Rich Pork Stock

"Adopted! Original poster's comments: use it to moisten braised pork dishes or for sauces for any pork dish. It can be used as is or reduced from 4-5 cups to 1-2 cups. You can use other bony cuts, such as ribs, as long as they aren't too fatty and are fairly meaty. Otherwise, add a pound of meat to 1 1/2 pounds clean bones; without meat, the stock will have body but lack flavor. QDM: I have no idea where I would get pig's feet. It's illegal here to sell them and a butcher giving them away could be charged with some abstruse crime. So, will try to figure something else out for the gelatin..."
 
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Ready In:
7hrs
Ingredients:
8
Yields:
4 cups
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ingredients

  • 1133.98 g lean bone-in pork shoulder (fresh, not smoked) or 1133.98 g pork shank, cut into 3 inch chunks (fresh, not smoked)
  • 1 small pig's foot, split (about 1 pound)
  • 946.36 ml cold chicken stock (enough to barely cover the meat and bones)
  • 946.36 ml 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 stalk celery, leaves trimmed off (2 ounces)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3-5 whole black peppercorns
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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>
 
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