Brown Chicken Stock

This is seriously the greatest chicken stock recipe. Ever. Resistance is futile.

Unfortunately, it is not my recipe. But that's okay. It will still rock your world.

The following is a recipe by Craig Common of "The Common Grill," a fantastic restaurant in Chelsea, Michigan. (In my view, one of the better restaurants in all of the southeast Michigan).

A few pointers:

• This recipe does create a stock with a very strong chicken flavor, so it isn't appropriate in all recipes. Two main types of stocks exist: light and brown. Light stock is very similar to brown, except that the bones aren't browned in the oven and the vegetables aren't caramelized before being thrown into the stock. The taste difference is this: light stock has a milder, less "chickeny" flavor, while dark stock has a robust, rich, and deep chicken flavor. I prefer the brown stock for most things I do, but in some recipes it is overpowering. Use your own good judgment.
• Don't skimp on the time required to brown the vegetables or the bones. This is where the extra flavor comes in, so it is an essential step.
• Consider cooling this recipe in a big cooler filled with ice. This process reduces the chance that the stock will pick up extraneous flavors that may reside in your fridge (e.g., blue cheese has a way finding its way into hot stocks, resulting in an unpleasant off taste).
  
• This recipe can easily be halved. But I think you'll find yourself using it in everything after you've tried it.

Anyways, on to the recipe! Thank you great god Craig Common for this amazing recipe!

5 lb chicken bones
8 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 red onions, sliced thin
2 yellow onions, sliced thin
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 carrots, diced
16 cups water
2 heads garlic, cut in half horizontally
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh basil
4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 450.

Roast chicken bones in oven for 1 hour, or until browned. After 30 minutes remove from oven, discard any fat, and flip the bones over. Return to oven for the remaining 30 minutes.

Heat olive oil in 12-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook until well browned (this process may take anywhere from 30-45 minutes, depending on how hot your pot is). Water may be needed to deglaze the pan occasionally if it gets too brown on the bottom.

Transfer chicken bones to stock pot and add enough water to cover bones by 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Stir in garlic, thyme, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Add water as necessary to keep bones covered.

Strain. Transfer liquid to a clean stockpot. Simmer over low heat for an additional hour. Remove from heat and strain again.

Refrigerate until cool. Use whatever you’d like and then freeze the rest.

Makes 2 quarts approximately.