No matter what I do, my stock won’t gel. It tastes great, but no matter what recipe I try, even recipes that say they should gel, it still remains liquid in the fridge. This is the case for both beef and chicken stock. I made both types yesterday, and after 24 hours at the lowest possible simmer, the chicken bones were practically disintegrating and the smaller beef bones were getting soft. Both batches taste amazing, but they’ve been in the fridge for hours and are still liquid.
What’s your ratio of bones:water? What’s it’s texture like in the fridge? Is it viscous or as thin as normal water? If it gets thicker the colder it gets, that means there’s some gelatin in there but not enough to gel, if there’s not, you’re doing something wrong and not extracting the gelatin.
If you’re using previously cooked bones to make your stock then it will not gel nearly as well. For example, say you roast a chicken for Friday supper and then decide to throw the bones into the stock pot. Technically, you will get stock, just not a stock rich in collagen which is what makes it set like meaty Jell-o.
Use raw bones, preferably with a bit of meat on them, add just enough water to cover and simmer 6-8 hours. That should be all there is to it. Don’t let it get too hot. The collagen proteins can be damaged by keeping them at too high a temp for too long.
Just out of curiosity, what’s your water quality like? I’ve heard untested, unverified claims that ridiculously hard water can negatively affect stock making.
My guess would be that you have too much water, or you’re overcooking it. My wife makes stock from store bought roasted chicken, and it gels up. One chicken carcass, enough water to cover, a few herbs and veggies, 3 packs of Knox Gelatin*, simmer for a few hours and Bob’s your uncle, chicken stock that gels.
I looked up a couple of sites (google “boiling destroy gelatin”), and they mention that the gelling power of gelatin is ruined by boiling, so your 24 hour simmer may be doing the same thing.
Mine always gels. Here’s the exact recipe for white chicken stock:
7# Chicken thighs & wings. If I have raw carcasses, I’ll use those as well, but I never usually have enough around so I buy big family packs of thighs & wings when they’re on sale.
~ 1.75# onions, peeled & cut up
~ .75# carrots, peeled & cut up
~ .75# celery, peeled & cut up
A handful of peppercorns
A handful of fresh thyme. Or dried, in a pinch.
A couple bay leaves
Put the bones/meat in a big stock pot. Add water until they are just covered - you don’t want a lot of extra water.
Bring to a very low simmer. Keep it there for 4-5 hours. Never ever ever let it boil.
Skim any foam from the top as it forms.
The last hour or so of cooking, add the veggies.
That’s it. Note that I do not add salt; I sometimes want to reduce stock, and salt makes that hard. So I add it when I use the stock in something.
Variations:
Brown chicken stock: brown the meat & bones in the oven before making stock
Beef stock: use beef bones & meat. I like neck bones that come with meat, or marrow bones. Brown them in the oven before making stock.
I think the best way to get it to gel is to simmer it for a long, long, loooonnnng time. Until the bones crumble easily. Also, if you happen to have a big pile of wing tips (like, say, after making Buffalo wings) add them in. I’ve found they give up the goo much more readily.
I always use roast chicken carcasses, and they gel up fine. I save them in the freezer (with any leftover veges, some gravy and stuffing) until I have three carcasses. Into the stockpot with some carrots, onions, and celery if there is any, and boil. Strain for a clear stock, or just pick all the bones out and use the handheld blender to turn it into creamy chicken soup.
Cleaving/cracking the bones also helps in getting all the gelling goodness out. It’s not required, but it seems to make a richer and more gelled stock in my experience.
Skin is the key. Skin, cartilage and connective tissue reduce to gelatin. If you’re just getting a pile of bones from the butcher it’s going to be tough to achieve.
You don’t need any skin for the stock to gel. Bones contain more than enough collagen. I usually skin my chickens for stock (I leave little flaps of it here and there, like on the wings, for instance), and it gels up just fine.
It’s the texture - it gels because the gelatin in the bones & skin melts, and the resulting stock has a velvety mouthfeel that’s very pronounced. Another benefit is you can reduce the stock to make sauces - it’ll thicken up on its own without any starch or other additives.
This time the beef stock gelled up pretty well. The chicken didn’t at all, but that might be due to using cooked carcasses. It tasted great, but no gelling. I’ll try the wings and thighs recipe Athena posted next time.
Chicken feet. Don’t knock it 'till you try it, they make the best chicken stock you’ll ever taste. They’re so jam-packed with connective tissue it’s probably impossible to make a stock that doesn’t gel. Take your pick. They also have the advantage of being dirt cheap.
Now as to where you get chicken feet, well the Food Lion and Wal-Mart around here both carry them, but I’m aware that this is somewhat anomalous. But the meat-counter guy should be able to order some for you.
I can understand using spare trimmings or leftover meats for using stock, but is it really worth spending all that money on good high quality meat just to make stock?
I make mine at home using left over carcases and trimmings, I imagine that full cuts may have more flavor, but a good part of why I make it is to save money on store bought stock.
