Making stocks and broths are among the core skills of any good cook, and it is a labor or love I embrace wholly. As a hunter, angler and a gardener, I can often make a first-class stock solely with ingredients I’ve grown, caught or shot. This to me is deeply satisfying. Venison stock is one of my mainstays throughout the year.
While some will make a stock without vegetables, I am not among them. They add so much to the final flavor of a stock and can transform it from an additive into a full-fledged broth suitable for drinking on cold days. Incidentally, while I use stock and broth interchangeably, technically a stock is a base and a broth something you can serve on its own; generally a broth is more flavorful and better seasoned than a stock.
Other than the venison, my essentials are: Onions or leeks, carrots, celery, bay leaves, parsley. I will add other herbs as appropriate, most often rosemary and thyme, and sometimes juniper berries. Secret weapon for venison stock: parsnips. Their sweetness brings a lot to the party.
First step is roasting the bones. I like darker, fuller stocks and this is what does it. I roast my deer bones at 400°F for an hour or so, until they are yummy-looking. Incidentally, meat makes better broth, so add some if you can. Secret trick: Save all the gnarly, sinewy bits and trim not even fit for the grinder and roast them along with the bones; don’t include bloodshot meat, though.
Next cram your bones and trim into the stockpot and cover with cold water by several inches. Cold water will you produce more collagen, and it’s collagen from the joints and cartilage and skin that builds body in your stock by making it thicker than water. You only get this by letting the water heat gradually. Secret trick: Go to the butcher and buy a calf’s or pig’s foot and add it to the pot (don’t roast it, though). It will add a huge amount of body to your broth.
Bring the broth to a boil and skim off any scum that floats to the surface. After the surface is clear, reduce the heat to a bare simmer. You want it to shimmy, not roil, not even bubble too much. A boiled stock will turn cloudy, and the higher temps can extract bitter flavors from the bones. Let it do this for several hours. How long? Up to overnight.
After the meat has infused the water to your liking — 4 hours is a minimum for me — add your veggies, roughly chopped. Remember that old, crappy veggies will not improve by cooking them. That said, the ends of things make great stock, as do onion skins, which will help turn a broth a lovely brown. Stir in your nice vegetables and let it cook for another 90 minutes to 2 hours. No more.
After this, strain everything out. Grab all the big stuff with tongs first, then set a paper towel into a fine mesh sieve. Ladle your venison stock through this into a large bowl or plastic bin. Is all of this necessary? Yes. Unless you want a mucky, cloudy stock. And it is more than aesthetics: The impurities are just that – impure, and add off-flavors to your otherwise wonderful brew.
Once your stock is strained, clean the stockpot or pour the strained liquid into another one. Now you can reduce it if you want to.
This is also the time you can salt the stock. Stock gets saltier the longer you cook it down because salt does not evaporate with the water. So add it close to the end and you will know what you’re getting. If you’re doing demi-glace, don’t salt at all.
All of this takes time, but not a lot of it is active. And the process is comforting to me, as much so as the reward.
Venison Broth
Ingredients
- 4 pounds venison bones, with some meat on them
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon crushed juniper berries (optional)
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 2 celery sticks chopped
- About 1/2 of a bunch of parsley chopped
Instructions
- Coat the bones with olive oil and salt well, then roast in a 400°F oven until brown. If you can stand it, keep some meat on the bones — trim and shanks are ideal for this. It will make a better broth. Put the bones in a large stockpot. I saw the bones into large pieces with a hacksaw; this lets me fit more bones into the pot, again, making a richer broth. Cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Skim the froth that forms on the surface and simmer very gently for at least 4 hours; I let it go overnight. You want the broth to steam and burble a little, not roil.
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for another 2 hours.
- Using tongs, grab out all the bones and large bits and discard. Set a paper towel in a fine-mesh sieve that is itself set over another large pot. Ladle the venison broth through the cheesecloth-lined sieve. Discard the dregs in the broth pot, with will be loaded with sediment and other bits.
