Chukar Stock

Ive had a few Chukar recipes on the site where I needed to make a stock as part of the process. I wasn't willing to substitute chicken stock or pheasant stock in my recipes that featured Chukar, but there is no reason I couldn't have. For those recipes, I wanted to amp up the Chukar flavor, and part of my plan was to just do a quick stock while cooking the birds. This was done to save time, kind of killing two birds with one stone. The problem with doing it that way, is that the stock I ended up with was paler in color than what I would have liked, and the flavors weren't as bold ... it was still good and worked for what I wanted, but I knew I could do better. When I came up with the idea for doing another Chukar recipe for the site, a Chukar Lasagna, I knew I wanted to up my Chukar Stock game as well. So, I set out to cook my birds beforehand this time, all I had to decide was how I wanted to do that. A few years ago, for Fathers Day, my wife and kids got me a Smoker. I absolutely love it! I could spend all day just sitting on the back porch watching smoke roll out of it and smelling the food cook. I love smoking Turkeys, Chickens, Ribs, Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, really anything else I can get my hands on. So, it wasn't much of a decision when I decided to smoke these little Chukars before making this stock, but there's no reason I couldn't have roast them or even grill them.

Cooking these little birds doesn't take long, but I would suggest brining them first, which is going to add time to the process. Not only does it impart flavor and moisture into the birds, but it'll help protect them from drying out during the cooking process. Place them in the brine for about 4 hours, in the refrigerator. After that, remove them, dry them off and place them back in the fridge for another hour, on a plate to air dry. I seasoned my birds with a generous amount of salt and poultry seasoning, inside and out. If you want, you can stuff your birds with things like Lemons, Limes, Apples or Cranberries, and/or herbs like Thyme, Sage or Basil. For smoking these birds, I'd use something like Pecan, Hickory, Apple, or Cherry wood. Soak your wood chips for at least 30 minutes before starting to cook your birds. You can fill your drip pan with water, beer, or a juice ... like Apple or Orange juice. Get your smoker to a constant temp of around 225 degrees, then place your birds on one of the higher racks. Allow the birds to cook for 1 to 2 hours, until the internal temperature of the birds reaches 150-160 degrees. Remove from smoker and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. If you don't have a smoker or would prefer to roast your birds instead, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place all your vegetables in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place seasoned birds on top of the vegetables then place in the oven to 30-40 minutes.

If youre in a pinch and want to save time, you can cook these birds in the stock while you make it. Its just not going to be as flavorful and itll have a paler color. If you want to cook the birds at the same time youre making the stock. Place the seasoned uncooked birds in the bottom of a stock pot, add with vegetables, other seasonings and the rest of the ingredients then cover with water. Set the heat on high, allow to reach a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Check the temperature of your birds after 18-20 minutes, if they are between 150-160 degrees, remove them from the stock. Set them aside and allow to cool.

When cool, remove the meat from the birds, shredding it by hand and save for whatever recipe you'll be cooking. Add the cooked Chukar Caresses to stock pot and cover with your raw, grilled, or roasted vegetables. Add water, seasoning, bay leaves and other ingredients and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer to 4 hours or more, skimming any fat off the top of the liquid while it cooks. Your house will smell amazing while this cooks!! When you're ready, turn off the heat and allow to cool. Place another stock pot in your sink then place a colander over top of it. Line the colander with a bunch of paper towels to catch any small particles, then pour your stock through it, into the new stock pot. Discard everything the colander catches, what you'll be left with is a dark amber looking stock to use in your recipes. I divided mine out into small, 16-ounce, mason jars and placed what I wasn't going to use in the freezer to use later.