Under Pressure: Making Homemade Broth
The first year we had a garden, we over planted cucumbers and ended up carrying literally fifty into the house every two or three days. Even after handing cucumbers to every person within a five mile radius, we were left with an overabundance, at which point Rob suggested making pickles. So, I spent several hours in his mom's kitchen learning how to make and preserve bread and butter pickles using a family recipe.
That was my first experience with canning and it was so satisfying to end up with lots of quarts of homemade preserved food for us to enjoy. Although that's what sparked my interest in canning, my grandparents and great-grandparents on my dad's side of the family are from Wayne County, Kentucky so I suppose the tradition of food preservation is in my blood.
Since that first day canning pickles, I've grown more confident and experienced in my efforts and two years ago decided to make and preserve homemade turkey stock with a leftover turkey carcass from dinner. It's so much better than store bought, not to mention cheaper, and tastes exactly the same as chicken broth (which I also make whenever I cook a whole chicken for dinner).
(Also, the word "carcass" is so weird but "turkey bones" and "turkey skeleton" sound worse, plus I think *technically* a carcass consists of bones with meat still attached. But not nut meat because walnuts don't have bones.)
Moving on.
To make yourself some a' that there homemade stock, first you gotta throw your bird in a big ol' pot. To the CARCASS, add whatever veggies you have on hand. I happened to have onions, garlic, carrots, and celery and added rosemary, sage, a couple whole cloves, and some bay leaves. There's really no way to go wrong here unless you add cinnamon or nutmeg or something else that's more sweet than savory. Just kidding--I have no idea if sweet spices would ruin the flavor. If you like it, add it. You do you, boo.
Once your BONES and veggies are in the pot, add water almost to the top. Give yourself an inch or two to spare so it doesn't boil over and make a mess. At this point, turn your burner on high and bring the water to a boil. Once you reach boiling, put the lid on the pot, turn your burner down to a simmer, and let the contents cook and mingle for a good long while. I let my pot simmer for six hours but, again, there's no right or wrong here. The longer you let it simmer, the stronger the flavor so it's all personal preference. I've done this in the crock pot (DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME BECAUSE YOU'LL ONLY GET LIKE TWO QUARTS) and let it cook for close to twelve hours and it was still delicious.
After you've decided your stock has simmered long enough, you have one of two options:
...reheated my broth, and set everything up on the stove so I could get down to business.
At this point, things came to a grinding halt when I failed to notice my over-pressure gasket (which keeps me from exploding the canner and hurting myself) was missing until I had my broth heated up, jars hot and filled, and the canner ready to close.
There were tears. There was gnashing of teeth. There was also a quick trip to the hardware store to get the missing piece.
After replacing the gasket and bringing my canning water back up to temp (thankfully my jars of broth were still piping hot since the store is very close to home), I was ready to start processing.
Even though I feel fairly experienced at this, my pressure canner makes me nervous so I am still diligent about reading through the steps to processing jars. If memory serves me right, these had to be processed at eleven pounds of pressure for twenty-five minutes, at which point I could let the pressure go back to zero, vent the canner for ten minutes, open the lid, and carefully remove my jars to cool on the counter. Which is what I did.
So, there you have it. The short(ish) version of pressure canning homemade stock. Even though I'm not as fond of pressure canning as water bath canning, stock is one of my favorite things to make because we use it so often. I've had to restrain myself from going on a soup cooking bonanza and using up all five quarts over the span of a few days. We use broth most often in roasted tomato and red pepper soup, which is one of our most comforting winter recipes!
That was my first experience with canning and it was so satisfying to end up with lots of quarts of homemade preserved food for us to enjoy. Although that's what sparked my interest in canning, my grandparents and great-grandparents on my dad's side of the family are from Wayne County, Kentucky so I suppose the tradition of food preservation is in my blood.
Since that first day canning pickles, I've grown more confident and experienced in my efforts and two years ago decided to make and preserve homemade turkey stock with a leftover turkey carcass from dinner. It's so much better than store bought, not to mention cheaper, and tastes exactly the same as chicken broth (which I also make whenever I cook a whole chicken for dinner).
(Also, the word "carcass" is so weird but "turkey bones" and "turkey skeleton" sound worse, plus I think *technically* a carcass consists of bones with meat still attached. But not nut meat because walnuts don't have bones.)
Moving on.
To make yourself some a' that there homemade stock, first you gotta throw your bird in a big ol' pot. To the CARCASS, add whatever veggies you have on hand. I happened to have onions, garlic, carrots, and celery and added rosemary, sage, a couple whole cloves, and some bay leaves. There's really no way to go wrong here unless you add cinnamon or nutmeg or something else that's more sweet than savory. Just kidding--I have no idea if sweet spices would ruin the flavor. If you like it, add it. You do you, boo.
 |
| Don't worry, the turkey will break down as it simmers and the lid will fit over the contents |
Once your BONES and veggies are in the pot, add water almost to the top. Give yourself an inch or two to spare so it doesn't boil over and make a mess. At this point, turn your burner on high and bring the water to a boil. Once you reach boiling, put the lid on the pot, turn your burner down to a simmer, and let the contents cook and mingle for a good long while. I let my pot simmer for six hours but, again, there's no right or wrong here. The longer you let it simmer, the stronger the flavor so it's all personal preference. I've done this in the crock pot (DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME BECAUSE YOU'LL ONLY GET LIKE TWO QUARTS) and let it cook for close to twelve hours and it was still delicious.
After you've decided your stock has simmered long enough, you have one of two options:
- Strain the liquid into a large container, throw away the carcass and veggies, and put the liquid back in the pot to immediately began canning
- Strain the liquid into a large container, throw away the body and veggies, pour the liquid back into your pot, let it cool, shove it in the fridge, and can it in the morning
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| Quart jars so fresh and clean |
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| Red pan is to simmer lids and bands, stock pot immediately behind it, pressure canner to the right |
At this point, things came to a grinding halt when I failed to notice my over-pressure gasket (which keeps me from exploding the canner and hurting myself) was missing until I had my broth heated up, jars hot and filled, and the canner ready to close.
There were tears. There was gnashing of teeth. There was also a quick trip to the hardware store to get the missing piece.
After replacing the gasket and bringing my canning water back up to temp (thankfully my jars of broth were still piping hot since the store is very close to home), I was ready to start processing.
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| Six jars, nestled and cozy |
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| Six went in. Only five came out unscathed. |
So, there you have it. The short(ish) version of pressure canning homemade stock. Even though I'm not as fond of pressure canning as water bath canning, stock is one of my favorite things to make because we use it so often. I've had to restrain myself from going on a soup cooking bonanza and using up all five quarts over the span of a few days. We use broth most often in roasted tomato and red pepper soup, which is one of our most comforting winter recipes!
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