- Add salt to taste to the clarified broth and pour into quart jars and freeze (or pressure-can — you cannot can broth in boiling water). If you freeze, leave about 2 inches of space at the top of the jar or the jars will crack when the broth freezes. Use within a year.
Hands down some of the best venison broth. Our second year making it and pressure cooking it for storage. It never lasts a year and we use it for soups and stews
The tips in here improved my stocks.
Hello!! I made an attempt at your Dark Venison Broth from Buck, Buck, Moose, just last night, and I used 5 lbs of meaty pronghorn antelope bones, and after roasting the bones, I noticed a very distinct strong animal scent, but I tasted the meat that was on the bones, and it was very tasty and didn’t taste gamey at all. I proceeded to very gently simmer the bones for 12 hours, and added in a little apple cider vinegar (which some bone broth recipes call for to help extract more nutrients from the bones), onions, onion skins, garlic, carrots, celery with the leaves, black pepper, fresh rosemary and bay leaves. The musty animal scent remained throughout the entire simmering time, and the scent reminded me of how the animal smelled before it was gutted and skinned….a very distinct wild animal/antelopey scent, which is very off-putting and unappetizing! We butchered our own animals, which were quartered and put on ice in the field, then we spent 2-3 days cutting up the meat at home, which was vacuum sealed and put into the deep freezer; the animals were hunted in September, 2019, so the bones have only been in the freezer for 4 months, and the meat that was cut off of the same bones is not gamey and does not have the same scent the bones put off… Have you had this happen before, and do you know what the possible cause could be? Is this scent from the marrow? Is there any way for me to remedy the broth at this point? The broth has been in the fridge overnight, and I plan on scraping off the fat when I get home tonight, and may try adding in some red wine and more herbs, but I also feel hesitant to waste more ingredients, if the strong musty animal scent remains… Thank you for any help you can offer!! This is my second attempt at broth with antelope bones, and while this batch is definitely better than my first, it still smells really strange!!
On a more positive note, I absolutely LOVE your cookbooks, and have made several recipes from Buck, Buck, Moose and all have turned out like delicious restaurant quality meals, using both venison and antelope! I love your recipes, and your writing and I’m VERY excited to try the Shaking Venison and the Venison Bolognese recipes next!!
Hollie: I’ve had that happen with just the bones, but it mellows out over long cooking and then the vegetables/herbs really takes care of it. I’ve never had it smell off after that process. Weird.
I’ve made LOT’S of stock and soup – but this was my first attempt at Venison bone stock. I do NOT like the smell of venison when it is cooking – – – and I did let this stock go overnight – was SO SURPRISED how yummy it is!! I had three coffee mugs of stock in my taste testing!!!!
Thank you for sharing your experience in this recipe and tips. I am SO thrilled to be able to use more and more parts of the harvest.
I regularly save the chopped off ends of clean onion and the skins. I add any other veggie scraps like celery leaves and carrot tops. By keeping a bag in the freezer – I can add to it each time I have good looking veggie scraps. Makes the BEST bone broth!! Those onion tops are dynamite in the bone stock. I like that you add them in the last hours of cooking. I do too.
Today, I am using the lovely 11 quarts of stock to make canned Vegetable/Venison soup!!!!! Yay!
Thanks again!
Carol
With all the worry about CWD in venison, is it ok to use cut bones which expose the marrow where as I understand it, the disease originates from? and some states will not allow you to bring whole deer across state lines, only fully processed, no bones, but I know the marrow of beef is the prize and adds tons of flavor to a beef stock,
Thanks, Bart
Bart: That is an issue, and something you will have to decide for yourself. I hunt in a place with no CWD.
How slow is slow to bring Venison stock to simmer. I am 2 hrs in and still coming up to simmer. Excited
Eric: That works.
how do you reduce it. simmer? boil? on the stove top in a pot? Cock pot?
we think we added to much water or we should have found a calf foot to put in it.
Chris: Let it steep, steam, not boil, uncovered on the stovetop until it reduces to where you want it.
