Carcass stock

3 hr · 20 min hands-on

Ingredients

1.5 lb on the fire · ~1 lb to the table · 2 plates at 8 oz

• roast chicken carcasses, plus wing tips and neck1–3
• onion, halved1
• carrots, broken2
• celery stalks2
• bay, peppercorns, a splash of vinegar
• water to cover

Method

1. 1

   Roast carcasses 20 minutes at 400°F if they are pale. Into a pot with onion, carrot, celery, bay, a splash of vinegar.

2. 2

   Cover with water. Simmer, do not boil, 2–3 hours. Skim once.

3. 3

   Strain. Chill. Fat cap is cooking fat. The jelly is the point.

If you don’t have it

• Chicken frames → Turkey carcass, wing tips, or a smoked backbone. Smoked bones make a different, good pot. Do not mix fish.
• Vinegar splash → A leftover white-wine heel. Acid helps pull gelatin. Skip if the carcass was heavily sauced.

Same cook, different day

• Pressure cooker

  Weeknight. 45 minutes high, natural release. Same veg. Still chill for the fat cap.

• Pho-ish

  You want a bowl, not just stock. Char the onion, add star anise and ginger, strain, noodles, leftover meat.

• Jus

  A small pot from one frame. Reduce by half after straining. Salt at the end. Sauce, not soup.