A Bodacious Beef Bone Broth
YEILDS 12 CUPS OF STRAINED STOCK | Total cooking time 7 hours
2 Tbsp. olive oil (or canola)
2 1.2 lbs. meaty beef shank
2 lbs. beef soup bones
1 large onion, halved (you can leave peel on)
2 carrots, rinsed & quartered
tops & leaves of a head of celery (1/3 of the head)
1 head of garlic
1 small can of tomato paste
3 qts. cold water
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. beef base
1/3 end of a bunch of parsley, the stems with some leaves (in a stock, you use the less desirable parts, ‘the scraps’ reserving the fine leaves for another purpose)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
3 sprigs of fresh oregano
4 dried bay leaf
1 Tbsp. of pepper corns
1 Tbsp. salt
Preheat oven to 375f. Place beef bones, onion, carrot, celery, whole head of garlic & tomato paste on an oiled sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil & roast for 20 minutes or until the vegetables & paste have caramelized. Meanwhile remaining ingredients, water though salt to the crock pot, instant pot or a large sauce pot & turn on low setting. When vegetables have caramelized, remove the sheet pan from oven & place vegetables, garlic & paste into the pot. Return the bones to the oven & continue to roast until nicely browned, about another 20 minutes, then add to stock. *Simmer for 3 hours, then remove the tender meat from the beef shanks, reserve meat for soup or another purpose & return bones to the pot. Continue to simmer for another 4 hours. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer. Cool to 70f. Refrigerate or freeze according to use.
*Define simmer. The Chef I trained under, Chef Brad Peters, referred to it this way. Simmer is to boiling as smiling is to laughing. Thus, you want your stock smiling. Not laughing. I thought that a brilliant enough analogy to share.
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF KNOWING HOW TO CREATE A FLAVORFUL STOCK?
Stock consists of bones cooked down with mirepoix & herbs into a flavorful broth. A necessity in the kitchen, it serves as a basis for soups & sauces. It is also a great stand alone. Sipping a cup of hot broth warms us head to toe. Collagen (a form of protein) released from the bones is excellent for hair, nails & digestive system. The properties of a good bone broth can aid in weight loss as well as help our bodies recover from surgery or our muscles from exercise. It’s a highly valued staple in the Keto diet as well as the Paleo diet.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EXCELLENT STOCK.
A quality stock should deliver a full mouth feel from a generous amount of natural collagen derived from the bones. The whole point & benefit of a bone broth is the bones. I recommend ox tail (which is taken from a cows tail, not ox) or neck bones. Roasting the bones as well as the mirepoix (onion, celery, carrot) garlic & tomato paste, is essential to a nicely browned & roasty stock.