Hank, your recipes are PHENOMENAL! Thank you! Regarding your venison stock (or any stock, for that matter), how far down do you reduce it after removing the bones/veggies? My only experience with stock is of a commercial nature (bouillon tends to look pretty much watery), so I’m kind of guessing at the reduction. I can’t wait, as I’m LOVING the smell coming from my stove right now!
Randy: You let it cook slowly on the stovetop for hours and hours, and that reduction makes a great broth. If you don’t do that, it’s a good stock.
We have been hunters, foragers and gardners for a long time. I could never get my husband to save me the bones. This time our neighbors gave us a small whitetail hind quarter so I asked him to please save the bines and pieces. I now have a beautiful smelling bone broth in my Crock. I cant wait to try this yummy stuff. Hopefully I will be make more tonight as he cuts up the other quarter. Thank you for this recipe.
My husband just got a deer and I asked for bones to make this. I’m a little nervous since the only soup I’ve ever made without bullion or premade broth is chicken noodle soup. Fingers crossed this comes out great so I can use it for other soups and stews!
Thank you for this! A family member just processed a deer and I took all the bones and meat that wasn’t suitable for the grinder. I knew there HAD to be something I could make lol. I’ll be gifting some of this broth back to him.
Hi there, to save time, can I do this in an instant pot or pressure cooker?
Kate: Yes, but it will not be very clear. The high temperatures will cloud the stock. But other than aesthetics, it will work.
Hi Hank! Have you ever made a broth with bear bones? Would you use this same approach?
Lindy: Yes, once. It was fine. Very much like venison broth, and yep, I used the same procedure.
Hey Hank, we bought your book for a friend and covet it. It will soon need to be on our shelf. We processed a moose the other day and we’re going to make bone broth with the bones tomorrow. What are your thoughts/experience with adding Apple cider vinegar to the water? Heard it helps extract nutrients from the bones. Thanks for any tips!
Mandy: That doesn’t actually happen, sorry. It does help dissolve bones, and makes the broth more cloudy with dissolved bone, but that extra calcium is not bio-available. So you drink it in, but your body can’t process it. Best to leave out the vinegar, unless you like the flavor.
Hey Hank. Love the cookbooks and information you put out. You mention purchasing calf or pig’s foot to add to the pot. Have you tried using the deer’s foot? Just wondering if that would work since we would be making venison stock and that would help using even more of the harvest.
Thanks!
Nick: It would have to be from a yearling because the feet of young animals is what’s needed for this. As we get older, we are less stretchy. 😉
Hank,
I prepared an elk tenderloin and some back strap with your recipe for Venison Diane and it was superb, beyond any Steak Diane I have EVER had, (I guess you AND I both got a pat on the back with that compliment). Honestly, I have eaten at many fine restaurants, but beyond the luxury of not making the time and effort to prepare the meal, I always prefer my kitchen to most commercial eateries. This elk is a superb doe, that was taken while grazing on a mountain side after the snow started to fall here in South Central Utah. Enough cannot be said about how to take game and the steps necessary to prepare it for the best table fare possible. My wife enjoyed your recipe so much that she immediately bought me two of your books, which I look forward to exploring with more wild game for our table. I Just wanted to thank you. I hunt only for meat in recent years and have learned a few tricks to insure optimum quality eating. I very much enjoy your site.
Thank you again.
Hank–
Great recipe, love the cookbooks! What are your thoughts on using the pelvis bone for stock taking into account CWD? Typically, when I sever the pelvis from the spinal column, a portion of the spine stays with the pelvis. To the extent that CWD is not prevalent in the county in which the deer was killed, I assume there is nothing to worry about.
Thanks,
John: If I were worried about CWD, then yes, I’d discard the pelvis. But I normally use it for stock here in California, where there is no CWD.
Hank. Love your site.
2 quick questions.
1. Culinary arts 101 taught me to smear tomatoe paste during the process of roasting bones; would that make sense here?
2. I’ve also typically put me veg and herbs in at the same time as the roasted bones; what’s the advantage of adding later in the process?
Thanks a bunch.
