Now, in the weeks before christmas a market stall on our market has game, too. Sometimes this, sometimes that. Recently we spotted some wild rabbit there, which we immediately bought. Not an everyday opportunity. Behind it, two bags with venison parures and bones, which I already eyed interested. After we made the curcuit in the shops, I had to have them. And that was wise, since I didn’t see some again there.
So on the same weekend cooking and preserving stock was the matter. Since it was the first time for me, too, I searched the internet for some informations about ingredients (something special?) and the cooking time. But the internet was rare. 2-6 hours, everything was given. So asking Facebook. Arthurs Tochter helped me with the precise information: 12 hours. So 12 hours then. And it didn’t do any harm to the game stock!
There’s not so much need for game stock, but when, what to do then? Well, you can buy one, which costs as much as the two bags bones I bought. And then there are ingredients listed, that have nothing to do with stock.
I made 13 glasses of stock with this batch. That’s a nice supply. But if you’re preserving them in the oven, these will maintain forever (well almost).
And if you’re now wondering how to make game stock and how to preserve it in you oven, I will show you an easy peasy instruction how to. So nothing stands in the way for your delicious sauce, accompanying your next game dish.
One year ago: Scottish Shortbread
Game Stock
- 2-3 kg bones with meat attached from game (I had venison)
- clarified butter
- 2 carrots
- 1 leek
- 1 root celery
- 3 onions
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bottle red wine (0,75 l)
- 5 juniper berries
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp peppercorns
- 5 l water
Clean the vegetables. Peel the celery, carrots and onions. Cut into 1-2 cm pieces.
On high heat, heat the clarified butter in a dutch oven. A dutch oven is more suitable than a cooking pot, because the surface for roasting is larger.
When the clarified butter is hot, add the bone and sear them. This may take a while, until they are browned all around.
Now stir in the tomato paste and add the vegetables as well as the parsley stems. Sear as well. This takes 5-10 minutes.
Deglaze with one third of the red wine. When it’s reduced, add the next third (that step doesn’t take long). Let it reduce again and add the last third wine. Reduce again.
This whole procedure can also be done in the oven in a roasting pan or the dutch oven. But as it is too laborious for me, I leave it to you.
Now take out the largest cooking pot you own. Mine holds up to 8,5 litres and it was just sufficient. Last time I made veal stock, I wished I own a larger one. If your dutch oven is large enough, you can surely use it. Mine is just too small.
Heat the pot on middle heat. Shovel the bones and the vegetables in the pot. For the bones a tong is very usable. In the end pour the remaining liquid in the pot. Heat the pot with its content, then add the water. I added 5 litres, then my pot was almost filled to the brim. 1-2 litres more won’t do any harm. You can still reduce it in the end. Add the bay leaf, the juniper berries and the peppercorns. If you don’t like juniper berries, leave them out, but I didn’t noticed the taste.
Now bring the stock to a simmer and leave it like that on low heat for 12 hours. You can also leave it overnight.
After 12 hours let the stock cool, so the fat can separate from the water. On the next day, a really nice layer of fat swims on the stock, which can be easily removed with a spoon. So spoon the fat out! Prepare one (or even two) bowls with a very fine mesh strainer on top. Remove the bones and the vegetables from the stock, then pour some stock liquid through the mesh strainer. Now the stock doesn’t contain any coarse bites. If you want to remove any finer particles from the stock, pour it again through a mesh strainer, layered with a fine cheesecloth.
Now I heat the stock again on low heat for seasoning. Don’t be worried if the stock taste lame in the beginning, it needs a good amount of salt (several tablespoons), but then it tastes!
Fill the stock in twist-off jars and close them. Put the jars in the drip pan in the lower part of the oven. Add cold water, 1-2 cm, because the content of the jars is cold (if the content is warm/hot, add warm/hot water). Heat the oven to 180° C top and bottom heat. When bubbles are forming in in the stock, shut down the oven, but do not open it! Let the jars in the oven for 30 minutes. Now they can be removed and cooled on cloths. Check if a vacuum has formed: the lids should be drawn a bit towards the inside of the jars.
The stock is at least best before one year.
