[Tyson]

I've posted a bit before on the awesomeness of broth.  But I am surprised it doesn't have it's own topic yet.  I started out as just a guy that put some bullion cubes into some water and made whatever I need from that.  Then I graduated to the 1 quart organic broths like from Pacific.  A big step up.  But not cheap. 

I wondered how bone broth is made and stumbled across a lot of info on the internet, most of which pointed me to "Nourishing Tradition" by Sally Fallon.  So I bought a copy.  Turns out making broth myself is both dead easy and super cheap (both things I like).  Following the recipe in the book I started right away.  And I gotta tell you, the improvements to any dish requiring broth of any kind were immediate and substantial.  Cheaper, easier, and better?  What's not to like??????

Anyway, I've made bone broth a few times and I have learned a few lessons.  I thought I'd pass them on.

1st, buy some bones.  Neck bones or oxtail are the best, but really any beef bones will work. 

2nd, put them in the oven at 375 for an hour.  Roasting the bones like this darkens the stock and brings out more flavor.

Next, fill your pot with water (filtered, preferably), and about a fourth of a cup of vinegar.  Toss the bones in.  Bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and cover.

Simmer for 12 to 18 hours.  You are almost done now.  Toss in some peppercorns and some veggie scraps (like onions, carrots, and celery).  Salt if you fee like it.  Maybe a bit of red wine (no more than 1/4th of a cup).  Let it simmer for another 2 or 3 hours. 

Now you are done.  Simply strain out the bones, scraps and peppercorns and you have a very nice broth to use. 

It takes time, but the end results are worth it - my chili and my beef beef bourguignon have taken a massive step up in flavor, as has beef stew and Pho.

It works with chicken too.  Just reduce cook time to 6 hours for that. 

And fish broth as well.  Save those heads.  And reduce cook time to 3 hours. 

Total cost?  Well, I'll assume the veggie scraps are free since you'd have tossed them out anyway.  And peppercorns?  Pretty cheap, maybe 20 cents for what we use.  And the bones?  $5 to $8 (Oxtails are particularly pricey).  But you get 8 quarts of broth.  That's a pretty good deal!!  And the taste?  Amazing.

[S Clark]

I'm surprised that you don't roast the bones in the oven to brown them a bit.  I have always considered this an essential step. I'm overdue to make a big pot of broth, think I'll go look at the meat dept tomorrow.  The last few times, bones were actually higher than beef ribs, so I ended up with stew meat and stock bones for about a buck a pound.  I'll have to check out oxtail. How does the flavor profile differ from other bones?
Scott

[Tyson]

I alternate with roasting.  Sometimes I do sometimes I don't.

Oxtail has a lot of callogen, so it makes a richer broth. 

[JCarney]

Welcome to the world of stocks done properly in the home. Good knowing every ingredient that goes into a stock, and obviously what it does for pan sauces, soups, cooking rice, and 1000 other uses. If you like the added flavor, do a little research on brine's. Pork, fowl, brisket, just to name a few. I make a brine for pork loin, not tenderloin, cooked on my Weber with some added chips for some extra smoke that is tender, juicy, and flavor to spare. It's good to know one's way around a kitchen.

JCarney

[jules]

Something that improves any stock ... DON'T  boil it. Try to bring it slowly to a temperature just below boiling. If a stock boils, it gets murky and loses its delicacy [you can smell and taste this].

If you use bones it takes more time to extract their essence than does meat. If you can manage 6 [or up to 12] hours [for beef based stocks] below boiling it will do a great job. If you have the meat in while you're doing this, again, you'll need to keep the temp. below boiling.

Chicken stocks take a lot less time but the same rules apply. If you can bring it to the sub-boil really slowly and hold it there for about an hour the results are great. Provided you've got it right and killed any potential bug problems, you can leave it in the pot overnight to cool and extract all the flavour.

jules

[Syrah]

Check out the pressure cooker technique.  The liquid gets hotter so it's faster and extracts more flavor.  If you keep it below the boil, you avoid clouding and bitterness you get if you boil the liquid.  It keeps more of the volatile flavors in the liquid rather than vapourizing them in the air.  There's a lot of talk about this technique online and in Modernist Cuisine.  It's not very often that you can get away with something easier and faster that actually works better.

[Tyson]

Syrah, that sounds interesting - do you have any links?

[woodsyi]

That does sound promising.  I am a big fan of preparing and preserving Demi-glace to be used later for my meaty concoctions. 

