Even recipes found on store-bought egg noodles, like the one from Reames Frozen Homestyle Egg Noodles, become next-level when you incorporate your own stock made from your upland bird bones. (Photo courtesy of Jack Hennessy)
A good stock, one that’s prepped correctly and allowed at least 12 hours to finish, is something incredible, something special, and is the basis for any unforgettable soup or stew. Stock is a labor of love—both in the time investment, as well as making sure you use every bit of those birds you folded and bagged.
Save The Bones Whether butchering or roasting your birds whole, once the majority of the meat has been picked from the bones, save as many bones as possible. Sometimes I may breast out a bird and cut out thighs, but then keep the legs and wings, along with the rest of the carcass, for stock. Those legs and wings, which will require extended time to cook at low temps, add great flavor to stock and will also tenderize during the process of making stock. With the legs, the meat will flake off the tendons—instead of you feeling like you are nibbling meat from toothpicks.
In terms of how many bones you’ll need, I have found one rooster carcass is generally enough for 48 to 64 ounces of stock, potentially more. But you can use any bird bones. The more bones in your stock pot, the better.
When you are done making stock, you have leftover tender meat, which you can flake off bones and save for another dish. (Photo courtesy of Jack Hennessy) Upland Bird Stock Recipe Note: You’ll want a tall stock pot, size: 16 to 20 quarts at least. Tip: Start early. A good stock should require 14 hours of your time and, no, you shouldn’t leave stock on the stovetop overnight. I’ve done this, thinking I had the right burner setting, only to wake up to a tangled web of blackened quail bones and burnt carrots.
Serves: 6-8Prep Time: 45 minutes Cooking Time: 8-13 hours
Ingredients: At least one whole rooster carcass, ideally more bones Olive oil Kosher salt 4 medium carrots, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 medium yellow onion, not peeled and sliced 1/2 cup whole black peppercorns 1 sprig each of fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano 5 bay leaves Enough cold water to leave no more than 3-4 inches at top of pot Directions:
Heat oven to 400 F. In an oven-safe skillet, add bird bones and liberally salt and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven to roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until good and dark. Remove skillet. To the stock pot, add a thin layer of olive oil followed by chopped carrots and celery, and sliced onion and whole black peppercorns. Lightly dust with kosher salt. Turn burner heat to medium and stir until onions are soft and brown. Turn burner heat to medium-low. Once onions are soft and brown and bird carcass roasted, add the bird bones to the stock pot and mix in with vegetables. Simmer all together for 5 minutes then add enough cold water to leave only a few inches at top of stock pot. Add fresh sprig of thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano, along with bay leaves. Turn burner heat to low. Ideally, you don’t want the stock to go much above 180 F. This means it should BARELY bubble, and I mean tiny bubbles when it does. After an hour, remove the herb sprigs and bay leaves. Continue to simmer for a minimum of 8 hours (recommended is 13 hours, if you can swing it). You’ll want to do this during the daytime, versus leaving on the burner overnight. Reason: Even if you think you have your burner dialed in to maintain that 180 F stock temp, it can rise when you least expect it. If it rises about 180 F, over the course of 8 hours, too much water may evaporate and you’ll be left with burnt bones and no stock. Check the stock every half hour to an hour. Adjust the burner setting, if necessary, add more water, if necessary. In the end, you likely want a little under half the liquids you started with. When done, drain the stock through a paper-napkin-covered sieve or china-cap strainer. Regardless of how you store the stock, first place in the fridge to cool uncovered until it is 40 F. If you cover the stock before cooling, you will create condensation and run the risk of causing bacteria to grow between from trapped moisture and heat. Roasting bones until dark helps bone-marrow flavor seep out into stock and makes for a darker, more flavorful final product. (Photo courtesy of Jack Hennessy) HOW TO STORE AND PRESERVE If you're not using it with the next day or so, you can add your stock to glass mason jars and seal. If you have a pressure canner, you can utilize that to completely seal the jars and store the stock for two years or longer in a cool, dry space. If you’re not using a pressure canner to seal, the stock will stay good in your fridge for 7-10 days. Yes, you can also add to freezer-specific containers and freeze. Same as pressure canning, when frozen, the stock will stay good for two years or longer.
Brew an evening pot of coffee if you have to, because for a great stock, you will want to plan on investing 14 hours. Don’t leave unmonitored overnight. (Photo courtesy of Jack Hennessy) HOW BEST TO USE YOUR HOMEMADE UPLAND STOCK Homemade stock puts that store-bought stuff to shame. It’s not even a contest. If you have ever visited a ramen-focused restaurant, or had an amazing broth-based soup, rest assured a cook in the back spent his entire shift making the stock base for that mesmerizing flavor.
So, yes, you can use for soups, stews, chilis, ramen, and even as a substitute for water when boiling beans or making wild rice. Even the simplest recipes you find on the packaging of egg noodles, for example, will taste exponentially better when you incorporate your own homemade stock from the birds you bag. (And, yes, you can indeed use wild turkey or waterfowl to make stock.)
