Stock/soup/stew in a slow cooker

[PassTheTwiglets]

So I have a leftover chicken carcass from our roast dinner and I was going to make some kind of soup or stew with it. Can I just bung everything in the slow-cooker and then discard the carcass later, or does the carcass really need to be boiled up to make the stock first and the stew made separately the slow-cooker after that?

Personally, I'd make the stock first by bunging it in the slow cooker on a VERY LOW heat (on an electric hob, it's about a 0.5 as I don't have a slow cooker) and leaving it for at least 3h. Then remove the carcass - I usually seive it (you could wrap in a muslin for easy removal?), and whack in everything else. the only problem I can see with bunging everything in is that you may find the bones from the carcass come apart and you may end up with bone in the stew that way.

Am sure others will be along with suggestions.

So you think slow-cooking the carcass would get enough flavour out of the bones to make a decent stock?

Yup. It'll act the same as very low cooking on a hob I presume! Not used a slow-cooker for a while mind you.

Oh. I should add, if you've/anyone's not made stock before and want a clear stock, the don't let it boil and start from cold water and just enough water to cover the carrcass in a pan/whatever that allows the carcass in without too much cramping up of the carcass. Also remove the cartilage from the errr (crap, can't remember which end of a chicken is which - the white bit on the ridge where you get the breast meat from)...that freaks me out and is difficult to get out sometimes as it goes all goopey. I'd also ditch as much skin as you can as this reduces the grease factor (which tastes pastryish to me).
Feel free to add herbs/peppercorns etc at whatever stage you want. I usually use bayleaf, thyme and pepper.
It freezes well.

I'd make the stock first, on the hob, then use the stock to make the slow cooker stew. I have read others doing stock in the slow cooker, maybe someone will be along to explain what they do.

I think the carcass will fall to bits. Doing it on the hob, a pan will be easier to tip up and sieve than a full crockpot (mine doesn't have handles).

There's a hob recipe here There's text not just a video.

That's true, Totem, hadn't thought of trying to sieve from a heavy crockpot (and mine is VERY heavy). Hob then slow-cooker it is, Thanks girls!