Homemade Mutton Stock

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Learn how to make your own homemade wholesome, nutritious rich mutton stock from scratch. This stock is totally full of savoury aroma and depths of flavour. Perfect for sauces, stews and soup dishes.

If this is your first time making stock then don't worry or be intimated because it is relatively straight forward.

Put it this way, if you can boil an egg or toast some bread then you can make stock with no problem.

When I first started to do some trial and error with this recipe I couldn't decide whether I wanted to make broth, stock or bone broth (I will explain what each of them are later).

I finally settled on stock even though I feel as if this recipe borderlines bone broth due to the length of simmering time,

I have always wanted to make my own mutton stock because mutton/goat play such a crucial role in Caribbean cooking.

In case you don't know mutton comes from mature sheep, that's typically 1-3 years. It's stronger in flavour, slightly more fatty but works perfectly for slow cooking so these bones are ideal for stock.

While there aren't many recipes out there that call for mutton stock, if you do come across any then, you can quite easily use this recipe.

For a few months now I have been saving random bones (goat and mutton) when I remembered to do so. I would freeze them down and add to my collection.

Thankfully I managed to get some mutton bones from my butcher which has helped to finalise this recipe.

The difference between broth, stock and bone broth

While a lot of people believe these terminologies are interchangeable, they actually are not.

Broth - Is made from the meat, it's texture is quite thin, it's light in flavour and simmered for a short period of time i.e Vegetable Broth.

Stock - Is made from meaty joints and bones, simmered for a moderate period of time and is used in sauces, soups and stews.

Bone broth - is a cross between the two, it's simmered for the longest time (at least 12-36 hours). It can be used as the foundation of recipes however, the vast majority of people sip on it alone because of it's healing properties, ability to aid digestion and supports the immune system.

Unlike stock, bone broth doesn't use many herbs/vegetables. Instead the recipe is centred around extracting as much flavour/collagen from the connective tissue).

The best bones to use

The best bones to use are short ribs, neck bones, tail bones, feet, knuckles and marrow bones.

Marrow bones should be included in moderation, in other words, don't use an entire batch of marrow bones to make your stock or it will be quite greasy.

Ideally you will want a combination of the aforementioned to yield equal parts of flavour and also throw some meat in there (not too much) as well.

The steps

steps1-9 boiling bones and vegetables for stock

Line a roasting tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven 400f/200c.
Add the bones/meat to a stock pot with water and par boil for 15-20 minutes.
During this time you may notice deposits of fatty residue on the surface.
Once the bones have been par boiled, strain off the water in a colander then rinse the bones and blot them completely dry.
Spread the bones, meat, onions, carrots and garlic on the roasting tray then lightly coat with some olive oil.
Roast the bones for about 30-40 minutes or until the meat/bone/vegetables are brown. Keep an eye on any small bones or/and the vegetables to remove them before as soon as they have browned.
Transfer the bones, meat and cider vinegar into the stock pot. .
Fill the pot with water, starting with 10 cups. Adding more water when/if the water levels drop too much (you want the finishing liquid to be a few inches below the bones to make 2-3 jars of stock.
Bring the pot to a rolling boil then reduce to a low simmering heat for 6-8 hours with the lid covering the pot (put your pot on the smallest burner/skim off any fat or foam if needed.).
Halfway through the cooking time, add the onion and garlic, carrots, thyme, peppercorns and bay leaves.
Place a cheesecloth (if you have it) inside a large fine mesh strainer (or use the strainer by itself) and carefully pour the mutton stock into the strainer/cloth into a large saucepan/stock pot.
Stir in some dried parsley and pink salt
Allow to cool down before pouring into mason jars or freezer friendly containers.

Frequently asked questions

How can you use this stock?

Feel free to use this stock in soups, sauces and stews. You can even use it in rich dishes or sip on it, if you wish.

Can I make the stock using my slow cooker?

I haven't tried making the stock in my slow cooker (Yet) but it is doable for sure. I do recommend reducing the amount of water by a few cups .

Where is the best place to get stock bones?

Mutton bones aren't always easy to come by but they are available. You can order them online but that can be rather expensive.

Going to your butchers is the most convenient way of getting hold of them but you will need to go to one that sells goat/mutton.

Typically a lot of black/Asian/Mediterranean people consume mutton/goat so you will want to find a butchers that caters to this demographic.

How expensive are these bones?

It will vary from region/country. I was lucky enough to have some to hand and paid my local butcher a small fee for some more.

It shouldn't be too costly if you buy them locally, online is very expensive.

Can you use a mixture of red meat bones?

You can get away with using lamb bones combined with goat/mutton but don't use beef bones.

For this recipe I am using a combination of goat/mutton bones.

What recipes can you use this stock in?

Recipes that feature lamb/mutton or goat work best. My Jamaican Curry Goat recipe and Lamb Leg Steaks and Lamb Stew are great examples.

Notes and tips

Make sure you are using a stock pot with a 4 quarts capacity.
Make sure to wash the bones off before blanching them as this will get rid of all the bad stuff. I rinsed mine with lime/vinegar first as that is my Caribbean custom, if you don't do this in your culture then omit this step.
The longer you allow the stock to simmer for the more potent the taste and the thicker the texture will be once it cools down (i.e 8 hours plus is going into bone broth territory)
You should get 3 jars of stock, however, if you want a larger volume of stock i.e 4 jars worth and more then make sure the water levels are consistency higher than the bones (at least a few inches)
Don't use too much black pepper as this is likely to ruin the taste of the stock.
If you plan on freezing your stock make sure to use plastic/freezer friendly containers
Alternatively, you can store the stock in mason jars and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
The shelf life for the stock is up to a week or 3-6 months when frozen.
You may want to store this stock in an ice cube tray.

stock in jar with vegetables in background

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