Pork Stock & Pork Pie Jelly
The Basis For A Traditional Pork Stock
In this Masterclass you can learn how to make a traditional (or simple) Pork Stock, for soups, gravies and sauces, and a Pork Aspic Jelly for setting in pork pies.
Note: the main difference between making a traditional pork ‘stock’ (used for soups and sauces) and making an aspic ‘jelly’ (used in pork pies etc.) is a longer reducing time (simmering) and the addition of the pigs trotters, which add in more natural gelatine to the stock, which helps the stock set into an aspic jelly. If you want to make the jelly, but don’t want to use pig’s trotters, or cannot get hold of them, then you can make the traditional stock and add in leaves of gelatine (at the end of simmering, into a clear stock) which are readily available in shops.
Traditional Home-made Pork Stock
Ingredients:
Traditional: Home-made Pork Stock
- 1.5 Kg pork bones (with a little meat left on, ribs are good)
- 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, peeled, roughly chopped
- 1 Bay leaf
- A few sprigs of thyme
- A few sage leaves
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns (crushed lightly)
- 1 tsp sea salt
Method:
For the pork stock place all of the ingredients into a large saucepan and pour in enough water to just cover them (about 4 litres). Bring this slowly to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for three hours over a low heat, without a lid to aid evaporation, and skim off any impurities which rise to the surface.
After 3 hours strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into another saucepan, jug or bowl and discard the larger solids. Then sieve this liquid for a second time through an even finer sieve, or better still, through a sieve covered over with a muslin cloth to completely catch all the small particles. This traditional pork stock can now be used in soups, or simmered and reduced further to use as a base for a gravy or a sauce etc.
Traditional Home-made Pork Jelly For Pork Pies
Talking to your butcher: to make things easier ask your butcher to chop up the pork bones and trotters small enough to fit into a large saucepan, it makes it a lot easier when you communicate and strike up a good rapport with your local butcher.
Ingredients:
Traditional: Home-made Pork Stock
- 900g pork bones (with a little meat left on)
- 2 pig’s trotters (to fit in a saucepan)
- 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, peeled, roughly chopped
- 1 Bay leaf
- A few sprigs of thyme
- A few sage leaves
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns (crushed lightly)
- 1 tsp sea salt
Pork Stock Ingredients
Method:
For the pork jelly, place all of the ingredients into a large saucepan and pour in enough water to just cover them (about 4 litres). Bring this slowly to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for three hours over a low heat, without a lid to aid evaporation, and skim off any impurities which rise to the surface.
Adding In All The Ingredients For The Pork Stock
After 3 hours strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into another saucepan, jug or bowl and discard the larger solids. Then sieve this liquid for a second time through an even finer sieve, or better still, through a sieve covered over with a muslin cloth to completely catch all the small particles. This will make the stock into a clear jelly when set.
Strain The Pork Stock Through A Thin Mesh Cloth
Simmer this clear stock over a medium heat until the liquid has evaporated and further reduced to just under 600ml. As it is left to cool it will start to thicken and set, (you may need to heat it through gently for only a minute to loosen the mixture for pouring when needed for the pork pies).
Reducing The Strained Pork Stock Further To Help It Set
This will make enough stock and clear jelly for several pork pies, or add it into home-made soups etc.
A Traditional Pork Stock Reduced So That It Will Set When Cooled
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Simple Home-made Pork Jelly For Pork Pies
This is to make a simple stock which will set into a jelly after being poured into the baked pie – it will make enough stock for about 2 or 3 pies, or use the excess in a soup.
Ingredients:
- 500ml of Pork Stock (bought, or made with a pork stock cube)
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp thyme (fresh or dried)
- 1/4 tsp sage (fresh or dried)
- 3 leaves gelatine
Method:
In a saucepan add in all of the ingredients except for the gelatine leaves. Stir, making sure the pork & vegetable stock cubes (if used) dissolves into the chicken stock, and bring up to a high simmer. Once the stock is just under the boil turn the heat down and simmer, without the lid on, for twenty minutes.
Making A Simple Pork Stock From A Stock Cube
After twenty minutes pour the stock into a jug, clean the saucepan out, and use a very fine sieve, or better yet, a piece of muslin cloth draped over a sieve, to sieve the stock back into the clean saucepan. This will remove any of the larger herbs etc. Bring this cleared stock up to the boil and simmer for five minutes, (reducing the volume of the liquid by evaporation). After five minutes turn the heat down low.
Soak the gelatine leaves in some cold water for a minute, then remove the gelatine from the water and squeeze to remove excess liquid, then stir into the stock to dissolve. Once dissolved turn the heat off.
The stock on cooling will set into a jelly, so while still warm and liquid pour it into the pie using a small funnel. If it sets before using just gently warm it back up and stir.
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