Stephen: Sure. Tomato paste works well with a venison stock. The advantage of adding everything else late in the game is that you actually taste it in the stock. If you cook your veg and herbs for, say 12 hours, it will still be good stock, but won’t be a bright. The flavors will all muddle together.
Hank,
I come back to your site for the basics, livestock; and also for the new. I just made venison stock today, and through the process, and the recipe, I’ve encountered a question I’ve wondered about time and again. Does straining through paper towel (vs cheesecloth) impart any of flavors, or have any advantages? I did have trouble with the solids plugging up a paper towel, and had to replace it 3x before I got it all strained. The cheesecloth wouldn’t plug up as quick, but also wouldn’t filter as much, I think. The recipe refers to using both actually. Just curious your thoughts.
Erik: I use paper towels. I don’t mind changing them.
First time I’ve tried this, excited to give it a whirl! My questions are, once I’ve skimmed the scum off of the top, do I cover the pot with a lid or let it simmer without the lid? Getting it started at 2 p.m., is it okay to still let it simmer overnight?
Jared: Yes, you can cook it overnight, but drop the heat to its lowest setting and partially cover the lid. Think steeping tea, not simmering, in this case.
Hi, I am doing a fundraiser dinner for 60 for a school fundraiser. I have been given a bunch of venison ribs, not super meaty, and ground venison to use for the event. I am thinking of using the ribs to make stock is this a good idea? I am thinking of adding ground pork the the gr. venison and making meat balls. Something like your Food Plot Stew but with meat balls and adding greens and veggies that are also donated. Will the ribs be enough to make a nice stock? I could add a ham bone for extra flavor? Or would that just just hide the venison flavor? I haven’t cooked venison much so any thoughts would be amazing! Thanks.
Nyomi: Good idea, and yes, add the ham bone.
Hi Hank,
Is there any concern of chronic wasting disease, CWD, when using bones to make stock? Should you avoid neck and spinal bones?
Dave: I would definitely avoid neck and spinal bones in areas prone to CWD. And if your deer tests positive, I wouldn’t use any bones at all.
Hey Hank, I just picked up a fifty pound box of deer bones for $6 from local processor and I can’t wait to try your recipe. My question is many of the bones are really big. Will I get better results by sawing them on the scroll saw into smaller pieces for better access to marrow, or would it be a waste of time? This is gonna be great. I hear venison broth is awesome. Regards, Tim
Tim: Just saw them so they fit in your pot. No need to get them tiny.
Love the broth recipe. So much so, that I used it in our dish at the BHA Wild Game Cookoff last March. I’m working on an article for the Backcountry Journal “Backcountry Bistro” section, featuring the broth. Is it ok if I mention you and this recipe in that article?
I can’t think you enough for this recipe! I’ve done it 3-4 times already. The smell of the roasting bones is great and the stock is so rich and flavorful!
Hank, can green onion bits be used in stock? I’m concerned that the the onions will turn the stock a funny color.
Shannon: You bet!
Hank, can you use this recipe with wild boar bones?
Nathan: You bet.
I have been making venison stock for a couple years now; but just tried this recipe. It is seriously the best stock I have ever made. It is such a richer color and has so much more depth and richer taste.
Up next… duck stock!
Thank you!!
hank, what is the picture of in this stock recipe? Kinda looks like a noodle?
I have ~15 pheasants that I’ll breast out (love the pheasant piccata recipe!). Would you recommend making a separate broth with these? Or doing them with the venison bones I have saved away?
David: They’d be better with a separate pheasant broth, but either will work!
Why not roast the veggies too? Would they just overly disintegrate if they cook the whole time with the bones?
Thanks! I’ve had awesome success with your work!
Jacob: You absolutely can roast the vegetables, but I’d still not add them in until 90 minutes to go. It’s not strictly necessary, but it will make the stock more interesting than if you add everything in at once.
Which bones lend themselves to better broth? I will not likely use all the bones from a deer, but rather the “choice bones”. The large femur, with all that marrow is nice, but what about the very easy to get ribs. I could stuff more volume of ribs into a pot than I could for the large marrow bones but is it a quantity vs. quality issue. There is more work involved in cutting up the marrow bones in order to get more in. What about the lower legs of deer? If skinned and cleaned will they provided additional collagen in lieu of the pigs feet. Or are they just not worth the extra effort?
