Did I think LIke a Chef?

[thecuriousone]

Hi All- I am a passionate ameteur and I wanted some feed back on what to do with a barbequed roaster carcas. What I did was throw it in a stock pot with some water, carrots, celery and create a stock. I then cleaned the carcass of the meat, discarding the skin, mixed it with veggies, and little fresh chicken stock from the freezer, fresh sage and made pot pie. I'm left with 6 cups of stock that have a smoked (somewhat acrid) taste. I'm going on the assumption that a chef would have some tricks to make this stock usaable. My questions are the following:

1. Is there a way to counter what I think are the burned surgars in the stock so it is usable without that off taste? (I'd be willing to freeze it in ice cube trays in order to give a slightly smoky flavor to soups.)

2. Did I make the best use of the leftover chicken? The pot pie made 6 portions (although my huband ate 3 portions at a time- but thats not a chef issue).

Thanks for any suggestions.

[judiu]

1.  Is there a way to counter what I think are the burned surgars in the stock so it is usable without that off taste?  (I'd be willing to freeze it in ice cube trays in order to give a slightly smoky flavor to soups.)

Thanks for any suggestions.

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I'm not a chef either, but the old potato-in-the-oversalted-soup trick might work. Chunk up a potato, cook in the broth, remove it and discard; hopefully it will absorb the "off" flavor from the broth. Just a suggestion...

Edited October 5, 2004 by judiu (log)

[eunny jang]

I think stock made from a smoked or barbecued carcass is always going to have a smoky taste (not necessarily a bad thing). It might have helped to start the stock with the skin and fat carefully removed from the carcass, the meat detached and saved, the bones carefully roasted, and a few fresh parts - whole wings (I don't like using just backs and necks for stock; they impart a murky taste I don't like) - to give the stock some fresh flaver and a little body.

Pot pie is usually what I do with leftover chicken, or I make enchiladas with a pumpkin or tomatillo sauce....or I just eat the chicken at midnight standing in fromt of the fridge

[dano1]

there really aren't any tricks in the kitchen to fix something that doesn't taste right. You could add a pinch or 2 of sugar to mask the flavor but garbage in, garbage out. Sure you might make it passable for someone else-but you know it ain't right. Thats thinking like a chef.

And yes, utilization of all product is what its about. You did good. And knowing when to say when and discard is a good thing too:). I've seen many so called "chefs" try to foist something on its last legs-or worse-just to turn the product.

hth, danny

[Behemoth]

You can use the broth for stuff where smokiness isn't a liability, like tortilla or other mexican soups. (You need to broil the tomatoes and chilis anyway, so the smokiness works.)

[MsMelkor]

I have both smoky stock and non-smoky stock in my freezer. I use the smoky stuff in dishes that normally use bacon fat, substituting schmaltz, oil, or butter for the fat itself and adding enough stock to impart a smoky flavor. I don't eat pork (and I find beef/turkey bacon a poor substitute for bacon fat, given how little fat they render).

As other posters have mentioned, smoky stock is good in certain dishes, such as tacos and some soups. I think it's best to embrace its smokiness and use it where it adds to the dish, and otherwise make sure you have enough non-smoky stock on hand for when you don't want to add a smoky flavor.