 |
| Serving Suggestion? Actually this is mojito gel from Hello Jell-O |
Today I'm going to show you the best method for making homemade stock (or turkey/chicken jello as it's called in my house). I'm focusing on turkey/chicken because this is Thanksgiving, but this method works for any type of meat stock (pork stock is wonderful). As far as I'm concerned this is a non-negotiable part of a proper traditional Thanksgiving dinner; you need real stock to make your dressing and your gravy. Real stock is particularly important for the dressing because you won't be cooking it inside the bird (because you love your family--or at least your rug--and don't want to give everyone food poisoning), but you want that bird-y flavor. Store bought stock just doesn't work as well, and I'll even tell you why.
If you've ever stored a box or can of chicken stock in the fridge, you know that when you go to pour it, it pours just fine. That's because store bought stock (or rather "broth", but that just means it's pre-salted) contains little or no gelatin. Gelatin is what gives soups body and silky mouth feel, how BBQing turns cheap tough meat into tender deliciousness, and what makes jell-o jiggle. Without gelatin our gravy and dressing will be falling short of their full potential.
Gelatin is a protein; specifically it's the hydrolyzed form of collagen. Collagen is a major structural protein in animals (comprising as much as 35% of all protein in many mammals); it gives structure to tendons, ligaments, skin, cartilage, bones, blood vessels, and really just about everything. When collagen containing tissues are exposed to heat and water for a long time the collagen hydrolyzes (chemically reacts with water) and gelatin is formed. Gelatin has a less organized structure and forms a molecular scale "net" that traps water. This causes a gelatin and water mixture to thicken as the trapped water can't flow as well. The cooler the mixture the more rigid the net, this is why jello melts.
To make truly great stock we are going to take advantage of knowing what gelatin is and where it comes from. And to make this a great recipe, we're going to use the crock pot. As I said, it takes time for the collagen to convert to gelatin and if you've got your stock simmering on the stove you're stuck at home. That's no fun for a housewife, and just not possible for someone with a job!
Turkey/Chicken Jello
4lbs Bones or 8lbs bone-in dark meat. This isn't a precise measurement, use what you can get. For turkey, if you didn't already cook a pre-game turkey for the bones (you clearly don't take this as seriously as my family does), use necks. There will be one in your turkey; more can be purchased or begged off of friends/neighbors. You can also consider spatchcocking your turkey and using the spine. For chicken, I like to use 10lb bags of chicken leg quarters the Kroger sells for $7, in the end you get bonus shredded chicken for tacos or something. You can also use a whole chicken/turkey of about that size, just cut it up. The white meat will be okay, but use all dark if you can get it. If your meat has skin, remove it; it will add more fat than collagen to your stock and that means more work later. Or don't if you're late for work. We'll de-fat this latter.
Your favorite seasoning for poultry. I like to use Webber gourmet burger. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder will also be fine here. Season the chicken like you were about to grill it. Or just add an equivalent amount (2-4t total maybe, easy on the salt) directly to the crock pot.
Chicken bullion for 2c of water. Yes, I'm going there. This will add salt and MSG, which we need for good strong bird-y flavor. MSG will not give you a headache. MSG is monosodium glutamate; it is the sodium salt of glutamaic acid, one of the 26 amino acids used to build proteins. It naturally occurs in most foods; tomatoes, mushrooms, and seaweed are particularly abundant sources. You can use soy sauce instead if that makes you feel better, but your stock won't be allergen friendly anymore and you're still adding salt and MSG.
Water. In then end we'll use about 6c. This is highly concentrated stuff, feel free to dilute before using.
You might notice that there are no vegetables in this, that's because it's a waste. I don't think they add any flavor, they cost money, and they waste space that could be taken up by things that contain collagen. If you think veggies are important to stock add them at step 5. Also, many "bone broth" recipes, to which this is similar, call for vinegar to improve the mineral content of the broth. I'm not sure this is anything more than wishful thinking. To decalcify bones it is true that you use an organic acid--which vinegar is, but you use a 10% solution (straight vinegar) and it takes a day or more at room temperature. If you like, you can add a splash of vinegar at step 5.
1. Figure out how to fit the first 3 ingredients in your crock-pot. If you feel this requires bending space time, you need a bigger crock pot; in the interim, proportionately reduce all ingredients to fit your pot. If you are working with bone-in meat I highly recommend you begin this process in the morning!
2. Add enough water to fill the pot to almost the top of the meat. About 1/2" of meat should be above the water, and there should be at least about 1" to the top of the pot. Strap the lid on, set the pot on high (we need this to boil, if your pot boils at low and you'll be away more than 6hrs use low) and walk away (go to work?) for 6-8 hours.
3. Turn the pot down to low/warm and remove all the poultry. Spread it out on a cookie sheet. Let it cool about 20min.
4. Separate the good meat from the icky bits (bone, cartilage, skin, weird gristly bits). Put the meat in a zip bag or tupper (or tonight's dinner), and put the icky bits back into the crock pot.
5. Add hot water until you have about 6c or the pot is mostly full. Turn the pot back up to high (or low, see above) and leave it for 8-12+ hrs.
6. To determine if the stock is ready use tongs to remove a leg bone. Attempt to crush this bone between your thumb and forefinger. If you cannot, put the bone back and try again in a few hours. (Use gloves or a tea towel to protect your fingers from the heat if needed)
7. Once you have crushed bones with your bare fingertips the stock is ready. This is because the water has leached the collagen from the bones so they are now weak. Turn off the pot and let it cool for at least 30 min.
8. Get a large pot, a colander, and some cheese cloth. Put the colander in the pot, and the cheese cloth in the colander. If you don't have these things a mesh strainer and ladle will work, but take longer. Slowly pour the stock into the cheese cloth to catch all the bones and other ickies. The stock and fat will fall through into the pot. Or ladle the stock through the strainer.
9. Refrigerate the stock for at least a few hours
10. Before use, remove the fat from your stock. It will be a layer of hardened yellow fat sitting on your jello. I suggest using your hands to gently scoop it off. Save it or discard it. If you keep it, use it as the fat in your roux for your gravy.
If you aren't going to use the stock right away...
11a) warm it slightly to liquify it and put it in a more convenient container. It will keep for a few days to a week like this in the fridge.
11b) heat it to the boil and put it in mason jars. Seal properly. It will keep for several weeks to a few months in the fridge
11c) warm it enough to fully liquify and fill ice cube trays. After it's frozen move cubes to a freezer bag. It will keep indefinitely as frozen cubes.
Some final notes:
Obviously if you're starting with bones you will be skipping steps 3 and 4. Do not try to shorten the cook time below 16hrs. You still need all that time to convert collagen to gelatin.
If you are using bones with meat on them that you want to eat, and you want to add vinegar to your stock, do NOT blow off my advice to wait to add the vinegar. Adding vinegar to a crock pot full of meat will make your meat turn into mush that is only good for pet food.
No comments:
Post a Comment