Hunters are always looking for creative ways to get the most out of the game they harvest. Processing the meat is straightforward, but what do you do with the bones? Most of us leave the bones out bleaching in the sun but there is more you can do. Making your own game stock will take your cooking to a whole new level! Animal bones are a great source of vital nutrients and when prepared properly homemade stock will enhance any dish. On the surface making stock seems simple, but there are a few rules you need to follow.
We have all stood in the soup aisle at the grocery store and wondered, “what is the difference between stock and broth?” By definition, stock is a flavorful unseasoned liquid and broth is a flavorful seasoned liquid. In this instance seasoned refers to salt; the stock has no salt added and broth does.
Now that we know the difference between stock and broth, we need to discuss what bones to use. Not all bones are good bones for stock. When making stock you want to use the large round bones and knucklebones. These bones have a lot of marrow and connective tissue that will cook down and add a lot of flavor and collagen to the stock. Bones to avoid are the shoulder blade, ribs, and spine. The spinal column should be avoided because of potential diseases, such as CWD. It also contains a fluid that will make your stock cloudy and visually unappealing.
Prepping your bones for the stock is a straightforward process. I like to brush the bones with tomato sauce and roast them at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. The acid in the tomato sauce opens up the pours in the bones and allows them to render more of the flavors and nutrients. After my bones have been roasted, I place them into a large stockpot and return the empty sheet pan to the oven until hot again. In doing this you are cooking any leftover bits on the pan. Once the sheet pan is hot, I remove it from the oven and immediately pour a half cup of white wine on the pan. I use high temp spatula to scrape up any of the brown bits that are stuck to the pan. When all the brown bits are lifted from the pan, I add the mixture to the stockpot with the bones. This step will add flavor.
Adding vegetables to your stock will impart more flavor. This step is a quick easy way to clean out the crisper drawer. When making stock there is no need for pretty vegetables. Older vegetables are great but do not use vegetables that show signs of rot. I often use vegetable scraps from other recipes, I even keep a bag in my refrigerator where I save scraps from onions, carrots, mushroom stems, and celery. Don’t be afraid to use the peels, stems, and tops, they still have the flavor to give. I avoid using vegetables such as eggplant, squash, and bell peppers, they could leave bitter flavors and cloud your stock.
Using herbs are important to flavor your stock. I like to use thyme, rosemary, parsley stems, and one or two bay leaves. With the addition of herbs, the stock will be packed with flavor. Follow the recipe below
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