Kyle: I’ve used everything before, and I prefer the ribs because you can never get all the meat off them, which makes for a better stock. Ditto for the vertebrae, although you want to avoid this if you are in an area where there is Chronic Wasting Disease. Shanks are pretty good, too.
Hi, thank you for this – very interesting post. I am going to attempt this when I get the chance. My experience with venison however is that the fat tastes awful, kind of waxy, and one has to be quite careful in removing it from sausage meat or if you are roasting a leg for example. Have you any thoughts on how careful you need to be with regards venison fat going into the pot? can you just put it in the fridge and take of the fat when it hardens. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
Max: Venison fat is delicious when it is piping hot, but when it cools, as you say, it gets waxy. The taste is fine, the mouthfeel is awful — there’s a difference. In stock, it’s fine in small amounts when the stock is hot, but I generally remove most fat from my stocks no matter what they are made from.
What kind of bones do you use (legs, hips, ribs, etc.) and do you cut to resize for pot?
Cheryl: Mostly leg bones, and yes, I saw them to fit into the pot.
I’ve been making venison stock for years and use it to make French onion soup. It is THE BEST
First time attempting venison stock after my fiancé shot his first 8 point early December. Ended up with about 6 jars which I then froze half for later and used half for a chili recipe and then this recipe from Publix: http://www.publix.com/aprons-recipes/kale-and-farro-stew. Was a longer process than I expected, but worth it. Thanks for sharing! No food to waste. Grateful for the opportunity to harvest our own meat and humbly respect Mother Nature and the circle of life.
Trying the broth with apples and honey as well as rhe other ingredients. Will let you know how it turns out.
How long do I pressure can the stock?
Elizabeth: Follow your canner’s directions. Mine says to vent 7 minutes, put on the 10 pounds of pressure weight, when it jiggles, set the timer for 25 minutes.
I tried out this recipe and my stock ended up being grayish-green instead of brown. I don’t have a stock pot so I used a cast iron dutch oven. The stock still tasted ok but the color is kind of gross looking. Do you think it was just the cast iron or did I do something wrong? thanks.
Giles: Yes, the iron changes things, and you probably did not roast the bone strongly enough.
I just tried to make some venison bone broth, we read online its supposed to simmer for up to 24 hours even up till the bones were soft. We did about 12 hours (roasted for about 45 mins first).
We didn’t add any extra flavour except bay leaves and apple cider vinager. In the past my bone broth was gelatinous when cool, but this one is liquidy still… Does that mean its bad? Did i just waste all my venison bones?!
Janelle: I have no idea what bone broth is. I know this is stock, and what you described is stock. So you’re fine. It is likely not gelatinous because there was no cartilage in the mix. No cartilage, no collagen, no gelatinous finish.
Do you add the dry spices with 2 hours left like the onions/carrots/celery? Or are they added earlier?
Jason: I tend to add the herbs and spices early.
Hey Hank. Have you ever tried whitetail deer bones for broth?
Thanks
Justin
Justin: Yes, they work fine.
Hi Hank,
What type of stock pot would you recommend making this in? I love cast iron, so most of what I make is done in my Lodge cast iron skillet. Would this recipe turn out if I used my handy dandy Lodge cast iron Dutch oven?
Thank you!
Annie: I’ve never made stock in an iron pot, as I always use steel. But it should be fine.
I have found that after making stock, the “spent” meat can be separated from the bones and pan fried until crispy like hashbrowns, This makes an excellent taco filling, at a cost of the dogs not getting a great treat.
Would I be able to sub this in for recipes that call for beef broth? Are there any specific bones that produce more flavor than others?
Killer: Yes. And I haven’t noticed one bone providing more flavor than another.
Could you use the deer’s hoof in lieu of a calf or pig foot?
Danielle: In theory. But you’d need to skin it fully, and it would need to be from a young deer, as collagen is highest in young animals.
