Update: This is technically a beef stock, as it uses roasted bones.
I’ve recently discovered a magical elixir. It helps me recovery from workouts faster, protects me from incoming radiation, keeps my skin looking great and it tastes awesome. The magical potion is a homemade beef broth. It takes 24-72 hours to make, but is worth the effort. I use the recipe found in the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.
Put knuckle bone into stock pot. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Cover with water.
Roast Beef Soup Bones for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cut up a few onions, carrots and celery sticks. Add them and the roasted meat to the stock pot.
Cover with water. Turn on the heat. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat until you achieve the slowest simmer possible. Cover the stock pot.
Periodically you want to skim off the large bubbles with a spoon. These are impurities. I do this maybe 5 times in the first few hours and then leave it alone.
Let it sit on the stove with a very low simmer for 24-72 hours. The simmer should be slow enough that you can easily count the bubbles as they rise to the surface. With 10 minutes remaining, add a handful of parsley.
Turn off the heat and let it cool. Using tongs, pull out the large chunks of meat and bones. Throw that away. Then using a strainer, filter out everything else. Pour the broth into jars. Unless you plan on using the broth in the next day, put the jars into the freezer.
There you have it. I do this about once a month. I then add some broth to whatever stew or soup I am making.
TigerAl
Apr 21, 2011 — 12:30 pm
Add a clove or two of garlic, some peppercorns and a halved tomato to the onions and the broth will be extra tasty 🙂
MAS
Apr 21, 2011 — 2:23 pm
@TigerAl – Good ideas. Do you use whole peppercorns or do you crush them first?
TigerAl
Apr 21, 2011 — 4:00 pm
Whole so that you can strain them out along with the bones. My mother made this type of broth with chicken, beef or lamb/goat bones. It makes for a really nice meal-size soup as well, if you add rice or pasta and a few veggies.
MAS
Apr 21, 2011 — 4:08 pm
@TigerAl – That makes sense. Thanks!
Nick
Apr 26, 2011 — 10:04 am
So you toss all of the veggies too? Seems like they’d be tasty after all that.
MAS
Apr 26, 2011 — 10:27 am
@Nick – The 24 hour simmer has the effect of extracting all the flavor out of the meat and veggies. It all ends up in the broth.
chuck
Sep 26, 2011 — 4:41 pm
i just made my second batch of this. it is so easy, just takes time. i used a bunch of sad kale and carrots from my garden. i am always amazed at how much it cooks down. does yours cook down by about 2/3rds? i keep the simmer as low as possible.
MAS
Sep 26, 2011 — 6:50 pm
@Chuck – Mine hardly cooks down. My simmer is super low. Like a single bubble surfacing every 2-3 seconds.
chuck
Sep 26, 2011 — 7:02 pm
OK, I suspect I have it a tad too hot. Mine bubbles much more. I bet mine is super concentrated and strong compared to most. I do have to water it down when using in some recipes.
chuck
Oct 19, 2011 — 9:14 am
have you ever made pho? i made some this past weekend. it was DAMN good and quality beef broth is the main ingredient. relatively easy and i cannot wait to do it again.
MAS
Oct 19, 2011 — 12:59 pm
@chuck – No I haven’t. What cut of beef did you use?
chuck
Oct 19, 2011 — 1:08 pm
@mas
I had a round steak I used but anything would work. Followed recipe and simmered the steak in the broth for an hour. Way over done. Next time, I will grill the steak separate. Man was it good, just like the pho restaurants.
Lillian
Nov 3, 2011 — 11:58 am
I’ve been on a broth-making kick lately and was wondering – what do you do with the layer of fat on the top? Most recipe books and sites say to discard it. What do you think?
MAS
Nov 3, 2011 — 1:17 pm
@Lillian – I eat it. If the animal was healthy, then its fat should be as well. If it were chicken stock, I’d discard it.
Lynn O'Riley
Oct 15, 2013 — 7:04 am
I made my bone broth with soup bones & oxtails. VERY low simmer for @ 20 hours. Result: dark, rich broth but NO gelatin at all. What did I do wrong?
I live in Newport Beach, Ca. & nowhere here can I find knuckle bones. Would Blue valley Meats ship these? Help!
MAS
Oct 15, 2013 — 8:01 am
@Lynn – I don’t know why your broth came up short.
I go to the Asian markets for different bones. The bones will be conventional and not pastured, but since you’ll skim off any fat, it likely isn’t much of a concern. I have a stock going now from bones I got at the Korean grocery store. Amazing quality.
Nick
Jan 14, 2015 — 5:19 pm
How many cups of broth do you generally get out of this? Do you target a specific amount of water, or just fill whatever pot your using?
Thanks
MAS
Jan 14, 2015 — 5:22 pm
@Nick – Now I use a pressure cooker. I add about 3-4 pounds of bones. Bring the liquid level up to the line of my 8 quart model.
https://criticalmas.org/2014/09/pressure-cooker-game-changer/
So no strict measurements. I fill about 3-4 quart jars.