I don't know if you knew this about me or not, but…
….
…I love food.
I confess, it's the key to my heart.
And while “key to my heart” sounds romantic, I assure you, this post is anything but romantic. I'm just trying to make it sound pretty, because in reality, this post involves gristle and bones and blood and marrow and fat.
We just totally lost that romantic-food-vibe we had going, didn't we? Dang it.
Oh well. This is a homestead after all. And homesteads involve gristle and bones and blood and marrow and fat. And that's that.
So let's jump to it, shall we?
It's winter time, in case you didn't know. And winter time is a time to feed our souls warmth and goodness that will help to keep us free from colds & bugs. Insert: homemade beef broth. Nothing nourishes our bodies quite like easily absorbed broth, rich in delicious goodness. This broth is my first line of defense against colds this winter, so I'm making a BUNCH of it, baby.
Last year, when we purchased our locally-raised steer for beef, I had them include “soup bones”. These bones, which you could also get from a local butcher, impart a rich flavor and gelatin to the broth, that is truly impossible to find on your grocery store shelf. So go get you some. Or, save and freeze bones from homemade roasts throughout the year until it's time for stock making! Let's do this.
Beef Stock
You will need:
– About 4 pounds of beef bones (really, any assortment of meat & bone pieces work!)
– 1/2 cup vinegar
– 2 onions, halved
– 2 carrots, broken into pieces
– 3 celery stocks, broken into pieces
– A pinch of peppercorns (optional)
– A few springs of fresh thyme (optional)
– Water
Step One: If any of the bones have meat on them, place them on a cookie sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven until they are nice and brown. Remove from the oven.
Step Two: Fill a large stockpot with cold water. Add the browned bones, the onions, carrots, celery, vinegar, thyme, and peppercorns. Allow the pot to sit at room temperature for an hour.
Step Three: Bring the pot to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for 12-72 hours. I do mine for 24 hours. After sufficient simmering, turn the burner off and allow the mixture to reach room temperature. Then, using a strainer, drain the broth from the bones & vegetables (I strain mine in mason jars, which are easily stored in the fridge or freezer). After the stock has cooled, skim the solidified fat from the top of the jar, and discard.
Note: If freezing in mason jars, allow them to cool down in the refrigerator first, which will prevent breaking. Also, don't fill the jars too full so the stock has room to expand.
Oh yum. The potential of this broth is limitless! Stews. Gumbos. Marinades. Sauces. Risotto. It's like the backbone of all that is to be in the kitchen.
After I canned the broth, you know what I did?
I put the bones back into the pot, added more cold water and vinegar, and started simmering another batch! I've heard you can use the same bones four times. Though each resulting batch is less dense, it's still full of flavor and goodness. Talk about milkin' 'em for all their worth.
Oh. And in case you forgot…
…this is my adorable, squeezable, kissable baby.
And that's all.
Beef Stock
- ~4 pounds beef bones ((really, any assortment of meat & bone pieces work!))
- ½ cup vinegar
- 2 onions, halved
- 2 carrots, broken into pieces
- 3 celery stocks, broken into pieces
- A pinch of peppercorns (optional)
- A few springs of fresh thyme (optional)
- Water
If any of the bones have meat on them, place them on a cookie sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven until they are nice and brown. Remove from the oven.
Fill a large stockpot with cold water. Add the browned bones, the onions, carrots, celery, vinegar, thyme, and peppercorns. Allow the pot to sit at room temperature for an hour.
Bring the pot to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for 12-72 hours. I do mine for 24 hours. After sufficient simmering, turn the burner off and allow the mixture to reach room temperature. Then, using a strainer, drain the broth from the bones & vegetables (I strain mine in mason jars, which are easily stored in the fridge or freezer). After the stock has cooled, skim the solidified fat from the top of the jar, and discard.
Note: If freezing in mason jars, allow them to cool down in the refrigerator first, which will prevent breaking. Also, don't fill the jars too full so the stock has room to expand.
Melanie H.
*mouthwatering* I want your broth…
Jill@ RealFoodForager.com
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This looks great!! Hope to see you next week!
Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/12/fat-tuesday-december-6-2011/
Abby Jo @ Homesteadryingracks.com
Hello, I am awarding you the Liebster Blog Award as I absolutely love your foodie life blog. Please see my blog for details.
– Abby Jo @ Forgotten Way Blog
Jessica
Hey there! So I am really liking this recipe and was wondering, since you know lots about cows, about the sodium in this. I am not looking for exact numbers, but do you think it is relatively low in sodium? Is beef normally low in salt? No clue here and my boy has to stick to a low salt diet since his kidneys have gone all crazy. I would love to can some homemade beef broth instead of buying it from the store! – Jessica
Debbie @ Easy Natural Food
Your beef stock looks so lovely and rich! This is a great stock-making post. I’m hosting a weekly blog carnival specifically for soups, stocks and chowders, every Sunday! I would love it if you would come over and post this recipe. Here’s a link with more information:
http://easynaturalfood.com/2011/10/17/introducing-sunday-night-soup-night/
I hope to see you there!
