Anybody else making bone stock with your elk or deer bones ?

[mt terry d]

Wife makes a ton of it.

And shank is spectacular as well as very healthy

 

[welkin]

I do. Specifically with the elk. I also eat the bone marrow of elk. Put it on a piece of toast with some salt. Omg, it's to die for. I can't tell the difference between it and beef marrow.

I used to do broth in bulk, then can it. But due to the fat it still can get rancid. So now I cut the bone up, freeze, then just make it as I need it.

In your experience, how long do you have before the fat goes rancid after canning?

 

[peterk123]

In your experience, how long do you have before the fat goes rancid after canning?

These were over a year old so I'd look to use them before that. Canning is tricky with anything that has a lot of fat in it. The good thing is, you know when it's bad.

 

[welkin]

These were over a year old so I'd look to use them before that. Canning is tricky with anything that has a lot of fat in it. The good thing is, you know when it's bad.

Great. Just canned bear bone broth and left some fat in there. Guess I'll just use it first before the deer bone broth I made.

 

[nickyman22]

I've been trying to do it more this season. Made a batch with antelope bones, batch with bear, and one with deer. Surprisingly the bear was my favorite but all turned out good! Started out browning everything and taking extra steps, now just tossing bones and extra veggies into a stockpot and simmer for a day or two.

 

[Englishjc]

Yeah you don’t want to boil it unless it’s under pressure (pressure cooker) or you will emulsify the fat into the stock. I pour off all the rendered marrow fat after I roast the bones, before I put them in the pressure cooker. It’s worth figuring it out, as there’s so much good nutrition in the bones and we’re packing them out anyways most of the time.

One thing worth mentioning is that you don’t want to use any vertebrae. The rib bones might also be a little gamey depending on what organs you hit.

If you want a more meaty flavor you can brown some trim and add it in towards the end of cooking or just leave a little extra on the bones when you’re butchering.

If you want the best “gravy” ever, look up a recipe for Demi glacé - basically you add aromatics and meat and reduce the stock by 1/2 for a very concentrated flavor. This is how fancy restaurants build sauces. When it’s done right, the Demi will set up tighter than jello and you can freeze it in cubes and you don’t have to do anything more than bring it to a simmer and pour it over your steaks . I did big write ups on this in other forums back in the day but I don’t think anyone really tried it.

Why dont you want to use vertebrae?

 

[HunterGatherer]

Why dont you want to use vertebrae?

Honestly, you probably can. I worked as a chef for a long time and we never used them. I think they told us it was because of prion diseases like “mad cow” iirc. Now the caution is about CWD in cervids but some people think there is no cause for concern since CWD has not jumped to humans. I said it more as a disclaimer. You might find through your own research that the risk is acceptable and choose to use them.

 

[HunterGatherer]

another aspect for me is that I am usually backpack hunting and I can only get out so many loads before things start to spoil or the critters start chewing on things. Making an additional round trip for the spine is just too much.