Thank you do much for posting your views on cooking with bones. I am currently on the Atkins diet . I have always been a big fan of broths. I would even take a thermos filled with chicken broth to sip on while hunting,(BOW), My other hunting buddies would bring coffee. Maybe that is why I was more successful:) Just kidding I have always concentrated on stocks of all kind. I find drinking stocks is satisfying. I just got a call from my hunting bud while writing this post and he nailed an 8 pointer,(Whitetail). I am going over to help him skin and butcher. That is awesome to me. You cut it up to your own specs. I am going to have Venison broth in the next few days. But in the mean time, I have a feeling it is going to be beer and back straps tonight.
Z, out
Do you add water as it evaporates during the process?
Jessica: No. I fill the pot completely when I start.
Thank you for such good instruction. My Cow Elk Femur’s are simmering from overnight.
How do you store this amazing broth for future uses?
Pyper: I either freeze it or pressure can it.
In researching old traditional recipes for bone broth…it is suggested to cook the broth slowly for up to 10 to 12 hours. This will be my first time making a venison broth…do you recommend simmering it this long?? I am attempting to make it for the medicinal properties?
Amber: I have no idea about medicinal properties. But I have simmered bones and meat for 10 hours before and it was fine.
I am going to try this with some bones from an elk that my nephew got the other day, I’m new to this so wish me luck!
Made about 3 gallons with most of a pronghorn’s bones. Very rich, very good.
MM I am going to make this with moose bones 🙂
Thanks for posting.
Hi Hank, have you ever tried this with bear? there is so much bone and they do have a great flavour.
Thanks
Marcel
Marcel: Nope, but I bet it would work well.
We agree pretty much. I roast in the oven at 425 to carmalize a bit more. I put about 2 tablespoons of vineger in the pot. Raise the ph a bit and it disolves more bone and crap and gives a cloudier but stronger stock. I agree with the long, slow simmer.
Before I cook I trim off the choice meat and save it for the last hour with the veggies. The meat in the pot after 10 hours of cooking is pretty played out and becomes dog food. The reserved meat still has flavor and texture.
To change topics, The remains of a rabbit or pheasant carcass make a great little soup (probably any game but I’m limited). I hate to waste any part of any game. Ya might get only 2 bowls or so but either (or both together) make a flavorful but delicate broth especially with a few frozen soup veggies from the frozen food isle. Throw in some barley or reeblies and it’s fit for a king.
I found your article on venison fat. I got my answer. Tonight I made fried rice sauteing the rice in deer bone marrow. It was excellent. Added a bolder flavor to the rice. Great website!!!! Just found it recently and put it in our favorites. Thank you
Hey Hank,
Could I use a crock pot for deer bones? Low simmer or high and does that affect the amount of time I should cook it. The last time I used a turkey carcass and cooked it for about 12 hours and it came up bitter. I also put the vegetables in at the beginning. That may have had something to do with its taste.
Cyrus: To be honest I’ve never made stock in a crockpot, but I see no reason why not.
thank you so much! My other question is why? When I sample the broth with the fat in it it taste great.
We have made 3 gals. venison broth. Should we remove the fat?
Yep. Remove the fat.
Hank, Great website! Is there any harm in freezing the bones for a while after butchering? Say a month or so before making stock. Thank you
Not at all. I freeze bones all the time.
Hank, thanks for the recipe. I made this with the leg bones from a whitetail I shot last month. It turned out very good but I was surprised at the color. Expecting a more brown stock like beef but this turned out the color of chicken stock. Roasted the bones for over an hour prior. Did I do something wrong?
Chris: Nope. That’s about right. To get a darker stock you will need to add roasted meat.
I ended up packing my elk with hooves attached, would these be good to add? If so how might I prepare/clean for best results?
Giuseppe: If you can clean them. I’d skin them for sure. Never done it, but the collagen in the feet will add body to the stock.
