# How many bones do you need for stock? (e.g. chicken or beef stock)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** food-cooking
**Created:** [January 5, 2023, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735 "2023-01-05T18:00:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/1 "2023-01-05T18:00:46Z")
I often see recipes that tell you to keep some scraps from your chicken or turkey or beef to use to make stock.
But, when I cook I do not have that many scraps. Maybe some wing tips. Maybe some fat from beef and a few beef bones. Sometimes the backbone of the chicken and maybe the giblets (heart, kidneys, etc).
It never seems to amount to much. Sure I could boil those few scraps but it seems it will not come close to producing a good stock in anywhere close to a usable amount.
What am I missing? Am I misunderstanding how good of a stock a few bones will make?
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### Author:  [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/2 "2023-01-05T18:16:34Z")
I make my own turkey broth for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I buy a couple turkey legs, roast them in an oven till the skin is nice and dark. I slice the skin and meat with a knife and they go in the stock pot. I also plan a dinner with KFC chicken prior to making my stock, all those bones go in the pot. Then I add some onions, celery, pepper, bay leaves, and any other spices that sound interesting. 2 spices I will never add again are cumin and smoked paprika, ruined a couple batches doing this. Simmer for 4 or 5 hours keeping an eye on the liquid level. I don’t add salt till the very end then it’s just a pinch. If anything needs salt using the broth like stuffing or gravy, I will season it with salt at that time. I pull the leg meat off the bone then that goes in a cheese cloth bag with all the vegies. I squeeze as much of the liquid out of that as I can. The broth is strained to remove any solids, cooled and any solid fats are skimmed and it is ready to use.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/3 "2023-01-05T18:31:25Z")
About three pounds for a gallon of water.
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### Author:  [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/4 "2023-01-05T18:38:11Z")
Rather than beiing picky about making either chicken of beef stock I just make soup stock. Keep all the bones and end peices off meat and bones after cooking. And also the tops and butt end peices of carrots, celery, tops and anything else you may cut off onions. Keep all those things that might otherwise go in the garbage or compost, in a bag in the freezer, and then make soup stock in the Instapot when I’ve got a full bag.
Most dishes you will cook with stock don’t care if it is mostly beef, chicken, of vegtables, it is just that stock is much better to cook with than using plain water.
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/5 "2023-01-05T18:42:39Z")
Thanks. I never had a sense of proportion for this.
Does that weight include veg added? Or just bones? Or meat and bones?
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/6 "2023-01-05T18:44:09Z")
No, just bones for that weight. I never do a pure bone stick though. I always add some meat, like a pound of it, unless the bones are already plenty meaty. Even then, I like a little extra chicken-ness in it.
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### Author:  [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/7 "2023-01-05T18:46:21Z")
You can roast the bones before boiling, too.
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### Author:  [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/8 "2023-01-05T19:03:28Z")
Whole chicken carcass and all bones.
Longer explainer: We make chicken stock fairly often, but there is not much in terms of fuss. Stock is made whenever we are having a whole roasted chicken. Usually that means one cooked in a large, covered metal pot in the oven on top of veggies and rice or potatoes, or from the BBQ rotisserie during the summer. We just take the remaining carcass after most of the meat is removed and all the bones (but try to minimize skin) and toss it into a large pot. Add one whole yellow onion, carrot, and celery stalk - each quartered, and water enough to cover everything. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and leave on the stove for 3-4 hours. Taste near the end for saltiness and add if needed. Scoop out all the solids to a bowl and strain the broth into containers.
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/9 "2023-01-05T19:14:16Z")
> [@snowthx](#):
>
> Whole chicken carcass and all bones.
That’s generally what we do too; it makes about a half-gallon worth of stock when all’s said and done. Usually onions, garlic, carrots and celery, along with some thyme as far as herbs/aromatics go. Basically you put it in a pot that holds the carcass, cover it with water, and simmer it for a _long_ time. Overnight even.
If you’ve got a pressure cooker, you can do it faster, although it won’t quite taste the same as a long-cooked stock, for good or ill.
When we’ve got a turkey, we just scale it up accordingly. And if we’ve got a ham, we usually save the bone and whatever gristle & not easily recoverable meat, and do the same. Makes for terrific split pea soup, or just a soup with leftover ham, carrots, and potatoes.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/10 "2023-01-05T19:14:31Z")
We made lamb broth a few years ago. I helped a buddy kill/butcher/shrink wrap five lambs. I took a huge feed-sack of bones and scrap home with me.
We had three big stock pots going at once. The aroma was heavenly. We had lamb broth in the freezer for a long time, using it as needed.
