Pork Stock

A mild, clean pork stock, simmered gently from bones and aromatic vegetables until savory and full-bodied. It's the quiet foundation of ramen broth, bean soups, and braised greens, and a knob of ginger can go in as a nod to its most common home: a steaming bowl of noodles.

Makes about 3 quarts

Ingredients

• 3–4 lbs pork bones (neck bones, trotters, or a leftover ham bone work well)
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
• 1-inch piece ginger, sliced (optional, especially if the stock is headed toward ramen)
• 2 bay leaves
• A few peppercorns
• Cold water, to cover

Stocks & Soups

Chicken Stock Beef Stock French Onion Soup Ham and Beans Creamy Potato Soup with Cheddar and Chives Pork Ramen Chicken Ramen Gumbo

Building Flavor from Water→

Method

Start the pot

Place the pork bones in a stockpot and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring slowly to a bare simmer, skimming off any foam that rises in the first 15–20 minutes.

Add the aromatics and simmer

Add the onion, carrots, and celery — the mirepoix — along with the ginger if using, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Simmer gently for 4–6 hours, skimming occasionally.

Strain and store

Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Cool and refrigerate or freeze.

Two ideas are worth carrying forward from stock-making: stock is not a separate, advanced skill but the plainest possible expression of "meat, vegetables, liquid, time" — and mirepoix is the quiet, three-vegetable foundation you'll find underneath almost everything else you cook. With stock in hand, the natural next step is soup.