Chicken – What to do with soft chicken bones after making bone broth
boneschicken
I have chicken bones after being boiled down to mush.
Can they be crushed? Then what can I use them for?
Best Answer
Worm bin.
Worms need calcium and sometimes they struggle to get enough. People recommend eggshells in the worm bin for that reason. You are not supposed to put meat in the worm bin (because of rats) but I think these bones are ok. They will fall apart pretty quick.
If you don't have a worm bin you could bury them in your garden. I am told tomatoes like extra calcium in their soil. Do an experiment and put them all by one tomato plant and see if that one is bigger. If you have kids the right age, show them what you are doing and maybe they will make it into a science fair project for next year.
Roasting the bones will give you a darker brown stock than using the raw bones. To roast the bones, just stick them in an oven on high heat, around 450 for about 45 minutes, or until they are a nice golden caramelized color. Though you will want to make sure to keep an eye on them the first time, I'd check every 5 minutes after half an hour. Roasting the veggies with the bones will also add a slightly sweeter roasted flavor. It's like the difference of putting slices of raw onions on a burger compared to caramelized onions. You get a slightly sweeter, richer roasted flavor. Though it does turn down some of the other flavor notes, it's up to you which you'd rather have. Without roasting, you'd have a clearer "white" stock.
If you are using the butter as a base to roast the bones, I would set it aside and go with a higher smoke point oil like a peanut or corn oil. The low smoke point of the butter could leave a bitter, slightly burned flavor, especially with the longer roasting times.
I would leave the seasoning for the stock. Most spices will burn at a lower temperature, and salting the bones before you make your stock, could make your stock overly salty. It's easier to add more toward the end, than try to figure out what to do with salty stock.
Tremmors and Rincewind42 are both right, but it does sound strange that an hour or two in a smoker would make the bones that soft. Maybe Mabel pre-cooks them, possibly using a pressure cooker?
Best Answer
Worm bin.
Worms need calcium and sometimes they struggle to get enough. People recommend eggshells in the worm bin for that reason. You are not supposed to put meat in the worm bin (because of rats) but I think these bones are ok. They will fall apart pretty quick.
If you don't have a worm bin you could bury them in your garden. I am told tomatoes like extra calcium in their soil. Do an experiment and put them all by one tomato plant and see if that one is bigger. If you have kids the right age, show them what you are doing and maybe they will make it into a science fair project for next year.