Once you’ve learned how to make bone broth, do you know what the perfect simmer looks like? Many people don’t even with much experience making broth. It is very easy to have the broth roll too high or too low which affects taste and quality of the gelatin.
It’s important to get this right folks!
At our home, we like to roast 2 ducks for Christmas dinner. I get more than a little excited about the incredibly flavorful gallon or so of duck stock from this effort.
I talk quite a bit about the importance of homemade stock in the diet and how crucial it is to make stock yourself on a frequent basis and have some ready in your freezer at all times for quick meals as well as any illnesses that might strike your household.
The Perfect Simmer on Your Stock VIDEO DEMO
For those of you just learning the ropes about homemade stock, I’ve filmed a one minute video to show you exactly what the perfect simmer should look like once you’ve brought that stock to a boil and turned down the heat.
I get a lot of questions about the perfect simmer, so instead of attempting to describe with words, I thought a visual to show you exactly what the ideal simmer looks like would be more effective.
TIP: Â The longer you cook the stock, the richer the flavor will be. On the other hand, the longer you simmer, the more glutamates in broth. So, if you are sensitive, best to go shorter and make meat stock instead.
Be sure to have your simmer no higher than what I show in the video so you can easily cook it for 24-48 hours and get the richest flavor possible!
Sources and More Information
My Youtube playlist of over ten videos on all aspects of making bone broth
How to Make Turkey Stock
The Healthiest and Best Bone Broth
How to Make Duck Stock
How to Make Beef and Chicken Stock
How to Make Shrimp Stock
5 Reasons Why Your Stock Won’t Gel
Confused about Stock versus Bone Broth?
wow – clearly I am cooking my stock way too high!! Thanks for that video – that’s very helpful. It would’ve been hard to understand it without the video. Merry Christmas!!!!
The stock doesn’t come out tasting as good if you cook at too high a temp.
As for the waxed fruit, I would probably peel it! Not sure I would want to eat that stuff whatever it is.
I always make stock in my crock pot and leave it overnight so I don’t have to leave my gas stove on so long. Even on low it boils more than yours. Is there some reason this would be a problem? My stock always comes out wonderful, but maybe I’m destroying some beneficial minerals or something. I have another question unrelated to stock. I just received a gift box of pears which say “in order to maintain freshness; this fruit has been coated with food grade vegetable petroleum beeswax and or lac-resin based wax or resin.” We don’t ever buy waxed fruit, but these were a gift so we’ll probably eat them. wondering if you have any info. thanks for all your great information!
I have a gas stove and no matter how low I turn the flame, it still eventually starts to leave the simmer you showed and moves to a boil. The stock pot I use too is very large, yours was much smaller, so what to do? The stock sure comes out clear and gelatinous even if it is above a gurgle. Thoughts on this and what I can do?
Maybe make the stock in a crockpot like many posting here do or try a smaller stockpot so a smaller area of the pot is exposed to the flame. It really needs to be just a gurgle.
Mikki, you can get a simmer plate. I have one since I find it so hard to simmer with my gas stove. It is a lifesaver. Mine came with the stove but I bet you can buy them anywhere.
I make my stock in a crock pot so I don’t have to worry about it.
Wow, I’m making chicken broth today for the first time and this video is very helpful! Though mine is going into the crockpot, but still I now know what to look for when its done.
Thank you! I have been wondering about this!
Duck! Yummo! Thank you for the video…I love the visual:) Btw, where do you get your duck?
For the privacy of my farmers, I never post my sources on my blog.
Thanks Sarah…. I have been on the right track. LOL I have a gas stove so don’t feel comfortable going to bed with an open flame in case it were to blow out at night for some reason. I do know that my oven is part electric as if the electric goes out the oven goes off but it goes off safely so I simmer my stock through the evening but then put it into a 225 oven over night. That seems to be working well as I get a nice rich broth when all is said and done. Do you see anything wrong with this?
Rule #1 is this: Make Stock. If this is the way you feel comfortable doing it given your particular situation at home, then that is the way it should be. 🙂
…question Sarah: What brand is your cookware?
Great vid by the way. I learned this from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything a long time ago; but it is nice to see someone in the Traditional Foods community confirm it for me.
Queen cookware. Bought it 20 years ago when I got married and still going strong 🙂
THAT was awesome…and perfect!