There are a few of ways to do this depending on meat preference, whether you’re roasting the meat and whether you have a slow cooker. We have a slow cooker and often we have a leftover roast chicken carcass so here’s how we do it:
Place in slow cooker (or on the stove to low simmer):
- Whole leftover roast chicken carcass (take the lemon out of the cavity – gives quite a lemony kick if you leave it in!)
- +/- chicken feet, necks etc (more health benefits)
- Peeled clove or two of garlic, a couple of halved onions, roughly chopped carrots and a stick of celery
- Bunch of fresh herbs like thyme, sage, parsley, oregano
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Cover with cold water. Set to low for 8-12 hours. Sieve and store cold in the fridge for drinking or use in soups within a couple of days or freeze in an ice cube tray for reheating.
For beef bones:
Leftover roast beef or get some cheap bones from the butcher – knuckles, marrow bones, feet – you can roast these first (better flavour) or use as is. Beef bones you can simmer for longer as they aren’t as small and delicate as chicken bones.
If making a general stock for use in recipes you can simmer for 3-4 hours, but the longer you simmer the more of the good stuff like collagen and gelatine are extracted.
TIP: When cooking dinners, save the ends of vegetables that you would usually throw out like the stumps of broccoli, leek, ends of onions and carrots and keep them in the freezer. When its time to make stock you have your veg ready to go.