A pork dish is incomplete without pork gravy. It’s because gravy enhances the flavor of the pork to a great extent. Now, most recipes of pork gravy call for some type of chicken or beef stock.
Thus the question arises of whether you should use chicken or beef stock for pork gravy?
Between chicken and beef stock, beef stock gives your pork gravy a beefier taste. Whereas, using chicken stock won’t change the flavor of your pork gravy that much. The beef stock also gives your gravy a rich color. Moreover, beef stock takes a longer time to make than chicken stock.
To actually find the perfect gravy material, you need to know more. Thus the article here would provide you with all the necessary info.
So, let’s jump in!
Quick Comparison
Choosing between chicken and beef stock for pork gravy can be hard when you don’t have enough knowledge about it. The process of selection may even seem intimidating.
Fortunately for you, choosing the right stock for pork gravy isn’t as intricate as choosing between Semolina and Bread flour.
Now, let’s move on to the head-to-head comparison between chicken and beef stock.
Let’s see what we have:
| Features to compare | Chicken stock | Beef stock |
| Cook Time | Around 4-5 hours | About 6-8 hours |
| Taste | Light Flavour | Bold Flavour |
| Calories (per cup) | 86 | 31 |
| Storing life | Around 4 days | About 4 days |
| Cost | Check Now! | Check Now! |
Now we know about the features of both stocks. It’s time to go for more intense analysis.
Chicken Stock or Beef Stock: Detailed Analysis
Just like the differences between Branzino and Trout, there are some key differences between these stocks. Although you can use both of the stocks for the pork. At the end of the day, it comes down to your preference.
And to come up with the best pork gravy from pork roast, you must know about these differences.
Here are a few things that you need to consider before taking your pick.
Taste
Pork and gravy are a staple for many people as you can see here –
So it’s important to use the right stock to enhance the flavor far more.
When it comes to stock, taste is an important criterion. And this goes for pork gravy as well. Since both chicken and beef stock can give the gravy a completely different taste.
Naturally chicken stock has a light taste. At least lighter than that of pork. If you use chicken stock seasoning, the gravy won’t affect the taste of the pork.
The case is not the same for the beef stock. Beef stock can suppress the taste of the pork.
If you use a pork gravy made of beef stock, there is a probability of not getting the full taste of the pork.
Why?
Beef has a bolder and more intense taste than pork. So the pork gravy can taste a bit like beef. As a result, the taste of your delicious pork gets outshined by the taste of beef.
However, it’s not like you won’t even understand whether you are eating pork or beef. It’s just that you will easily understand that you followed a pork gravy recipe that had beef stock in it.
Summary: Use chicken stock if you want the taste of your pork to be the main focus. However, if you want a beefier taste then use the beef stock.
The Appearance of the Food
For any food, appearance is an important thing. Both chicken stock and beef stock have their own textures.
The chicken stock has a light texture. Thus, the gravy does not give any special texture to the pork food.
It’s not like using beef stock will spoil the pork food. Rather the beef stock can give the pork gravy a ‘meaty’ texture.
For this reason, beef stock for pork gravy from pork chops can really be a great option. The texture of the beef stock can make the pork cuisine more appealing.
Summary: Beef stock provides a meaty texture to your pork gravy. Whereas the texture of pork gravy after using chicken stock remains one-dimensional.
Time to Process
If you are up for using chicken or beef stock in your pork gravy, then you have to make the stock first. And that can take some time.
Generally beef stock takes a longer time to cook than chicken stock. But that doesn’t mean that chicken stock can be prepared quickly.
Usually homemade chicken stock takes about 4-5 hours to cook. This means that the chicken has to be in the pot for this amount of time. In addition to this, there is around 30mins of prep time. So, overall it’s quite a lengthy process.
Now if you want to skip this long wait and added preparation, then opt for buying a store-bought chicken stock.
Store-bought chicken stock is just as good with little to no preparation. The overall cost of store-bought chicken stock is also way less than the cost of making it at home.
However, the taste of store-bought chicken stock can be below par sometimes. So, it’s important to buy good quality chicken stock.
I’ve searched a lot of supermarkets and listed some chicken stocks that actually work for pork gravy. Here is a comprehensive list of that:
| Image | Product Name | Where to Get |
|---|---|---|
 | Kitchen Basics Original Chicken Stock | Get Now from Amazon! |
 | 365 by Whole Foods Market, Stock Chicken Organic | Get Now from Amazon! |
 | Kettle and Fire Organic Chicken Broth, Keto, Paleo, and Whole 30 Approved | Get Now from Amazon! |
Now moving on to the beef stock, there are two types of beef stock. One beef stock is prepared from ground meat and another is prepared from the bones of the beef.
