Welcome to ChefCallahan.com

Once you've tried this stock you'll be spoiled and not want to return to the store bought varieties!

Stocks are a key ingredient in many recipes. I always keep a good supply on hand either canned or frozen. In my professional kitchen I have my guys make large batches of both beef and chicken stock a couple of times each week. Notice that this recipe does not include salt. I prefer adjusting the seasoning in each recipe. This is the reason that I also only use unsalted butter.

One of the hardest parts of making stocks are keeping them clear. Boiling animal bones in water will cause the fat to emulsify, and dissolve into the water. While a small amount of this fat will rise to the top of the stock upon cooling, the vast majority of emulsified fat will stay dissolved in your stock, leaving it with a cloudy appearance and a higher fat content. If you never allow the stock to boil, but cook it at a gentle simmer, the fat will not emulsify, and your stock will remain clear.

Ingredients:

Bones and trimmings from 3 chickens, chopped into pieces
2 carrots peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch slices
2 onions,  quartered
3 celery stalks, trimmed, and rough chopped
4 leeks, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 bouquet garni
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
2 Gallons of water

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400f

• Place the bones and trimmings in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes
• Cover roasted bones with vegetables and return to the oven
• Roast for an additional 30 minutes
• Remove from the oven
• Put vegetables, bones and trimmings into a large stockpot
• Add the water.
• Add bouquet garni
• Skim fat from roasting pa
• Deglaze the roasting pan with white wine and add to stockpot
• Bring the stock up to nearly boiling and simmer
  (rapid boiling will produce a cloudy stock)
• Simmer the stock for 4-5 hours. (skim as necessary)
• Remove from the heat and strain through a china cap

• Large stockpot
• China cap strainer

Tips:

• Try not to add too much salt.  
• Stocks can be frozen for future use.  Try freezing in ice cube trays. Then transfer the cubes to a plastic freezer bag. That way you have perfectly measured, small amounts of stock for cooking.
• Refrigerate after cooling to safe temperature and you'll be able to skim off excess fat.

So, what happens if you get distracted, the phone rings, or you just forget, come back and find your stock pot is boiling and or cloudy? First off, don't despair, there is a remedy! Following this simple remedy you should be able to rescue your creation:

 

Step 1: If you have not already, strain your stock of all meat and vegetable particle, and return to a clean, cast-iron or enamel stock pot and start warming over low heat.

 

Step 2:  For every quart of chicken stock, lightly beat 2 large egg whites with 2 tablespoons water and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Crush the eggshells from each egg and add to the egg white/water mix.

 

Step 3:  Add the egg white mix to the stockpot. Raise heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

 

Step 4: Remove stockpot from heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. You should see coagulated egg white and noticeably clearer stock. The egg white may form a "raft" on top of the stock pot; this is fine.

 

Step 5:  Line the colander with several layers of dampened cheesecloth. Pour the stock very carefully through the cheesecloth. If an egg white raft has formed, try not to pour this into the colander, let it remain in the pot. If the raft has formed a solid mass over the top of the pot, make a small hole with a spoon and pour stock through the hole.

 

Step 6: Refrigerate the stock for 4 hours to overnight; skim any remaining fat off the top of the stock once completely cooled.