Any experts at making homemade stock?

[UTH]

I’m not sure why I’ve not done it before, but tonight I finally used the chicken carcass from Sunday to make chicken stock.
Followed what seemed to be a fairly standard recipe, onion, garlic, carrots, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, black peppercorns, chicken carcass. Boiled/simmered for about 4 hours and left me with about 400g of what looks like pretty good stock.

I’d be keen to do some beef stock at some point, but wondering what to do about getting the bones. Is it a normal request to go to the butcher and ask for a load of bones for stock? I assume they have plenty going spare….or do they usually keep them for their own stock making?

Any tips and tricks for either?
Not sure one 400g tub is much to show for my first attempt, but then it wasn’t a very big chicken and I didn’t use the biggest pan I had. Bigger chicken, more water and more time I guess = more stock?

[Jer_1974]

Roast everything first.

[UTH]

Jer_1974 said:

Roast everything first.

Well the chicken was left over from a roast, so that was roasted.

[numtumfutunch]

A decent butcher will give you beef bones - usually with a decent amount of meat still on them for flavour
And as above roast them first

Home made stock is very satisfying

PS chicken wings are cheap to buy and make a lovely, rich chicken stock

[Mobile Chicane]

Jer_1974 said:

Roast everything first.

This.

Roast the carcass, trotters, ribs, knuckles - whatever you're given as I suspect it won't be much - then boil in a big pot with aromats. Butchers 'give' these to restaurants so I suspect there's very little left for the retail consumer.

In reality, save a few chicken carcasses (freeze these) and prep according to the following:

https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/heston-blument...

[Swervin_Mervin]

I always crack the bones open on a chicken carcass to get a bit more gelatin from it into the stock. Then I drain, boil down to concentrate and skim off any scum, cool in the fridge, skim the fat off (the stock should become a fairly stiff jelly so this is easier to skim the fat off), and then remelt and pour it into an ice tray and stick it in the freezer. Once frozen pop out into a freezer bag and you've ready to go stock cubes.

[21TonyK]

Unless you are on very good terms with your butcher expect to pay for bones and to have to order them in advance, ideally veal bones. Beef/veal bones abour £3 a kilo, chicken £2. Or for chicken stock just buy the bulk packs of wings from supermarkets when on offer.

Do it in bulk. I mean big, big quatities. Freeze and vac pac.

[UTH]

Thank guys

I didn't think about chicken wings.....every couple of weeks I love making my homemade wings up......although I make them very spicy (sort of buffalo style) so I'm thinking once I've made them and eaten them, what's left won't be very good for stock! I guess I could just buy them and use them immediately for stock rather than cooking up my usual wing recipe.

It's more the beef stock I'll struggle with rather than chicken (I'll no doubt be making a chicken roast every couple of weeks, so I'll always have a carcass) so I'll have a go asking at the butcher and see what they say about bones. Don't mind paying a bit for them, everything I've read online says that beef stock more than any other is SO much better homemade vs shop bought, so hopefully I can get hold of the bones somewhere.

[Cotty]

21TonyK said:

Unless you are on very good terms with your butcher expect to pay for bones and to have to order them in advance, ideally veal bones. Beef/veal bones abour £3 a kilo, chicken £2. Or for chicken stock just buy the bulk packs of wings from supermarkets when on offer.

Do it in bulk. I mean big, big quatities. Freeze and vac pac.

Just had a look and found 1kg beef bones for £3.45. I remember the butcher I used to use would also sell you a chicken carcass cheap
https://www.ianchatfield.co.uk/product1216/section...

[TheLurker]

Does anyone have any recommendations for store bought stock? Everything I've found has loads of salt in it.

It seems fairly common to find broth in tetra packs in the US, but haven't seen similar in the UK.