Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken carcasses, including necks and backs
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2
- 4 ribs celery, cut in 1/2
- 1 leek, white part only, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 to 10 peppercorns
- 2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 gallons cold water
Directions
Place chicken, vegetables, and herbs and spices in 12-quart stockpot. Set opened steamer basket directly on ingredients in pot and pour over water. Cook on high heat until you begin to see bubbles break through the surface of the liquid. Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer. Skim the scum from the stock with a spoon or fine mesh strainer every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep bones and vegetables submerged. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours.
Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container discarding the solids. Cool immediately in large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes. Use as a base for soups and sauces.
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By clockn
Livingston, TN
on February 21, 2013
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With everything getting so high in price at the grocery store I thought I'd make this stock after watching Alton make it on Good Eats(love that show. I made it just like he did and froze it in muffin tins and then put them in bags(great idea.
My husband and I had a hankering for some chicken noodle soup so I was excited too use my new stock. All I can say is WOW!!!! What a difference the stock makes. It was fabulous. Best soup I've ever made because of the stock. I'll NEVER buy it from the store again. It may take a while to make but it is well worth it.
God Bless
By azuredivina
san diego
on January 11, 2013
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it's unfortunate i didn't catch fritz1113's review before i attempted making this stock today. i guess the 5 stars at the top of the page were enough to win me over, and hey—it's Alton Brown. his culinary tips are usually flawless, but for the first time ever, i've encountered disappointment with the Good Eats genius. :(
followed the recipe to a T, and was excited to end up with so much chicken broth. i even attempted my first consommé with some of the stock, and was floored at how bland it was. it made me realize that the 2 gallons of water is TOO much for this recipe. my mistake was not tasting the resulting stock. again, i trusted my cooking hero. but i'm thankful for the lesson learned. always taste! and always read reviews.
i feel bad to rate it a 1 star because it's not that bad, but i think it's important for the average 5 star count to come down. people should be aware of the water problem. i'm hoping i can still fix this chicken stock tomorrow... i still love you, Alton!
By fritz1113
on October 13, 2012
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Michael Ruhlman, in his book Ratio, recommends a ratio of 3:2 water to bones for stock making. One gallon of water weighs 8.3 lbs. thus for each gallon of H20 you would need 5.5 lbs. of bones. This ratio is consistent with the one recommend by the CIA. This ratio probably seems extreme to most home cooks; it certainly was developed from the point of view of the professional kitchen with an ample supply of bones to throw in the pot.
For the mirepox he calls for a 5:1 ratio of water:vegetables (and mirepox is normally 2:1:1 onions:carrots:celery so this means 1.6 lbs of mirepox for each gallon of water. The CIA ratio for mirepox is a little lighter than Ruhlman's, calling for about half the amount.
He also notes that the finished volume of stock starting with 1 gallon of water would be 0.8 gallons.
AB's Recipe is about 4:1 water to bones ratio. (2 gal =16.6lbs to 4 lbs bones Ive made and it is very WEAK.
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