Sorta Sister Squirrel stock

Sorta Sister Squirrel told us that she brought home a box of bones. I was immediately excited thinking about the stock possibilities.

Mama and I love to make our own stock. We don’t do it right usually but it tastes darn fine anyway. We primarily do chicken stock. We throw in a whole fryer, a chopped up onion, a few stalks of celery, some bay leaves, and a handful of peppercorns. We bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 8 – 12 hours. We use the meat for chicken salad or soup. The stock goes into grits or polenta or all sorts of soups.

We also have gotten beef bones from Michael of Neola Farms. We roast them for an hour or so then they get the same long simmer. We let them go all night. There is nothing better than waking up to the smell of all that wonderful stock. We make the best French onion soup we have ever had using that stock.

Venison stock is on the way soon. We have been saving the quarter-sized bones from our venison steaks. Plus my in-laws, Nana and Granddaddy Squirrel, brought us the bones from part of a deer they recently received. This is going to be good.

I know that proper stock is made using precise measurements and ratios and timing, but if it gets any better than this, I don’t know if I could stand it. I also know that there are so many more great things we can do with our stock. I definitely want to try making our own consommé and demi-glace soon.

Now back to those bones SSS brought home. We haven’t seen SSS much lately because she has started grad school. She is studying occupational therapy. Anatomy is the major class of her first semester. That’s right, you are less dense than me. OT = human anatomy = a box of human bones to study. Yeah, never mind about that stock.

bone box
Definitely not headed for the stockpot
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2 thoughts on “Sorta Sister Squirrel stock

  • January 14, 2007 at 2:16 pm
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    Papa S., great stock doesn’t have to have precise measurements or rations and such; that’s the beauty of it. You throw all that stuff in there. Though I use carrots, too. The most important thing is really straining the stock, first through a colander, maybe, than a smaller hand-held strainer and then through a “chinese hat” strainer if you have one or through cheese cloth. My, that stock comes out so pretty and clear and shimmering.

  • January 14, 2007 at 7:35 pm
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    You are completely right. I really messed up this post. The main point was supposed to be how good our thrown together stock is.

    We use a fine mesh strainer that does a decent job. I keep planning on getting a chinoise from Lit.

    We didn’t realize just how much we have affected Teh Boy until we were at Bigfoot Lodge yesterday. After he finished his Cornish hen, he asked us, “do we want to take the carcass home to make stock?”

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