Ingredients

10 lbs Chicken Bones

10 lbs Chicken Feet

3 lbs onions

1.5 lbs Celery

1.5 Carrots

Let’s talk stock. Not what you buy at the grocery store, like the real deal made from bones and veggies, cooked for at least 24 hours, delicious, rich, golden goodness. Stock makes the difference.  Soups, sauces, braises and simple sauteed items get to a whole other level of flavor when you have the real deal on hand.  When you have properly made stock it contains the natural gelatin and collagen from the bones, all the flavor of your veg, and no salt.  No Salt! Generally yes, the rule of thumb is to season as you go. Not in this case. Trust me. Stock should never be salted because it is an ingredient in so many other recipies you dont want to end up with a finished product that is over salted.

The typical home sized large pot (8-12 quarts) is typically not big enough for a batch of stock. For the batch here, we suggest at least a 24qt pot (we usually do 80qts at a time because the we rather put forth the effort once every few months rather than having to go through the process every month.) The pot has to be well packed with bones and vegetables to yield a decent amount for the time invested in making it. Using plain bones (backs, necks, leftovers from cooking chicken whole, etc) is fine, but to get great flavor and viscosity, you need to find some chicken feet.  The feet are critical in getting your stock to cool down and be the consistany of jello. If you go this route it will do great things for your skin, hair, and nails. Au natural collegen boost. Talk to your local butcher about getting them if you don’t see them readily available.  Bones, feet, onion, carrot and celery are all you need. If we are eyeballing this depending on the size of the pot, think 1/4 of the pot is full of the veg and 3/4 of the pot is full of chicken parts. Fill up and call it a day. I like to simmer stock 18-24 hours at a low temperature where it barely bubbles.  Strain it out and freeze it for up to 6 months.

The Process:

1. Get yourself a nice big pot.
2. To prep veggies: Peel onion and carrots, cut into large chunks. Think “rustic.” Clean Celery and cut into chunks. Put all of this into the pot. (remember 1/4 should be full by now)
3. Rinse your chicken parts in cold water and put in pot.
4. Cover with water and fill up to the rivets of the handles. *Do not fill all the way. These ingredients tend to start floating and you will have a pot that overflows.*
5. Turn on high until you start to see bubbles. Turn flame to low and simmer AT LEAST 8 hours but up to 24. Don’t stir.
6. Strain through a fine strainer and use within a week if kept in fridge. up to 6 months if frozen.

Highly recommended to heat up a mug of this with thyme, bay leaf, cracked pepper, and salt. Gives instant warmth in winter, a cure to the common cold, and pure satisfaction 🙂

Cheers!