“As a hunter, I pride myself on using as much as possible from the animals I kill. One great way to really maximize the yield from a game animal is to make a stock from the bones. The more bones the better, as far as stocks are concerned, so I will stockpile bones from multiple animals in the freezer until I am ready to make a batch of wild game stock. For this recipe, I am using a combination of bones from coastal black bear and Haida Gwaii Blacktail bucks.” – Connor Gabbott
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If using bones from larger animals such as elk or moose it helps to cut the bones into 6” to 8” pieces with a bone saw or hacksaw.
Stock takes time to make, but the applications are endless, and it’s a great thing to have on hand. When made properly, a good stock will be golden to dark brown in color, be full-flavored, and have some body to it.
To keep a stock versatile for many uses, season them very lightly or not at all. This recipe uses a small amount of soy sauce to season the stock at the end. Should you want to reduce the stock for another use, omitting this step is recommended.
This stock makes a great base for soups, consommé, braising dishes, pasta, and more.
As a general rule, wild game is quite safe to eat, but it is important to be aware of potential diseases associated with wild animals. For this reason, I avoid using any bones that contain spinal cord and brain material and instead focus on leg bones and ribs.
Makes approximately 1 gallon.
INGREDIENTS
6-8 lbs Game bones.
Note: If using bones from larger animals such as elk or moose it helps to cut the bones into 6” to 8” pieces with a bone saw or hacksaw
2 Onions, roughly chopped
2 Carrots, roughly chopped
3 sticks celery, roughly chopped
1 head garlic, halved
½ cup Tomato paste
1 tbsp Black peppercorns, whole
3 Bay leaves
12 sprigs fresh thyme
4-5 tbsp Soy sauce
STEPS
1. Preheat an oven to 375°F and spread the bones out on a baking sheet. Use a convection oven if possible.
2. Roast the bones in the oven, mixing intermittently, until all the bones are dark golden brown. Depending on your oven, this could take between 30 and 45 minutes.
3. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the roasting pan and continue to roast for another 15 minutes.
4. Transfer all the bones and vegetables to a very large stockpot.
5. Add 2 cups of water to the pan and roast again for 5 minutes. This helps loosen any bits of roasted meat and juices that are stuck to the pan.
6. Scrape the pan into the pot and cover the bones with cold water, approximately 15 quarts.
7. Add the tomato paste, peppercorns, bay leaves, and thyme to the pot, and bring to a simmer.
8. As the stock comes to a simmer, fats, and impurities will start to float on top of the stock. Use a ladle to skim these off the top of the stock and discard.
9. Simmer the stock gently and continue to skim the top until the stock has reduced by two-thirds of its original volume. This may take up to 4-6 hours.
10. Remove the stock from the heat and strain once through a coarse strainer and once through a fine strainer.
11. Add the soy sauce at a ratio of 1 tbsp per quart of stock.
12. Transfer the stock to plastic containers and freeze until needed.
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