Smoked Chicken Stock
Homemade smoked chicken stock using the leftover carcass from smoking whole chickens. This is a rich bone broth with a hint of delicious smoke flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 carcass from a 4-to-5-pound smoked chicken
- 1 onion quartered
- 2 carrots cut into thirds
- 2 stocks of celery cut into thirds
- ½ head of garlic unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
- 10 sprigs of fresh thyme or the equivalent of a small handful
- 10 sprigs of fresh dill
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 4-5 quarts cool water plus more as needed
Instructions
- Place the chicken carcass and parts, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, dill, peppercorns, bay leaf, and water in a large pot over high heat. The water should come high enough to just cover the chicken and veggies. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 4 hours.
- Strain the contents through a fine colander (I strained twice. Once to remove any large pieces, and a second time through a very fine colander.)
- Chill the stock overnight. The next day, remove any surface fat, then transfer the stock into quart size containers and use within a couple days or freeze.
Notes
You may find that the stock will get a bit gelatinous after it’s chilled. That’s okay (it’s actually a good thing!)! Once you re-warm it the gelatinous texture will go away. If it’s too thick or rich for your liking, just thin it out with a bit of water.