Brown Stock

By John, 13 November, 2018
Region
Escoffier
Description
This "Estouffade" is the base and essential ingredient of many, many excellent sauces and soups. This recipe is normalized to one quart for ease of comparison, but it's silly to make less than a stock-pot full, as it is so useful, and of course it freezes well. 
Yield
1 Quart
Preparation time
5 minutes
Ingredients
16 oz Beef Shin
16 oz Veal Shin
2 oz Ham
2 oz pork rind
1 1⁄2 oz carrots (chopped finely)
1 1⁄2 oz onions (chopped finely)
1 Bouquet Garnis (Parsley, Celery, Thyme, Bay Leaf)
1 1⁄4 q Cold Water
Instructions
  1. Brown the bones and meat in a heavy pot in the oven.
  2. Add the carrots and onions and cold water and set on the stovetop on high heat.
  3. As soon as the pot nears the boil, reduce the heat.
  4. Skim the fat and scum and continue at a simmer for 12 hours.
  5. All the while, stir occasionally and skim. You are extracting all the beefy goodness from the bones and meat, and this takes time at low heat.
  6. Ultimately, fish out the bones, vegetables, and other solids and scum from the pot with a slotted spoon, until you have only the stock remaining.
  7. Let cool, on the stovetop or outdoors in a safe place on a cold night (I use the trunk of my car).
  8. In the morning, the fat will have formed a solid firm layer on top; remove this.
  9. Clarify the remaining stock by whisking into it the whites and shells of an egg. Bring the stock to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. When it reaches the simmer, stop stirring and let it sit on the heat for 10 minutes, and then off the heat for 10 minutes more.
  10. The egg protein and shell will have attracted all manner of impurities, clarifying the stock. Strain it through cheesecloth into a clean jar and refrigerate,