My solution for getting the last of the meat off the bone

[otto]

Toss them in a pot and make soup for myself. :lol3:

 

[txcatmom]

Good idea.  I've been reading how good for us bone broth can be.  They say if you add a little lemon or vinegar it helps leech all the goodness out of the bone and into the broth.  It is supposed to be great for joint health and other things.

ETA:  Here's a link to an article if you are interested....

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful

 

[otto]

It was while I was cutting up turkey thighs today that I thought of it. While I do find using scissors much easier than a knife, still my arthritic hands do get tired and lose strength quickly. I just can't stand the idea of wasting the shreds of meat that I just can't get to, on the bones.

So today it occurred to me to just make a pot of soup them instead. It smells yummy in here!

Hey thanks for the tip about the vinegar! I'll put some in right now. Yes, the bones contain collagen protein, one of the reason bones are good for cats, too. (you have to simmer for 4-5 hours I guess, to release the collagen. Maybe the vinegar hastens that)

 

[ritz]

I learned that it is easier to cut off the last morsel of meat from the bone if the meat is somewhat frozen; it seems to be easier to differentiate between the bone and meat.

I am of the philosophy that if I can't nuke it, I don't buy it; on the other hand, what I can't use for Ritz, I give to the cat colony I take care of.

 

[otto]

By the way, my soup stock came out FANTASTIC. (it was my second attempt at soup stock) I did add some vinegar, plus ended up simmering it for about 8 hours total. I now have a growing store of other leg and thigh bones in the freezer, remaining from cutting up various fowl for the cats. When the turkey stock is used up, I'll be able to make another pot of stock. The next one will be a combo of cornish hen, turkey and ckicken.

 

[peaches08]

Resurrecting an old thread here; I have some raw chicken thigh bones that I've saved in the freezer and want to try making stock in the crock pot. Do I need to roast them first? Should I break the bones open?
I read somewhere about throwing out the first water, something about blood broth? That seemed weird to me, but I'm pitifully ignorant about making broth.

 

[pinkman]

Ah! The blood broth - I'm assuming that's what westerners call when the stock has a brownish tint. This is due to the iron/blood from the bones. Here's a good explanation:

 In the early stages, while the water is still too cold to actually start cooking the bones, but while there's still enough to allow the bones to start giving up their goods, you'll notice that the water turns a pale pink from the pigments coming out of them (a combination of hemoglobin—the pigment that colors blood—and myoglobin—the analogous pigment for muscle tissue). Continue to cook, and the color appears to go away, but in reality, it's merely lurking in the shadows, waiting for time, concentration, and oxygen to do their work, transforming them into deep brown pigments.

I don't mind it, but aesthetically I do prefer to blanche the bones first:

The only way to get rid of them? Wash those bones, and wash'em well.

The best way to do this is to cover the bones with cold water and bring the whole pot to a boil, allowing the blood vessels and muscle fibers to tighten up and begin squeazing out their unwanted contents (this stuff, by the way, is what you are skimming away when making a French stock). As soon as the water comes to a boil, dump the entire contents into the sink.

And then you clean clean clean them. Do I break the bones? Not really, but if you want to, you can! Once you start simmering again, you'll want to tediously scoop any foam that rises.

Source for the explanations is http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/02/how-to-make-tonkotsu-ramen-broth-at-home-recipe.html  which is actually an explanation of how to make Japanese Tonkotsu Broth (Japanese Pork Bone Broth). 

 

[otto]

Just put the bones and savories (I use onion and celery) in water and boil for 6 -8 hours. Strain it and freeze it in individual portions. (at least that's what I do) Then when I want some soup I just take out a container, pop the frozen stock into a saucepan, heat it up and throw in a handful of cooked chicken (also already in the freezer). If you like veggies in your soup you could add some at this point. I don't. I like a thick slice of cranberry sauce instead. I put the cranberry sauce in the soup mug then pour the boiling hot soup over it. Mmmmmm, good.

 

[cat dad]

Add your bones to the pot and cover with cold water and bring to the simmer while skimming all the scum that floats to the top. Then add your veg - onions, carrots, celery, whatever (avoid starchy veg) and some thyme and parsley is nice. Bring back to the simmer and simmer uncovered for 4-6 hours skimming all the while. Then strain. You can then boil and reduce down. Don't add any salt until you know what you are going to use the stock for. The liquid will evaporate while cooking and make the stock too salty.

You can roast the bones and veg first to create a slightly darker and richer stock.

 

[peaches08]

Thanks everybody! I chose not to remove the blood broth, I'll try it first "with" whatever blood may be in it. I'm an adventurous eater. The cranberry slice sounds divine!!!

 

[ritz]

And, remove cat(s) from vicinity.
Seriously though: do your cats want to get too close to the pot during those four hours?

 

[otto]

I simmer for 6 hours minimum to make sure the bones have released all the collagen. I keep a cover on, not tight, so steam can escape, and the cats don't get bother the pot. However I just heard from a friend whose kitten raided her slow cooker while they were out, in spite of the heavy glass lid. :lol3:

 

[peaches08]

Thankfully mine left the crock pot alone. I cooked it on low for about 26 hours.

Oh! I had some cheap cheesecloth and used it in the sieve when I emptied the crock pot...made for easy cleanup of the sieve!