Course: Prep

Basic Brown Stock

This is a basic recipe for brown stock, using bones and meat from just about any seafood, game, poultry or livestock. Click here for a detailed treatise on stock.

Poultry Brine

Brining improves flavor, reduces toughness, and adds moisture. Most meats benefit – but lean, tough meats (like game) benefit most of all.For wild birds brining opens up vast cooking options that otherwise may produce dry, tough meat.

Cocktail Sauce

It’s sad that many restaurants no longer accompany shellfish like shrimp and crab with this iconic American dipping sauce.  Nowadays what they bring seems bland and sort of pointless, completely lacking “zing”.    Yeah, I get it. Shellfish flesh has a delicate flavor. And there Read More …

Poultry Stock

Of course this works best with wild birds like turkey, pheasant — or even a big mess of quail. Don’t just “breast ’em out” and toss the rest — all those bones and meat are the ticket to great stock!

Preparing Poultry for Stock

With processed chickens, the whole weight will equate to about 52% boneless meat, 20% skin and 28% bones.

Game birds will be different but not dramatically so – except that they will have much less fat.

So, for instance, to get 12 lbs of bones you may need over 40 lbs of poultry.

Regardless, save the skins! Tremendous flavor there – even from store-bought critters. Of course with game that means you need to do a thorough plucking job… which can be a big hassle!

Normally your limiting factor for the number of “Servings” is one of two things: the weight of bones you have available, and the size of your largest stock pot (unless you split it into multiple pots).

So fiddle with the pot size below until you come up with a number that is both a) not bigger than your biggest pot and b) not more bones than you have on hand. All of the other ingredients will fall into line.

Chipotle Mayo

A spicy, delicious condiment that makes things pop!

Clarified Butter Sous Vide

Clarified butter is a common kitchen term for butterfat – which is what’s left after you remove the water and milk-solids from butter. Traditionally it’s made by heating butter to around 260°F and holding it there (stirring occasionally) until the last of the water is Read More …

Russian Dressing

For venison Reubens, etc. Less “meh” than Thousand Island.

Roasted Ghost hot sauce

Ghost peppers also go by the name Naga Jolokia or Bhut Jolokia. If you were as evil as them you’d travel with alternative id’s too.