Duck Stock
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs 15 mins
I make a variety of duck stocks, broths and consommes, and this is the one I make the most. You roast the duck or goose bones, and roast the veggies, too. Make this broth when you have a day off, as it takes all day. The good news is you will be rewarded with a gallon or more of rich stock that is a perfect base for stews, soups or wintertime risottos or polenta. It's the co-star in a beautiful bowl of duck cappelletti in the picture above. It's definitely good enough to be drunk as a clear soup, too.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: French
Serves: 5 quarts
Ingredients
- Carcasses of 6-8 wild ducks, 3-4 wild geese or 2-3 domestic ducks or geese - include wingtips, neck, hearts and feet if possible
- Olive oil to coat bones
- Salt
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped (optional)
- 20 to 30 duck or goose feet or a pig's foot (optional)
- 1 large sprig rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries, crushed (optional)
Instructions
- Chop the carcasses and various duck bits -- except for the feet, if using -- coat them in a little olive oil and salt them well. Arrange in a large roasting pan in one layer if possible; leave out the feet. Roast in a 400°F oven until well browned.
- If you have duck feet, chop them with a cleaver or heavy knife to break the skin and expose the joints and bones. There is collagen in the feet that will seep into the water and give the finished broth more body. Put the duck feet into the pot you are making the stock in. If you're using a pig's foot, just put it into the pot.
- When the duck bits are browned, put into a large stockpot and cover with cold water leaving about 2 to 3 inches of room at the top of the pot. If the roasting pan has a lot of fat in it, drain it off. Add some more water to the roasting pan and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add this to the stockpot.
- Cover the pot and bring it to a boil, but as soon as it hits a boil, drop the heat to a bare simmer and move the pot lid slightly ajar. Let this cook very, very gently -- more steaming than simmering -- for as long as you can handle. I let it go overnight.
- When you are ready to add the vegetables, toss them all in and stir to combine. Note that this is the only time you stir this stock. Let them simmer gently for 2 hours.
- Turn off the heat and strain the stock. I do it this way: I set up a big container for the strained stock, like a big Tupperware tub. Over this I set a strainer, and in the strainer I lay a piece of regular paper towel. Now, using a ladle, ladle out your stock so it strains through the paper towel. Doing it this way keeps the stock very clear.
- Your broth is ready now. Salt it to taste, adding a little at a time. You can further concentrate flavors by simmering the strained stock for as long as you'd like. Check every 15 minutes or so.
- Pour into Mason jars and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 9 months. If you freeze, leave at least 1 1/2 inches of headspace in the jars or they will crack. You can also pressure can your stock at 10 psi for 25 minutes (follow your canner's directions for this).
You can of course use this recipe for any goose.
Like the Recipe? Buy the Book!
You'll find everything you need to know to master waterfowl in Hank Shaw's cookbook Duck, Duck, Goose.
So I am finishing up a monster batch. Had a 22 qt stock pot and a 24 qt stock pot so stacked with bones and feet that I could barely get the water an inch deep with a reasonable margin. I’d like to think that I have a fair bit of experience with stock making by now. But the last couple batches I have made, something kinda funny happens. After I have sifted and strained out all the solids, and start reducing it down to my desired concentration, my stock starts to develop, well, floaties, for lack of a better word. They aren’t necessarily floating on the surface, so much as churning around throughout the stock. Almost like solids are precipitating back out into the stock. I strained it through a paper towel so there couldn’t be anything left in it, but seeing my stock plum full of these things is a little off putting. Visually at least. It still tastes fantastic of course. I can strain the stock again, but it’s almost like they dissolve, Last batch I strained it right before I pressure canned, and they developed again after canning… Is it how many bones and feet I used? Any idea what is causing this?
Hi Hank!
We’retrying this recipe for the first time tonight. Juat curious why you advise against using livers in the stock.
Thanks!
Ben: Because it will discolor the stock and add an unpleasant livery flavor.