs/wings/necks or beef bones
2.  roast them for an hour or so at low heat (this gives better color and flavor, but you can skip this step)
3.  put the bones in a pot with water to cover, a few unskinned onions and some other savory vegetables; a few peppercorns, some salt, and about 1/4 c. vinegar for a big stock pot
4.  simmer for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days
5.  strain, skim the fat if you wish, and package in several sizes;  refrigerate for up to a week or freeze it

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for the article link; I can't wait to read it. I regularly make stock. As I was skimming a pot last week my husband said, "isn't this a lot of work for a little savings?" I say the work is little and the savings are second to the goodness, plus I love having it on hand because it's free!

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  2. As per your instructions, dear, I have my roast chicken leavings stewing away in my crockpot.

    The time bake didn't come on for yesterday's chicken. I came home to a raw bird sulking in the cold oven. Oh, well. Sunday afternoon's recreational cooking was roasting a chicken and making gravy. We'll call it working ahead for the week's lunches.

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  3. We've made turkey stock and pressure canned it in pints for use later this winter. I also made beef stock this past summer. It's great stuff to have on hand! We sent some to a sick neighbor a couple weeks ago : ) I love that it jiggles - I tell the boys "Look! See, that's because we got all the goodness out of the bones!" My Babe is a little weirded out by it though ; )

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  4. Your post is a sign from the Universe that I need to get down to business and make my own stock. My mother has been telling me for MONTHS to do it, but I've been ignoring her. I can't ignore you, however. Message received!

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  5. I've made stock occasionally, but sadly not as often as I should. Thanks for the encouragement to get back to it.
    Gina

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