I have been making deer stock for the last 5 or 6 years, but reading your article I wonder if I am doing something wrong. I break the long bones ( to expose the marrow ) and include the ribs, hips and shoulder with excess meat still attached. Simmer in water with nothing else, 24 hours or so and discard bones. I set it on the back porch until it chills and I can take the grease out like a plate. Run the broth through the filter. Laddle into freezer bags and done. Should I be taking the grease off? What am I loseing if i do. PS Makes the best Charo beans you have ever had.
Troy: Nope, your method is good for a basic stock, not a broth, which is more what I do. No salt, though?
I am going to make venison broth. I still have front shoulders w/meat, and am wondering if I should fillet the meat off first or leave it on. For years I have been throwing away all of the bones. from my deer. I ususally take 4 every year and process my own meat. What bones, if any, are not worth saving for broth? Which are best to use?
Thanks
John
john: I’d take most of the meat off for stew or the grinder, but leave some on to enrich the broth. If you live in an area that has seen chronic wasting disease don’t use any part of the spine/head in broth — only the legs. I use the spine here in California, though. I like using it because there is a lot of collagen in the vertebrae that helps build body in the broth.
Nothing better on a cold rainy day than making stock! After reading your recent post about deer fat, I’m going to be more judicious about selecting which connective odds & ends go on the roasting tray before stock-making from our Utah mule deer. You helped me finally make the connection: the fat type/hardness really does make a difference in mouthfeel, even with constant skimming.
Thanks for the quick reply! All the references I was finding online called for fish from the ocean, so I wasn’t sure if anyone made stock from the types we have available. Looks like a great recipe, Thank you.
We recently moved near a stocked lake and my 10 year old son is a budding fisherman. I’d love to make stock out of the fish he catches, but I’m not sure if it’s done with freshwater fish. Up until now, I’ve only made chicken and beef stock.
So far, he has caught large mouth bass, and some smaller fish that are perhaps a type of sunfish, not sure. I’d prefer to not eat the bottom feeders, so he’s throwing the catfish back at this point.
Any suggestions to get us started? Thanks for your superb site!
Try this recipe for fish stock: http://fishcooking.about.com/od/soupsstewsstocks/r/fishstock.htm
Amber: I tend to use leg bones.
Does it matter which deer bones I use to make deer broth? Thanks.
I pressure can all my stock which frees up a lot a space up in the freezer. Gayle 25-30 min at 11 psi should be fine for precooked stock. I never buy stock any more. And I freeze all my veg trimmings or peelings to make my stock. Thanks for the turnip and Juniper tips for venison. I will have to try them.
Katie: Just one will do. Parsnips are pretty sweet and more would overwhelm the stock.
You mention parsnips in the post but not the recipe. How many would you reccommend?
Just boned out a mulie over the weekend, after hanging for 11 days (shot on the 4th of December during our late muzzle loader season here in WA). I plan to use the leg bones to make a stock as in your directions. Demi-glace to follow. Thanks for the inspiration!
Ray: In those areas I only use leg bones. Most research suggests the highest chance of ingesting the prion or whatever it is that causes CWD (which is not directly linked to harm in humans, BTW) will be in spinal tissue, so I lose the spine, bone out the neck and don’t make head cheese or barbacoa from the heads of those deer.
Do you have any concern sawing marrow bones in areas with CWD and using them in making stock?
What do the Juniper berries add? All I can think of is Gin, which I can’t abide so I always leave them out.
In response to Lynne’s comment of adding vinegar to stocks, I cooked with a guy who said his veal bones actually disintegrated once after simmering overnight in an acidulated base. I’ve also heard of this problem when adding vinegar to a stock that’s cooking in a pressure cooker.
Personally, I add a Tbsp of apple cider vin to stocks (I usually make small batches, however- 3 or 4# of bones at a time), and have great results.
Has anyone had any problems with the disintegration I mentioned? A cup of vinegar sounds like a lot, but I imagine that there are a lot of variables… Amount of vinegar, simmering length, bone structure, etc. etc…
I cooked the neck of an Elk, today, used the meat for Chilli. I want to keep the broth, but my husband said it would not be good for anything later. I disagree, and want to cook it down more and can or freeze to use later. Your thoughts…
Add a cup of vinegar or lemon juice when you start the boil–it leaches the minerals out of the bones–so stock is more nourishing.
