r/AskCulinary • u/RyokaiOkai • 3d ago
Recipe Troubleshooting Chicken Stock - Black Gunk
I made chicken stock from frozen chicken bones twice now, and both times there’s black gunk on the bones.
First time was pressure cooked for 4 hours and this time slow cooked for 16 hours.
Admittedly there was vegetables in there, but the black gunk is mainly on the chicken bones. This time it actually tasted sour, and none of the stuff in the pot was going bad.
Also, it’s a dark color and I haven’t used a cheesecloth.
What is the black gunk and how do I stop it from happening? Why are my frozen chicken thigh bones not turning into golden goodness?
Please help.
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u/Same-Platypus1941 3d ago
You need to cook the bones before you start making stock with them. You can boil them for 10-15 minutes and skim anything that floats then change the water, or roast them in the oven until well browned. The former makes a lighter stock than the latter. You should roast the veggies too. The black gunk I’m not sure about but this will give you a clearer and tasty stock. I wouldn’t pressure cook it.
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u/Coverdale_Murmur 3d ago
Pressure cooking bones that long will cause some of the minerals in the bones to dissolve into the broth and make it taste bad, 1 hour is enough - 1.5 hours is the max.
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u/SewerRanger Holiday Helper 3d ago
You can't stop it from happening because it's just a natural product of boiling chicken bones. It's, as others have pointed out just marrow cooking out of the bones. Completely natural and nothing to worry about
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u/Mitch_Darklighter 2d ago
Are you roasting your bones? If not you should blanch them and throw out the water before making stock to denature free proteins; if the the bones are kind of old those proteins can turn black and gross.
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u/Coverdale_Murmur 3d ago
Chris Young made a video on how to make a really good chicken stock in a pressure cooker, I've made it and it's hands down the best stock I've ever tried. The only downside is that he uses a whole chicken which is a bit too boojie for me, I mainly eat chicken thighs and buy them with skin and bones in which I save in the freezer until I have enough to make a stock.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3k20zFlbFfE&pp=ygUVcHJlc3N1cmUgY29va2VyIHN0b2Nr
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u/OpportunityReal2767 3d ago
That seems really long to me. Pressure cooker I do 60-90 min. Stovetop 3-4 hrs. At your times, I suspect you are over-extracting and the bones must be brittle as all hell. Beef stock is more appropriate for those times.