The one that is prepared from ground meat takes a small amount of time to cook. Whereas beef stock made of beef bones takes about 6-8 hours to cook.
So, if you’re in a pinch avoid making the beef stock at home. There are some good quality beef stocks available in the market. Get those instead.
Here are a few beef stocks that I’ve personally tried and loved:
| Image | Beef Stock | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | More Than Gourmet, Stock Beef | Get Now from Amazon! |
 | 365 by Whole Foods Market, Broth Beef Organic | Get Now from Amazon! |
 | Amazon brand – Happy Belly Beef Broth | Get Now from Amazon! |
 | Kitchen Basics Original Beef Stock | Get Now from Amazon! |
By using these beef stocks, you’ll be able to cut the cooking time of pork gravy by half.
Summary: Beef stock takes a few hours more to cook than chicken stock.
Nutrients
Chicken or beef, both stocks are highly enriched with nutrients. And because of the nutrients, these stocks are used in most foods.
The chicken stock has many nutrients available in it. Now, what are the exact chicken stock nutrients?
Chicken stock is filled with vitamin B-6. Besides, the chicken stock contains a remarkable amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrates as well. Speaking of minerals, potassium and phosphorus are the major minerals found in chicken stock.
All of these nutrients are amazing and all but at the end of the day is chicken stock keto-friendly?
Yes, chicken stock is keto-friendly. Chicken broth has plenty of rich flavors, but fewer carbohydrates – making it a perfect addition to your keto diet!
Beef stock is mainly rich in minerals and collagen. Beef stock from bone can provide you with a rich amount of calcium, iron, and potassium.
Besides, beef stock is a good source of vitamin B-12 complex.
Not only that. Beef stock from the ground beef has a remarkable amount of protein.
This protein can play a great role in developing our body. Especially protein helps to build our muscles, bones, and blood cells.
To clear out the beef and chicken stock nutrition, here is a list:
| Nutrients( In a single cup) | Percentage in chicken stock | Percentage in beef stock |
| Calories | 86 | 31 |
| Protein | 6 grams | 5 grams |
| Fats | 2.9 grams | 3 grams |
| Vitamins | B-6(7% RDI) | B-12(2.5%) |
These are all the differences in nutrients between the two stocks.
Summary: Both beef and chicken stock contain vital nutrients. However, chicken stock is more calorie-dense than beef stock.
There you go. With the help of these, now you can select the right stock to cook!
Final Decision: Which Stock Should You Use?
All right, let’s choose one stock. After all, you have to make the gravy before your pork delight turns cold, right? Here’s a table that summarises the whole debate in short:
| Image | Stock | Features | Where To Get |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Chicken Stock | Better for a pork gravy with light flavors | Get Now! |
 | Beef Stock | Ideal for pork gravy with bolder flavors | Get Now! |
Both chicken and beef stock can be used as gravy ingredients. However, Chicken stock can give a mild taste and it does not affect the taste of the pork.
Thus you can use chicken stock as a beef stock substitute. Besides, it is quicker to make than beef stock as well.
Or, you can use beef stock as a chicken stock alternative when you want to enhance the taste of pork.
So, choose which one fits the best for you!
FAQs
Can I Mix Up Both Chicken and Beef Stock?
Yes, you can mix both chicken and beef stock. Chicken stock has a very mild taste. And because of these, it can be perfectly mixed with the beef stock. Also, the texture of the beef stock doesn’t get spoiled as well. So, even after mixing, you can get the taste of both chicken and beef stock.
Is It Okay to Use Beef Broth for Pork Roast?
Yes, you can use beef stock for pork roast! The beef stock has a beefy taste. Which the chicken stock won’t give you. Once you use beef stock, this taste gets added to the pork roast. You will even get a beefy taste from the pork. Not only that. The beef stock also gives the roast a meaty look.
Can I Use Turkey Stock to Make Pork Gravy?
Technically, you can use turkey stock to make pork gravy. Actually, you can use any stock to make the gravy. So, you can even make pork gravy using the turkey stock. You can also mix up the turkey stock with the pork stock. However, try to avoid commercial stocks. Commercial turkey stocks contain excessive liquid.
The End
That is all for now. Hopefully, you know if it’s chicken or beef stock for pork gravy you need.
One more tip before I go. If you opt for store bought stocks then try to get the ones that are further away from the expiration date. Stocks that are closer to the expiration date tend to taste funky.
Happy Cooking!
