How to Make Homemade Stock

Steps to Make Chicken or Beef Stock

• You’ll need to chop your vegetables. No need to worry about how they look. A rough chop works great since the vegetables will be strained out. A simple mix of onions, leeks, carrots and celery makes a fine stock.
• Put all the chopped vegetables into a deep pot.
• Spices and herbs can vary, but here we use bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme and parsley.
• Add chicken or beef bones and top with water. Filtered water works nicely here. You can also omit the meat or bones for a vegetable stock, and add mushrooms if you want more depth of flavor.
• Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Skimming the stock while it simmers creates a clearer stock and also reduces fat.
• Once you’ve boiled and simmered the stock, it’s time to strain. Set up your strainer over a heatproof container. Ladle out big chunks into the strainer first, until it’s manageable to pour the stock from the pot into a heatproof container.
• Voila! You have homemade stock ready for your favorite recipes.

Tips to Prepare Chicken or Beef Stock

• Chicken or beef stock will have a richer flavor if the meat and bones have been roasted. Stock is a great way to use leftover chicken or beef bones.
• Once it’s cool, you can portion stock into containers for freezing. Keep the portions to recipe-friendly sizes for ease of use. You can also freeze stock in ice cube trays to enrich soups and sauces.
• Just add stock to roux and pan drippings for a great, quick gravy.

Wondering how to prep the meat before using it for stock? Watch our video on how-to break down a chicken to find out how.