TL;DR : if you had just cooked up 16 quarts of poultry stock, how would you cool it (so you can skim fat and properly can it tomorrow).
I just cooked up a massive batch of stock – probably 2 turkeys' and several chickens' worth, so much! (Freezer organization tips are welcome, lol)… I ended up using my 18 quart roaster AND my big stock pot to simmer the bones. In the end I have probably 16 quarts (pictured after draining through a collander then a sieve, and put back in the 18 qt roaster).
In the past, for smaller batches, I've poured into quart jars and cooled in the sink by partly submerging with running cold water ( I never have enough ice cubes to "ice bath")..or…I've let it sit on the counter in jars for several hours, then finally jammed it into the fridge when it wasn't super hot… Trying to spread the warmish jars around so the fridge "shares" the burden. This time, 16 quarts is too much.
2nd question… if you store in the fridge injars… it's a pain to deal with so many greasy jars… I usually wash them in between… (Do ya'll clean them in between? Like : take off the fat, dump into pot to reheat the stock… Then just can in the SAME jars? Or do you use clean jars for the canning stage?).
So 2 questions: how do you cool so much stock (minimizing bacteria growth from letting sit too long at room temp) and if you use jars for cooling, do you just reuse the original jars for the canning stage, or do you use fresh?
by LittleBrickHouse
13 Comments
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If I have snow, then that’s a great way to cool it.
When I store it in the fridge I put it in half-gallon jars or half-gallon, heat-proof pitchers.
I can in clean pint jars because that’s the most useful to me in my cooking.
Right now, on the balcony – colder than the fridge.
Alternatively
I keep some 1 liter plastic bottles in the freezer. Toss them in like big ice cubes.
Since this is a canning group, I would hot pack it and toss in pressure canner after skimming the fat.
What you are going is similar to me. Put it in our unheated garage and hopefully not forget before it turns into a block of chicken stock.
If using soon, put into 1/2g mason jars otherwise freeze in 1g zip locks.
My husband hates when I cool things outside. I don’t get it. It’s a free cooking service!
I tried to cool mine outside, where it was 28°F, but I used the stockpot outside, thinking 28 was pretty cold. It was still warm the next morning. So, if you’re going to put it outside, cool it and get it into smaller containers. I had to toss my stock as it was just not safe.
I would never have the courage to do 16 quarts at a time! I usually get about 8 quarts with my big stockpot. I cool them in a sink of cold water with some ice packs, change the water a few times, then refrigerate (overnight) when cool. I don’t let it cool on the countertop or fridge, that would mean too much time in the “danger zone.”
Honestly if I had 16 quarts, I’d think about reducing it down by half to get a concentrate, then pressure can.
I am actually appalled that I’ve never thought to do this. 🤯
https://preview.redd.it/npoouu4pxo5g1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7175f4fbeb4e5d1cd8e0251c65416f3725d6943e
40 mins later, it’s time to bring in, before the snow starts melting into the pot!
I know someone that does, and doesn’t live far from there.
I put it in my screen porch. Temp is below 30.
I have a 5 gallon stock pot (from my husband’s brew kit) so no batch is too big!
If I was cooking in jars I would absolutely clean them before canning.
I just started some on the boil. Before I go to bed I’ll stick the pots out on the snowy porch and deal with them in the morning. Freaking love soup season.
Update: after less than an hour in the snow, the stock had actually cooled down a lot! I decanted into glass containers and distributed them into the fridge. The massive 18 qt pot does not retain heat well, (such a large surface area!) It was perfect for cooling!
In the future, if I have something to cool down, I’ll put it in my 18qt roaster pot,. If it’s summer… A bed of ice packs sounds good.
After 40 mins in the snow, I poured into jars then stored in my fridge. Tomorrow I’ll heat it up and properly can it and I have no worries it stayed at “danger temp” too long.