I love to cook. I’m guessing that anyone who reads these posts does, too. It’s important to me to use the wild game that my Deerslayer fills our freezer with… and to use as much of the animal as possible.
I’m not sure why it took so long for me to start making my own stock. There’s no denying that it enhances the flavor of many dishes and can’t be beat in soups and stews. I’ve made chicken and turkey stock for years but I simply never made the leap of faith to use the meaty bones of venison and nilgai to create my own integral basis for so many recipes. It’s actually right up my alley. No waste! Use all usable parts! Feed my family with the healthiest possible foods! Be cheap! Boxed stocks cost $2 a box or more and I go through quite a bit in my cooking.
The yellow onion skins impart a rich golden color to the stock.
Once I embraced the “be cheap, do good” mindset (and had some awesome bones in the freezer), I took it one step further. Every time I chopped veggies (carrots, celery, garlic, onions), I saved the scrappy ends and skins in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag in the freezer until it was full.
Now, when I’m ready to make a batch of stock, I grab the large venison or nilgai bones (cut into a length that will fit into my stockpot and can be covered with water) and my bag of veggies from the freezer, some spices, and some good, filtered water. In addition, I set out a few items that make the job easier. The stuff that I use includes: 2 stock pots (one for simmering and one to pour filtered stock into), a large slotted spoon, tongs, a collandar, some cheesecloth, a measuring cup, and canning jars (or zip-lock bags or other freezer containers)
I neglected to photograph the other stockpot, slotted spoon, or tongs. Oops. Or jar lids.
I put sawed, meaty bones into a stockpot. The extra meat adds more flavor. Hank Shaw, an expert in the area of wild game cookery, roasts the bones first for additional depth of flavor.
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Add veggie bits (onion ends and skin, carrot ends, celery ends, garlic and skins) collected over time, in the freezer, to the mix.
Add filtered water to cover. Toss in about 4 bay leaves and about a tbsp. of peppercorns.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to just more than a simmer. Cover. Let it work its magic for about 4-5 hours. Keep an eye on the water level. Add more as needed to keep things covered.
Once the stock is ready, use tongs and/or a slotted spoon to remove all bones and vegital matter. At this point, line the collander with several layers of cheese cloth and strain the stock into the second stockpot.
Depending on how clear you want your stock (I’m not a real stickler on this point), it can be strained a couple of times.
Decide how quickly you think you will be using your stock. I pour some up into canning jars that will placed in the fridge be used within a couple of weeks. The remainder is poured (in 2 cup measures) into freezer-safe containers or freezer bags that are then laid out on cookie sheets in freezer for easy stacking later.
