Rich Pork Stock
- Ready In:
- 7hrs
- Ingredients:
- 8
- Yields:
-
4-5 cups
ingredients
- 2 1⁄2 lbs lean bone-in pork shoulder (fresh, not smoked) or 2 1/2 lbs pork shank, cut into 3 inch chunks (fresh, not smoked)
- 1⁄2 small pig's foot, split (about 1 pound)
- 4 cups cold chicken stock (enough to barely cover the meat and bones)
- 4 cups cold water, enough to cover the meat and bones by about 1 inch, plus a little to deglaze the pan and stockpot
- 1 large yellow onion, halved (12 ounces)
- 2 stalks celery, leaves trimmed off (2 ounces)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 -5 whole black peppercorns
directions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Crowd, but without piling them up, the pork and pig’s foot in a shallow roasting pan or in a 10- to 12-inch ovenproof skillet.
- (If you briefly preheat the pan over a low flame before you add the pork, it will sear on contact and be less likely to stick later on.) You should barely see the bottom of the pan; otherwise, the drippings will tend to burn in the exposed spots.
- Roast until golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Check the progress after about 25 minutes, and rearrange the pork, or turn it over, as needed, to promote even coloring.
- You may need to rotate the pan.
- Transfer the pork and foot, still warm, to a deep 8- to 10-quart stockpot.
- Pour off all of the fat from the pan, then add about 1/4 cup cold water to it, set over low heat, and scrape and stir to melt any gold or chestnut-colored drippings; don’t work on any black ones.
- Taste.
- If they are nice and porky, pour these reconstituted drippings into the stockpot; if the liquid tastes all scorched – like over-browned bacon – discard it.
- Add the cold chicken stock, then add water to cover by about an inch.
- (If using unsalted chicken stock, add a few pinches of salt.) Bring to a simmer and skim the foam.
- Poke under any exposed chunks of meat, then skim any new foam that rises to the surface.
- Add the onion, celery, bay leaf, and peppercorns and stir them under.
- Simmer uncovered, without skimming or further stirring but tasting regularly, for 4 to 5 hours, until the stock is richly flavored and the color is of maple syrup, and has some body; check for this last by chilling a few drops of stock on a plate.
- You may need to adjust the heat to control the simmer, and you may need to poke the bones or add a few ounces of water to keep the meat and bones submerged during the long extraction.
- Strain the stock promptly; leave the meat and vegetable chunks in the strainer to continue dripping.
- Immediately pour about 1/4 cup water into the stockpot and swirl it briefly, to liquefy and capture the syrupy stock that is clinging to the pan.
- Pour this over the meat and vegetables, to rinse some of the rich syrup from their surfaces into the strained stock below.
- Leave the stock to cool completely.
- If not using right away, cover and refrigerate with the layer of fat intact – it will help preserve the stock until needed.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>Mother of 4, grandmother of 3.... <br /> <br />One of my favorite authors is Kipling, he had a way with words... <br />...when the moon gets up and night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to him.... <br />Rudyard Kipling</p>