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One-Pot Wonders

Stock Under Pressure

by:
March  1, 2010
4
4 Ratings
  • Serves 3 quarts
Author Notes

I used to use a large stock pot and following a good culinary education I let the stock simmer, with an occasional bubble rising to the top, slowly letting it reduce for eight hours. Then I found myself filling eight to ten plastic quart containers and stuffing them into the freezer only to have them fall out one morning and break my wife's toe. It was then I realized I needed to do something different. I decided to use a pressure canner/cooker not only to can the stock but to cook it too. What did I have to loose? My only concern was a cloudy stock or worse would the fat emulsify creating a stock that looked like 2% milk. To my surprise it worked beautifully. So the only other things to work out were the specifics. I like my stocks to have certain qualities other than just flavor. I want them to contain gelatin. The stock should jiggle like grandmas green jello and apple salad when the stock is removed from the fridge. I only know of one way to do that and it is by adding feet. Chicken feet, pigs feet or cow will do just fine. Gelatin gives the stock body and mouthfeel. The other thing I like is for it to be neutral, neutral doesn't mean flavorless in this instance. It means if I want to make an Asian, Caribbean or German inspired stock I will do it later using my neutral stock as a base. I don't want to limit the uses of my stock by adding different style cuisine flavors. For that matter if I want a brown stock I can roast a few chicken legs and then I can deglaze with the neutral stock creating an even richer brown stock. You ask why go to all the trouble, well I guess I just don't like limiting myself in the kitchen and it is nice to have home made stock at hand. It is as simple as that. —thirschfeld

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Ingredients
  • 2 small or one large chicken carcass, raw or cooked
  • 6-8 chicken feet
  • 1 onion, quatered, skin left on, it adds a nice golden color to the stock
  • 1 leek top, rinsed, lacking that add another onion
  • 1 carrot, peeled, cut in half
  • 1 celery stalk, cut in half
  • 3 sprigs Italian parsley
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 3 1/2 quarts water
Directions
  1. Place all the ingredients into a 10 quart pressure canner and add the water. (My cooker shouldn't be filled more than two thirds to the top) and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat. When it starts to boil skim the brown scum from the top. From here since all canners are different I think you should follow your manufacturers instructions. I use 14 lbs pressure for one hour. If you want to can the stock use your manufacturers guidlines.
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21 Reviews

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webbiest January 1, 2012
Note that when you make stock (or anything) in the pressure cooker it REALLY extracts the flavour of the spices. so, compared to a regular "simmer for hours" recipe, I cut the quantity of bay leaves and pepper corns in half when I make stock (or soup) in the pressure cooker.

re orange colour: you will get that if you use rotisserie chicken carcasses to make your stock.
Kym9932 March 28, 2010
Sorry I came late to this party, but the canning is a great idea. I also use chicken feet (left over from my whole chickens). I also save the skins from my yellow onions for just this purpose. The obvious problem is gathering all the feet and skins up when you are ready to make the stock. Your idea would work perfectly because it will always happen that I have more recipes that need the stock then I have on hand and if I could just do a stock marathon and get it all done at one time and store it I'd be one happy camper.

I am also thinking of doing this various size jars.