Debbie
Indian Fashion
what is sweet post and delicious look . cute baby and nice clicking
France@beyondthepeel
What a good reminder to roast the bones first. Thanks for sharing you broth recipe. Looks great!
Anonymous
This is pretty much how I do it except I use a crock pot. A big one!
To Jessica above who mentioned salt and her son’s kidney condition: I wouldn’t worry about the sodium content. Sodium is quite necessary, even for malfunctioning kidneys, but be sure to use genuine sea salt, not the crappy Morton stuff from the grocery store. I use this grey sea salt: http://www.farawayfoods.com/greyseasalt.html
I also like this one: http://www.farawayfoods.com/fleurdesel.html
Sodium is considered a “trace” mineral so is needed only in small amounts. Doctors are more and more changing the way they view the role of sodium in the functioning body, as well as the malfunctioning body.
Anonymous
It’s not a celery “stock” it’s a celery stalk. They are called stalks of celery. =8-o
Anonymous
DISCARD THE FAT??!!??!!
I always save my fat from making broth. I use it as the fat to brown roasts, chops, etc. OR use it to deep-fry French fries. As an occasional treat, its great! McDonalds used to do that way back when…
Marcia Goodwin
when you said ” after I CANNED the broth, know what I did?” did you mean you actually canned the broth or just that you put it in the canning jars to freeze??
Shaye Elliott
Just put it in jars to freeze 🙂
Mari
Was hoping to actually pressure can it. Would that work?
Victoria
How long can this keep frozen and how many jars would you say you make at a time, pint or quart?
Sharon Cooke
If she spells it “celery stock”, that’s her business. I hate the spelling police, good grief, is that all you got out of this? I thought it was a very nice post about making beef broth.
Sharon Cooke
Shaye, I’m sorry, you don’t have to post my last comment. I just get so mad when people try to just pick up on any little mistake to try to feel superior. ugh!! Please don’t post this one either…lol Sharon
Shaye Elliott
Thanks for having my back, Sharon 😉
Ginger
I am new to this making your own broth concept. I mean it has always been some magical item that comes from a box at the store. Anyway, can you save any bones? I was discussing this with my husband and he was wondering if you could save rib bones or T-bones from steaks when we eat out. Would that work or are there special bones that are the soup bones? … I think I make things too difficult at times.
Shaye Elliott
Yes, you can use any bones. I particularly like to use joints because they have lots of cartilage and you don’t have to pay for a t-bone steak to get ’em! 🙂 Just give it a shot!
Alison
Just wondering what the vinegar adds to it- I have been making most of my broths for a while, but never add vinegar. Is it a taste thing or a nutrition thing? Thanks!
Linda
Can your broth be canned? I do not have the freezer space and my refrigerator is very small.
Thank you
Shaye Elliott
It can, but I don’t do it.
TnGirl
Just roasted 5 pounds of bones from our half a cow we have in the freezer. Now letting the bones and veggies sit for one hour as we speak. So excited to see how my stock turns out. Thanks for the inspiration! Just found your blog this week and still exploring it but loving it so far. Really want to make homemade butter next. Have to find local milk.
From Angie in Tennessee
Tn Girl
Tori
I just made and pressure canned my first batch of bone broth with bones from the butchers (super cheap!). My beef broth does not have the dark color of the store bought kind that I’m used to. It’s more or a dark honey color. Did I do something wrong or is that normal for a homemade batch? Thanks!
Shaye Elliott
That is very normal 🙂 !!! I hope you enjoy it!!!
Hannah
If you have a problem with your broth cracking your jars in the freezer, one of the most magical properties of broth is that you can reduce its volume almost infinitely. After straining put the stock in a pan and simmer it longer, reducing the volume by 25% or even 50%–only water will be lost, and water is the only substance that expands when frozen. Mark on your jar how much you reduced the stock, and add an appropriate amount of water when you thaw and use!
Also–I second the notion of not discarding the fat :p in addition to frying eggs and browning meat, I’ve also used it in savory baking applications (biscuits or even homemade bread!) It’s just tallow that hasn’t been fully rendered, so it will have some beefy flavor–but depending on your application that’s a good thing!
Colleen Beatty
I have been canning with my Mother for years and am starting to do some on my own now. This will be one of the first I try as I am so disappointed in the quality and flavor of the store bought stock. I do have a question for the ppl saying they safe the fat for various things, how is it saved? and how long can it be used?
Thank you for a very informative blog!!
Olivia Litts
Thank you thank you thank you. Seeing whole food being made into a broth is inspiring and romantic. I think that’s silly to some but I’m sure you understand it 😊