Page 178 - Barbecue Chicken Made Easy

heat so the liquid simmers gently and let it cook, uncovered, reducing in volume. After a short while you will see a scum form on the surface. This is protein and although most cookbooks tell you to skim it off, some chefs maintain it makes no difference if you leave it in, especially if you don’t mind a cloudy stock. It will come out when you strain it.
2| Taste. After at least an hour and up to 3 hours, taste the stock. You may want to continue reducing it. If you wish, you can make it very concentrated then dilute it later when ready to use.
3| Strain. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the stock through a strainer into a bowl. Discard the solids. You now will have a coarse chicken stock that is cloudy. You can stop here or to clarify it a bit, line a strainer or colander with a double layer of cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Ladle the stock through the colander into the saucepan. Let it drain for a few minutes, pressing down gently. Taste and reduce some more if you wish. Don’t add salt. Do that when you use it.
4| Chill. Let the stock come to room temperature before cooling (putting hot liquids in the fridge can drive the fridge temperature up). Then chill. When it cools, scoop the solidified fat off the top. You can use the fat for frying or discard it. Notice that the remaining stock has gelatinized. That’s good! That’s what homemade stocks do, and the gelatin contributes tremendous to mouthfeel to whatever you make with the stock.