One question though - and perhaps I should try this but every year about this time I make my demi-glace I am wondering if you could make that shelf stable. My hesitation is the roux that is used when you make the espagnole sauce can't see how that is going to work out.
Veronica March 15, 2010
A little late to the party but...first of all--your stock is absolutely gorgeous! I've never made chicken stock to be stored in the pantry. Am intrigued by this but fear I may never get to the "out of freezer" storage. Up until the "canning stage" I would say my recipe/method is identical, though I don't use feet as I've never had any trouble coaxing gelatin out of the carcasses on hand (I do store them in bags in the freezer until I have enough to make a goodly amount of stock.) My storage method is to fill sturdy freezer bags about half way with the broth, lie the bags flat on cookie sheets and put in freezer, then, when frozen, slide them into little slots and niches in the freezer! This way they take up very little room and defrost in a sink of hot water in no time at all.
dymnyno March 11, 2010
I am really intrigued by your method....I love thick gelatinous stock too. Can you make the stock and then just can it using a hot bath method? (I don't have a pressure cooker"
MrsWheelbarrow March 11, 2010
I believe you can make the stock in a stockpot, but in order to process it (and make it shelf stable) you need a pressure canner (different than a pressure cooker.)
thirschfeld March 12, 2010
Mrs wheelbarrow is correct. If you want to can the stock you need a pressure canner/cooker to make it shelf stable. Hot water bath will not get the canning jars hot enough and the stock will go bad on the shelf, really bad. You can make the stock in a stock pot though and then freeze it.
MrsWheelbarrow March 12, 2010
This brings up a question I have - do you have a pressure cooker that also doubles as a pressure canner? My cooker is 2.5 qts (kinda small) and my canner is huge but aluminum, not stainless - and holds 7 qts or 14 pts. I was thinking I'd make some stock in the pressure cooker - to test the recipe - and the rest of the stock in my 12qt stainless stockpot, then put all the quart jars in the pressure canner. Blue Ball Book says process quarts for 25 min at 10# pressure.
thirschfeld March 12, 2010
I do have a canner/ cooker but think your idea is just fine although in a 2.5 quart cooker you won't get more than a quart. No big deal, I would test first too but I bet you start making it in the canner. I make it one day, cool it in the fridge, and the lift off the fat that is solid on top. Then I bring the stock to a boil in a pot and then I can it in the canner following Ball Blue Book
thirschfeld March 12, 2010
Not sure if that makes sense it does to me but I am readingy own writing. I strain the stock before I cool it
MrsWheelbarrow March 12, 2010
One more question - is your canner/cooker stainless? I'm a little skeeved out cooking in an aluminum pot...
AntoniaJames March 8, 2010
Why is it bright orange? Do you use stock that color in all of your cooking? I'm intriqued . . . . .
thirschfeld March 8, 2010
It is a couple of reasons. One, leaving the skins on the onion brings a golden color to stock, two I use the chickens I raise and the meat is darker which may have something to do with it and in this photo it is backlit so I think that adds a little more orange color than there might actually be. But it isn't far off from its real color though. And yes, I use it in a lot of my cooking. I guess I never thought of it as orange.
AntoniaJames March 12, 2010
In the three onion chowder, did you use stock that looks like the stock in the photos? I'm intrigued by the effect of stock that color on the appearance of dishes like that, which one would expect to be a certain (light, not orange) color . . . .
thirschfeld March 12, 2010
Yes I do. I really don't notice a coloring effect.
La B. March 4, 2010
Bravo. I do not make the quantity that would require pressure cooking, but this is a bonne idea. Yes, neutral is important. Stock should not taste like soup!
Jennifer A. March 2, 2010
It is really nice to know that the gelling up of the stock is a desirable quality - this always seems to happen when I make stock from rotisserie chicken (which may include a neck, but no feet), and I thought I was doing something wrong. I love your canning option to freezing.
mrslarkin March 1, 2010
This is a beautiful recipe. Have to say, I'm totally intimidated by the pressure cooker thing. I've got this phobia of exploding appliances. ;)
lastnightsdinner March 1, 2010
Yes yes yes. The feet do something magical, and I agree about keeping the base flavor neutral.
monkeymom March 1, 2010
Magic feet. Makes me giggle. I love the idea of keeping stock out of the freezer. I feel sorry for your wives toes!
monkeymom March 1, 2010
oops. I mean wife's...singular.
MrsWheelbarrow March 1, 2010
This is precisely what I do to make chicken stock. Hadn't thought about feet - I usually get necks (same high gelatin.) It's great to have shelf stable jars of stock. I make 7 quarts at a time. Of course, when I run out, I'm right back to bags in the freezer until I have time to make 7 quarts again. Thank you for posting this. It's such a smart way to preserve stock, and freezer space.