-
1
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
-
2
Crowd, but without piling them up, the pork and pig's foot in a shallow roasting pan or in a 10- to 12-inch ovenproof skillet.
-
3
(If you briefly preheat the pan over a low flame before you add the pork, it will sear on contact and be less likely to stick later on.) You should barely see the bottom of the pan; otherwise, the drippings will tend to burn in the exposed spots.
-
4
Roast until golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
-
5
Check the progress after about 25 minutes, and rearrange the pork, or turn it over, as needed, to promote even coloring.
-
6
You may need to rotate the pan.
-
7
Transfer the pork and foot, still warm, to a deep 8- to 10-quart stockpot.
-
8
Pour off all of the fat from the pan, then add about 1/4 cup cold water to it, set over low heat, and scrape and stir to melt any gold or chestnut-colored drippings; don't work on any black ones.
-
9
Taste.
-
10
If they are nice and porky, pour these reconstituted drippings into the stockpot; if the liquid tastes all scorched - like over-browned bacon - discard it.
-
11
Add the cold chicken stock, then add water to cover by about an inch.
-
12
(If using unsalted chicken stock, add a few pinches of salt.) Bring to a simmer and skim the foam.
-
13
Poke under any exposed chunks of meat, then skim any new foam that rises to the surface.
-
14
Add the onion, celery, bay leaf, and peppercorns and stir them under.
-
15
Simmer uncovered, without skimming or further stirring but tasting regularly, for 4 to 5 hours, until the stock is richly flavored and the color is of maple syrup, and has some body; check for this last by chilling a few drops of stock on a plate.
-
16
You may need to adjust the heat to control the simmer, and you may need to poke the bones or add a few ounces of water to keep the meat and bones submerged during the long extraction.
-
17
Strain the stock promptly; leave the meat and vegetable chunks in the strainer to continue dripping.
-
18
Immediately pour about 1/4 cup water into the stockpot and swirl it briefly, to liquefy and capture the syrupy stock that is clinging to the pan.
-
19
Pour this over the meat and vegetables, to rinse some of the rich syrup from their surfaces into the strained stock below.
-
20
Leave the stock to cool completely.
-
21
If not using right away, cover and refrigerate with the layer of fat intact - it will help preserve the stock until needed.