Gayle: Sorry, but I have never pressure-canned stock. I always freeze mine.
Hi,
I made some halibut fish stock. I’ve combed the net and can’t get the directions for pressure canning. Well, actually on blog said 10 lbs for 30 min. 1/2 pts. and another said 110 minutes!!!
This broth is cooked. Do you think maybe 10 lbs for 40 minutes for pints?
Thanks,
Gayle
Great info and tips Hank.
I know my post is a little late from the dates of the previous comments but oh well. I shot 8 pheasant on opening weekend and want to make some pheasant stock to go along with however I decide to prepare the pheasants for my Thanksgiving dish. I just got done cleaning the birds up and have the breast on the bone, vacuum sealed in the freezer. I removed the leg meat from the bone and vacuum sealed that too. I am using the leg bones for the pheasant stock.
I was wondering how you froze your stock. Do you put it in a bag, container or anything else? My freezer space is limited. I was thinking about putting it in a bag and vacuum sealing it and then putting that in a container to eliminate any spills.
Also any pheasant recipes would be helpful too. I figured that I would use the leg meat for a casserole of some kind or maybe a stew, and was also thinking about baking the breast. Just trying to surprise the family this year with something different. We all gather at a families house and bring dishes to go along with the traditional turkey.
Thanks again!
Amy: Any will do. If I am making a generic small game stock, I will use a combination of animals — pheasant, rabbit, duck or quail. With any bird stock you use the whole carcass, and with big-game stocks I use the lower legs (shanks) and necks, but that is just my preference. You could use any bones you want.
what bones do use in a light game stock?
No, it is not essential that you start with uncooked bones, although you won’t get the same body as you would with raw ones.
I have in fact made smoked wild boar stock, and it is strong — use it for greens or something where you want a porky, smoky flavor.
Is it essential to start your stock with uncooked bones? I have some ribs from a wild pig that I’m planning to smoke this weekend and I’m wondering if the leftover bones will still be suitable for making my first stock.
What a coincidence–I JUST this weekend devoted an entire day (though not all hands-on, of course) to making beautiful, fragrant stock from the carcass of a ginormous wild turkey that Alex got during the last week of bow season. The bird was WAY too big for me to consider plucking and roasting whole, so we skinned it and removed every last bit of meat. I reserved the legs, wings, and neck in the freezer, because even broken up, the frame was barely fitting in the pot.
I went with the “low and slow” method, to the extreme: put the raw frame, chopped vegetables, and water in my giant Crock-Pot, put the lid on (weighted), and let it go for 4 hours on high and then 8 more on low. All that remained was to chill the pot in ice-water in the sink, then strain the cooled liquid through cheesecloth. It came out PERFECT. Crystal-clear and intensely flavored, and I didn’t have to skim or clarify it at any point. From my experience, not boiling is the key to preventing cloudiness, but like you said, there are as many methods for making stock as there are cooks making it.
Ths is fascinating, Hank. Thanks for the tips! I have begun to make my own stock each week now, in the slow cooker and the results are spectacular.
I’m amazed at the variety of stocks you can make. I sometimes make lamb stock since we eat a lot of lamb but I make sure to use it for Mexican tortilla soup which uses a lot of lime (it covers the strong flavor). I’m wondering if that’s what the juniper and rosemary do. Also do you use game stock for particular dishes or just anything. Maybe I’m just a game novice and unused to the stronger flavors of game.
We’re going to get local chickens at last! I am never impatient with the farmer. Only inside. I saw the sign-up sheet, and I swooned. Now we have the potential for all of our favorites. Stock will follow. Bliss.
Ah. Debating stock. I’m a happy man.
I’m in Charcuterie’s camp of not ever boiling it, but Hank’s method accomplishes what many seem to recommend as the pre-cook to get rid of impurities – which he refers to. Interesting. I’ll have to try it.
I just can’t see any benefit to omitting veg from the stock. I wouldn’t even consider it.