[F-100]

Tyson,
Since you like to cook beef broth,you should look into Vietnamese Pho Recipe - Beef Noodle Soup. Good stuff!!!
You can cut down the cost by avoid using oxtail and use beef leg bone if you can find them at your local ethnic grocery store.

[Tyson]

F-100 - Pho was what got me started on the whole bone broth path to begin with!  Awesome stuff.

[Syrah]

I can't find a specific link, but there's quite a discussion in Modernist Cuisine.  Check out this link and scroll down to the pressure cooker discussion - http://www.cookingissues.com/

The higher the pressure the higher the boiling temperature of water.

I think the key is to set it so that the release valve doesn't blow off too much.

My next project has been to figure out how to clear and concentrate it while keeping the volatile flavors.  Pretty tough without a rotovap.

Since I live in the Caribbean, I can easily buy things like chicken feet in the grocery store.  They make one mean stock, packed with collagen.

[Tyson]

I do have a pressure cooker, and I will use it!  Thanks for the link.

I just found a market not too far from me that has chicken feet, so I'll be picking some of them up too. 

The other cool thing about broth - you can make it even cheaper by buying meat that has the bone already in it.  Like whole chickens.  Or short ribs.  Today the local grocer had 14 chicken drumsticks on sale for $5.  Bought them, roasted them in the oven, enjoying them now (and over the next few days).  I'm saving the bones.  Once we've eaten all of them, I'll toss them in the pressure cooker and make some chicken broth for "free".  Nice, eh?

[sts9fan]

You can also use the raft method to make a clear  broth. Making a completely clear Consumme' is a great art/skill.

[dlaloum]

For an intense stock, which I then freeze, I like to initially boil and skim (remove the protein gunk that floats up manually) - then lower temp to below boiling and leave it to go overnight.

Whole process takes at least 12 hours - the result is a lovely intense flavour.

For pure chicken stock I use chicken wings, carcasses, and whatever form of chicken is cheapest at the time - and I basically fill the pot to at least 2/3 with the chicken bits....

After the first boil/skim stage, I add onions, carrots, leeks, parsley, bouquet garni (in teabag form is easy - but if the garden has the right herbs, I will use fresh herbs), and sometimes a bit of turnip and/or parsnip.

After the 12+ hours cooking I drain and chuck all the solids in the compost - they are basicaly tasteless at that stage.
The broth I filter through several layers of cheesecloth at the draining stage, and then freeze.

The flavour is NOT delicate - If I want to make a consomme, then only 1 hour cooking time and a lovely delicate broth is the outcome.

I use basically the same method with beef bones for a beef stock, but I find chicken stock to be more versatile, so I rarely make the beef version.

bye for now
David

[bunky]

I like to use my smoked ham bones and simmer them for three or four hours to make a nice stock. i cook my rice with it when i make Jambalaya. the rice absorbs all of that flavor and it is delicious.

[dlaloum]

Totally ! I love to cook my rice in chicken stock....

[Syrah]

I can't believe you guys are making me crave stock at 8 am.  After I read Tom Collichio's book I abandoned the skimming routine in favor of putting the bones and meat in cold water, bringing it to the boil, then dumping out the first water.  I think the theory is that most of the gunk we skim off is surface protein, so the first boil takes care of the majority of the surface protein and very little of the ultimate flavor is lost.

I find that combining that technique with the below-the-boil pressure cooker technique yields a much clearer broth than I used to get, with more flavor. Next time I might try one round in the pressure cooker with bones and meat only, cool, then another pressure round with the aromatics.  Another tip from Modernist Cuisine is to chop vegetables and meat finely to increase the surface to water exposure.

[Bob in St. Louis]

I'm not understanding the idea of the first boil. 
I mean we're eating the flesh that surrounds the bone, so what could get to the bone that could hurt us? Also, I watch a lot of cooking shows, and I've seen them do stocks of various types many times, and this thread is the first I've ever heard of throwing away the product and doing it again.

Good thread though. I've not tried a stock, but would like to.
Bob

[F-100]

Today the local grocer had 14 chicken drumsticks on sale for $5.  Bought them, roasted them in the oven, enjoying them now (and over the next few days).  I'm saving the bones.  Once we've eaten all of them, I'll toss them in the pressure cooker and make some chicken broth for "free".  Nice, eh?

I've never tried chicken broth made with cooked bones.  I'm very sure the texture will be darker but is there a taste difference?

[Tyson]

I mainly discard after the first boil because I suck at spooning the scum off the top.  Dumping it ensures that it's ALL gone.  If you don't do this step (skim well, or dump), the broth comes out a bit funky tasting.