beef bones for broth

[onetrumpeter]

Oh boy. I wanted to make beef broth but I'm getting super scared to do so. Such is the story w/ any TF I want to make the first time, though. But I don't even know really where to start, and I was hoping to have broth ready for soup for Tuesday night...

A couple weeks ago I asked a farmer at the market if he had any beef soup bones. He said yes, and looked in his cooler. He sold me both of what he had, and it was SO freezing cold I didn't ask any questions, I just bought them and ran back to our car!

I have:

1 lb "beef shin bone for ossa bucca"
3 lbs "beef soup bones"

They all appear to have some meat on them.

I'm looking at the NT Beef Stock recipe (p 122) and she calls for 4 lbs "beef marrow and knuckle bones" (I'm not sure what those are!) as well as 3 lbs "meaty rib or neck bones". I don't have what she calls for, pound-wise, anyway. She says to place the knuckle and marrow bones in water w/ vinegar for an hr, and roast the meaty bones at 350 until well browned. Then add them to the pot.

I'm tempted to just do like I'd do w/ chicken: boil in water for a long time, lol. But I should probably roast these bones first, right? Do I roast all of them?

Lastly, she calls for letting the broth cool in the fridge and removing the congealed fat. If I want to use it for soup for tomorrow night, can I just leave the fat in there? Is it going to be gross? I guess that's what I'm most scared of - she even says "it doesn't even smell particularly good" at one point...

will continue researching online and thanks for any tips, esp re: these particular bones (if the descriptions mean anything to you!)

[crunchy_mama]

I don't skim the fat myself. I generally use a big lot of my broth for soup as well. That does mean that sometimes there is a layer of fat on the top of any leftover soup when it cools, but when you heat it you can just stir it in there. I think beef broth smells better than chicken myself. I just throw it in the crockpot w/ some acv and cook for a couple of days. Just finished a batch this am then I took the meat from the bones and throw that in some soup.

[AllieFaye]

I find it hard to talk about a stock "recipe" with a straight face. Yes, it's really just boiling up bones. However, I don't get the idea of skipping roasting them; yes it's essential. It makes for so much better of a broth. Plus, one of the main reasons I do beef broth is how great it makes the house smell. I prefer chicken broth purely for flavor, but beef broth for a homey-house feel. I don't skim the fat, either, unless I want the fat for another recipe. I like a fatty beef broth, and I like it with lots of veggies too. Again - we're not really talking "recipes" here. Do what you like with beef broth. This is about as ancient as cooking gets - right up there with roasting on a spit.

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by AllieFaye

I find it hard to talk about a stock "recipe" with a straight face.

Me too, and I'm seriously not poking fun. I was there once.

You can not mess up stock, unless you boil it all the way gone. I also prefer beef bones roasted, but I avoid that by never having beef often enough to make stock, lol. We just have other meats readily available (like in my backyard or at my moms--goat, rabbit, chicken, guinea, pig).

Just roast 'em up and toss 'em in the pot and cover them w/water and simmer. You'll do fine.

ETA: don't worry about what type of bones you have. What you have is fine.

[Holiztic]

I've got 50 pounds of beef bones in my chest freezer and keep putting off buying a huge stock pot! Thanks for reminding me!

No advice, only done chicken so far (but lots of it!)

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by Holiztic

I've got 50 pounds of beef bones in my chest freezer and keep putting off buying a huge stock pot! Thanks for reminding me!

No advice, only done chicken so far (but lots of it!)

I use a crawfish pot. It makes ALOT. Then I simmer it down to w/in an inch or so of the bottom. Then chill it, skim it, scoop the gelatinous wonderfulness out w/my ice cream scooper. Freeze those blobs on a cookie sheet and then plop into a bag. LOVE to have that on hand!