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### Author:  [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/11 "2023-01-05T19:40:05Z")
> [@bump](#):
>
> Usually onions, garlic, carrots and celery, along with some thyme as far as herbs/aromatics go.
Agreed. I forgot to mention the chicken is seasoned with herbs and spices for it’s first round, so when we use the bones for the second round we don’t want to over-season the broth - the bones and some skin usually add enough flavor from the first round.
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/12 "2023-01-05T19:45:57Z")
Good point. We usually also put some whole peppercorns in.
No salt though; we’ve found that doing it unsalted allows us to adjust our dishes more finely as far as salt is concerned.
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### Author:  [@Tierce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tierce)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/13 "2023-01-05T20:57:50Z")
My rule of thumb, from the Frugal Gourmet long ago: one pound of meat units for one quart of stock. Scale vegetables appropriately.
Concur on the no-salt thing. Salt is an ingredient; stock should also be an ingredient, not a finished dish that contains other ingredients. You can always add salt later, but you can’t subtract it.
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/14 "2023-01-05T21:02:48Z")
Thanks everyone for the advice.
My main issue was proportions. How many bones, how much meat, how much veg and how much water to get x-amount of stock.
It never seems I have enough bones to bother.
As an aside…is home made stock noticeably better than the stuff in a box/can? (which is to say is it worth the effort?..boxed stock is dirt cheap)
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### Author:  [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/15 "2023-01-05T21:08:58Z")
I only did it once, but I tossed in a whole peruvian chicken carcass, spices and all, into about 8 cups of water and added nothing else. I didn’t even know I was making chicken stock; I was trying to make bonemeal for the vegetable garden! And yet, that stock tasted better than anything I’ve had from a can or box.
So if any of you attempt this method, you can get a _third_ use from your rotisserie. When you strain out the bones from the stock, toss them in the air fryer for like 30 minutes, then pulverize them with a hammer. [Sprinkle into your garden](https://balconygardenweb.com/how-to-make-bone-meal-fertilizer-at-home/) soil to prevent blossom end rot and to grow long, healthy roots.
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### Author:  [@Tierce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tierce)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/16 "2023-01-05T21:10:54Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#):
>
> It never seems I have enough bones to bother.
Save ‘em in a freezer bag until you have enough, and/or go to a butcher and buy enough chicken backs (cheap) to make enough for a batch.
Veg proportions I use: for each pound of meat units, 1 carrot, 1 rib of celery, and 1/4-1/5 of a big onion. (Yes, I make chicken stock in batches of about 5 quarts.) Also a few peppercorns, but no other seasonings.
Finally, make sure your stock pot’s volume is about 4x the amount of stock you want to make, to allow room for the solids, boiling, stirring, etc.
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### Author:  [@Tierce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tierce)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/17 "2023-01-05T21:14:55Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#):
>
> As an aside…is home made stock noticeably better than the stuff in a box/can?
It seems hard to find prepackaged stock that isn’t heavily salted. Even the “1/3 less sodium” version is 1/3 less than a huge amount. Fine for a bowl of soup, not so good for deglazing the turkey pan.
Also, as a matter of personal taste, I think pre made stock sometimes has a “cooked forever” flavor, whereas homemade is a lighter and fresher flavor…
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/18 "2023-01-05T21:16:45Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#):
>
> My main issue was proportions. How many bones, how much meat, how much veg and how much water to get x-amount of stock.
You’re way overthinking it.
Stock recipe:
A bunch of bones. Whatever’s in your freezer.
A bunch of leftover vegetables. Whatever’s in your freezer.
A carrot.
An onion.
A celery.
Step 1) Put garbage in pot.
Step 2) Add exactly one “whole bunch” of water.
Step 3) Simmer.
Step 4) Simmer.
Step 5) Simmer.
Step 6) Simmer.
Step 7) Cool.
Step 8) Strain.
Now you have stock! It’s delicious! You did it!
If you’re making stock for a specific recipe, like lamb stock for your shepherd’s pie, you can be more careful because you’re looking to emphasize flavors. But 9 times in 10 it’s just gonna be, “oh man, the ol’ bone bag is bulging.\* Time for stock!”
\*get your minds out of the gutter, you animals.
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/19 "2023-01-05T21:37:27Z")
Do they need to be raw (uncooked) bones or can I roast a chicken, carve the meat off and then use what is left? Or, get the raw meat off then roast the bones and boil them?
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### Author:  [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2023, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-bones-do-you-need-for-stock-e-g-chicken-or-beef-stock/977735/20 "2023-01-05T21:52:58Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#):
>
> carve the meat off and then use what is left?
This is our method - very simple. Altho I do try to leave out most of the skin - it does add a lot of flavor but also a lot of fat.
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