When we processed our last round of ducks we decided to piece them out (breasts, legs, wings) and save the carcasses for stock. Today was the Detroit Lions bye week, so I took the opportunity to make duck stock.
The first step was to coat the bones with canola oil and salt. I then roasted them for an hour at 400 degrees. I used 6 the bodies and necks of 6 ducks.
After roasting, I put the bones in a very large stock pot and covered them with water. I simmered the bones for about 3 hours.
While the bones were simmering, I tossed chopped onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in the duck fat and roasted the veggies in the oven for 45 minutes. After roasting, I added a few cups of water to scrape up the bits stuck to the pan.
Next, I stirred everything together, along with sage, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and pepper. I cooked this for another 2 hours.
Once cooked, I removed the bones and strained out the veggies and herbs. I used paper towels in a sieve, replacing the paper towels several times.
After straining, I simmered the stock for a while longer, concentrating the flavor.
Finally, I put the stock in canning jars, let them cool a bit, and put them in the freezer. I don’t have a pressure canner, which is why I did not can the stock. I ended up with 10 pints!
I used the recipe from Hank Shaw’s “Duck Duck Goose” as a guideline.
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