This is the no-shortcuts-taken recipe for the foodie or the traditionalist. Farmer Joan does not have the time to do it this way, and maybe you don’t either. If you are just in it for the nutritional benefits, click here .
Motivation & Rationale: Good beef stock requires several sorts of bones: knucklebones and [optional] feet impart large quantities of gelatin to the broth; marrowbones impart flavor and the health fats of bone marrow; and meaty ribs and shanks add color and flavor. Grass-fed beef bones work best – the cartilage melts more quickly, and the smell and flavor are delicious.
Makes 4-5 quarts
About 4 pounds beef marrow and knucklebones
[optional] 1 calf’s, beef, or pig’s foot, preferably cut into pieces [good luck finding that in Vermont]
½ Cup vinegar
4 to 5 quarts of cold filtered water
3 lbs meaty bones such as short ribs or beef shanks
[optional] 1 small can or jar tomato paste
3 onions, ends cut off and coarsely chopped (skin may be left on)
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery sticks, coarsely chopped
1 bouquet garni made with parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and a bay leaf, tied together with kitchen string
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, or green or white peppercorns, crushed
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350o F
Place the beef marrow and knucklebones and optional foot in a stockpot. Add the vinegar and enough cold filtered water to cover the bones. Let stand for 30 to 60 minutes. [Filtering removes chemicals such as chlorine, which you may not have with well water.]
Meanwhile, place the meaty bones in a roasting pan. For a particularly aromatic stock, brush the bones with tomato paste. Place in the oven and roast, turning them one or twice, for about 30 minutes, until well browned. Add these bones to the pot. Pour the fat out of the roasting pan, add a little cold filtered water to the pan, set the pan over high heat, and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen up any browned bits, and add this liquid to the pot. [This is going to be yummy.] Add additional water to cover the bones if necessary.
Place over medium heat, uncovered, bring to a simmer, and carefully spoon off any scum that rises to the top. Add the onions, carrots, celery, bouquet garni, and peppercorns, return to a simmer, then lower the heat to low. Cook at a bare simmer with the lid off or slightly askew for at least 12 and as long as 24 hours, occasionally skimming scum from the top as needed and checking to ensure that the bones remain covered with water by adding more water as needed. [I have simmered bone broth
multiple times for 24 hours on my electric stove, without any concerns while I was sleeping.]
Remove the bones and meat with tongs and a slotted spoon. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl or pan, and it’s ready to use in your recipes. If not using right away, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered for several hours, until the fat rises to the top and congeals. If desired, skim off this fat (you can use it in your cooking) and transfer the stock to containers, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for many months. [Farmer Joan here ladles it into plastic yogurt quart containers for freezing, with the fat reasonably spread among the containers.]
Note: The marrow may be removed from the marrowbones a couple of hours into the cooking and spread on whole grain sourdough bread. If left in the pan for the entire cooking time, the marrow will melt into the broth, resulting in a broth that is cloudy but highly nutritious.
Joan’s note: What to do with the left over bones, meat , veggies and spices? Obviously, the meat should be picked off for recipes. The easiest solution for the rest is to throw it out there on the ground for the chickens. A few days later, the bones go into your food recycling.
*This recipe is adapted from the book Nourishing Broth: An Old-Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World co-authored by Sally Fallon Morell, author of the popular Nourishing Traditions. There are many more treasures of nutritional knowledge and recipes in both these books.
