There is something comforting about a pot of homemade bone broth simmering in the kitchen. The long slow cook coaxes all kinds of amazing flavors. This recipe is made with beefy goodness plus a medley of vegetables, herbs and seasonings to create a lovely stock that is great on its own or used to add richness to your soups or stews. It does need some time to make. Most of that time is spent standing back and letting the mix do its thing. It gently simmers to produce a flavored stock.
Table of Contents
Beef Bone Broth Ingredients
It requires:
- 3-4 pounds beef bones: Marrow, knuckle or a combination are excellent for this recipe.
- 2 carrots: These can be roughly chopped and set aside.
- 2 celery stalks: Also roughly chopped.
- 1 large onion: Quartered to aid extra flavor.
- 4 garlic cloves: Chop roughly.
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 bay leaves: For earthy flavor.
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 10-12 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt: Or to taste.
- Fresh parsley or thyme: For extra flavor.
Directions
Preparing your Bones:
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Lay out a roasting tray with large pieces of the selected beef bones.
- Roast for 30-40 minutes making sure to turn them halfway through to brown on all sides.
- Place them in a large stock pot directly after roasting.
Making your Bone Broth:
- Add the vegetables and herbs with the vinegar.
- Pour in water. Stir before placing the pot on the stove. Maintain a gentle simmer.
- Skim off any impurities that may rise.
- Simmer all the ingredients for 12-24 hours. Adding more water is necessary. It will make sure everything is covered.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve. To remove the bones and vegetables into a large bowl.
- Season it to taste.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving.
The Experts’ Tips for Cooking Beef Bone Broth
- A variety of marrow bones, joints and even knuckles can be used to prepare this kind of beef broth, and it is always good to combine a number of different types together
- Roasting your beef bones before adding them to this easy beef bone broth recipe will enrich your flavors
- A gentle simmer produces a clearer stock than a rolling one
- Don’t use too much water because this will dilute the strength of your final broth
- Hold off on the salt. You can always add more
- It will get stronger with longer cooking.
Using up your Bone Broth
You can use homemade beef bone broth as a base for all kinds of different recipes and this versatility makes it ideal for cooking soups, stews, sauces or even rice pudding using a beef broth base. You can also simply enjoy a cup of the finished product with a little bit of salt and pepper while it’s still hot. In addition:
- Soup: Add your bone broth to a cooking pot. Use fresh ingredients to finish it. Or combine it with tinned ones.
- Stews: Throw in your cut-up bits of meat. Add some onion, garlic, carrots, celery or mushrooms. Cook gently over a low heat for a few hours. This makes a great alternative to meaty stews.
- Gravy: Use your bone broth as a basis for sauces – it adds more depth of flavor than a standard gravy base.
- Rice and other grains: Cooking rice using this beef broth instead of water gives you a much more interesting taste experience, and the same goes for other grains like barley or oats.
- Mashed Potatoes: Instead of using water to make your mashed potatoes, blend in some cooked bone broth (about half a cup to a full pot of spuds), allowing you to adjust the thickness when you are mashing it up. It can cut down the amount of butter needed as well.
- Sauces: Again, your bone broth can double up as a liquid thickener if you’re making a sauce by reducing it down and combining it.
Substitutions
The recipe allows for some flexibility:
Bones
You can choose what parts of the cow you want to use. Try combining marrow bones with other cuts.
Apple cider vinegar
If you don’t have any, white wine vinegar works just fine. You can also substitute lemon juice.
Vegetables
There are a variety of different vegetables that you could use. Parsnips, leeks and mushrooms work especially well in a stock like this.
Herbs
Rosemary, thyme and parsley can all add different levels of flavor – feel free to use some or none as you see fit.
Storing your stock
Make sure you leave it to cool before decanting some into suitable containers and then either placing it in the fridge to chill or freeze it for longer term storage. If you put it in the fridge, you’ll see some fat rise to the top. You might want to remove some or all of it to keep it nice and healthy. When freezing, divide your mixtures up into appropriate portions. So it can be placed in freezer containers. Leave enough space so they can still expand.
Preparing this recipe is no walk in the park. There are some really great benefits to using an easy method like this. Roasted joints and marrow provide a seriously rich base. It is then enhanced further by a range of herbs, spices and simmering vegetables. Serve it as it is with a little bit of salt and pepper to complete the flavor.
