Canning Homemade Stock
Are you sick of paying up to $10 for a mere 32 oz of chicken stock, just because it doesn’t contain any concentrates or preservatives… or may just be considered real food? Then this post is for you. For less than $20 you can have 7 cans of 32 oz stock here’s how.
Supplies:
7 32oz Ball Mason Jars
16 Quart Stock Pot (And an 8 quart stock pot to drain into)
Fine Mesh Strainer
Something to Stir with
Ingredients:
6 Yellow Onions
3 Whole Garlic Bulbs
1 Whole Celery
Enough Carrots to match the amount of Celery ~1.5 lbs
5 lbs chicken (Remove completely for just a vegetable stock, the cheapest cuts of chicken will work or leftover rotisserie carcass or thanksgiving turkey - I used chicken wings in this case )
Water
Neutral Vegetable oil
Add salt to taste AFTER reducing or later when cooking with it
Optional: Half a pack of fresh thyme, black whole peppercorns, bay leaves, and my secret weapon frozen parmesan cheese rinds… if your not buying real parmesan then what are you doin’!
Instructions:
Wash and rough chop all produce and place into a bowl with thawed chicken. I quarter the onions and cut the garlic bulbs in half and do about 2 inch pieces of carrot and celery. Fill stock pot with enough neutral vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan generously and get it very hot. A neutral oil will not override the overall flavor, I do not like canola oil so I used grapeseed or avocado oil. Watch out for some oil splatter and add all the goods to the pot and add more oil on top if necessary. Stir until all the aromatic veggies and spices burst and the bottom of the pan starts to gain brown flecks. Submerge all the bits in water, cover and reduce for 6 hours or until about half the stock remains. Strain the stock, and while it is still hot, ladle 6 or 7 jars with the stock and immediately place upside down and let cool to room temp undisturbed or let cool to room temp, ladle and freeze.
DISCLAIMER: I am choosing to can the European way in which I let the heat of the broth seal the sterile jar upside down, IT IS NOT RECCOMENDED by the USDA so try at your own risk. I have not had problems with it so far, but per USDA the broth should instead be cooled, poured into the jars and then frozen until used OR use another approved canning method.
