Portable Soup

[Black Hand]

You can brown the bones (& vegetables) in the oven before making broth for more flavor.

 

[George]

I've made several batches over the years. My recipes are early ones, and they tend to be simple meat bouillons without any vegetables or seasoning added. I simply boil down all the bones and joints of my deer until it makes gelatin, dry it well. It will last a long time, years, probably. I use it on my treks and enjoy it a lot.



I usually just make a broth and drink it, but sometimes add some rockahominy for a tasty and different hasty pudding. Venison jerky simmered in pocket soup.



Spence

 

[Crewdawg445]

Ridiculously simple question and I should know this... Does one leave the lid off or on when cooking down the meat and bone in the period correct slow cooker?

Thats one mighty fine meal there spence, fine dining indeed!

 

[Black Hand]

Depends - if I'm in the extraction phase (i.e. making stock), I leave the lid on/partly on. If I'm in the concentrating phase, lid off and lower heat so the liquid doesn't scorch.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Depends - if I'm in the extraction phase (i.e. making stock), I leave the lid on/partly on. If I'm in the concentrating phase, lid off and lower heat so the liquid doesn't scorch.

:thumbsup:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Yep!...That's a way better answer than what I was going to write..... :hatsoff:

 

[George]

Since I'm very much about experiencing what the old boys did, within reason, I didn't use a slow cooker. It wouldn't have held the bones and stuff I started with, anyway. I boiled mine for the first few hours with a lid, then without for the next several.

Spence

 

[Black Hand]

Mine is all done in a pot on the stove - I don't have a slow-cooker...

 

[Major Dorman]

Mine is all done in a pot on the stove - I don't have a slow-cooker...

A period correct stove? Asking for a friend.

 

[Black Hand]

Mine is all done in a pot on the stove - I don't have a slow-cooker...

A period correct stove? Asking for a friend.

Use the heat source of your choice...

 

[coloradoclyde]

I'll bet a sap boiler would work nice for making a big batch.....

 

[Crewdawg445]

Depends - if I'm in the extraction phase (i.e. making stock), I leave the lid on/partly on. If I'm in the concentrating phase, lid off and lower heat so the liquid doesn't scorch.

My thoughts were right, I just wanted to clarify that indeed they were. Thanks!

 

[George]

Doing it the way I did is fairly time consuming and labor intensive. I cooked it at a low boil for 8 hours with the lid on, and that part required little attention. I strained it and then let it cool in the fridge overnight, removed all the congealed fat on the surface, and cooked it a further 6 hours. At the end of this stage it begins to thicken and get syrupy, which means it will burn if you don't stir it, and the thicker it gets the more that is true. Some of the original recipes I have describe doing this second stage over a double boiler arrangement of some sort, and I can understand why. Whole lot of stirring going on.

Once it's cooked enough, it is allowed to set, and then it must be thoroughly dried. I did that the first time by putting it in the sun and also putting it on cotton flannel cloth, as the old boys described. It worked, and I was pleased with the results.

On later batches I tried drying it in a dehydrator with mixed results. Some of it did fine, got nice and hard. Part of it didn't, got softer from the heat. I quit making it before I figured out the problem with that.

It's very interesting stuff, I can see how useful it would have been in the day, but it's a lot of work. I don't make it any more.

Spence

 

[Black Hand]

I made it for the experience.
When in the woods, I use Knorr brand portable soup... :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink:
At less than $2 for 24 cubes, each cube making 500ml of soup, you just can't beat the ease.

 

[NeilMacleod]

Used to use Knorr in the early days but now its got MSG and other undesirables.
My Fav is Marmite Nice pocket size.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Used to use Knorr in the early days but now its got MSG and other undesirables.
My Fav is Marmite Nice pocket size.

Did you know that Yeast extract contains naturally occurring glutamates? It is often listed as an ingredient in products that use to contain MSG and it is used as a MSG replacement.

 

[NeilMacleod]

Mushrooms are HUGE natural MSG.

 

[Black Hand]

Used to use Knorr in the early days but now its got MSG and other undesirables.

Famous line from Conan: Do you want to live forever...?
I don't worry about MSG and a great many other things that some may find undesirable.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I actually like Knorr.....It's pretty much the only kind of bullion I buy.

 

[Black Hand]

The bullion one finds that is made for Americans is terrible - those hard cubes are better suited for a game of craps than food. At least Knorr has flavor - a flavor other than salt...