# beef soup-bone?



## joepiebaker (Oct 17, 2004)

I'm wanting to make beef soup from scratch with a soup bone, but I don't really know what kind is usually used. Help is appreciated 

Joe


----------



## headless chicken (Apr 28, 2003)

Beef + Veal bones cut in 2-4 inches in size, roasted for say 1h. 
If you worried about asthetics, use cold water (makes a clear broth).
Use pan drippings to brown your veggies, de glaze with red wine.


----------



## joepiebaker (Oct 17, 2004)

Does it matter which bone?


----------



## hans.schallenbe (Oct 10, 2004)

do you want to make aa bouillon?

hans


----------



## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Oxtail is the best IMO. Normally the bones you buy in the stores are neck bones. Make sure there's some meat on them.

Smoked hamhocks make good soup too


----------



## scott123 (Dec 23, 2003)

Others may feel differently about this, but I am not a big fan of marrow bones in soup/stock. I find the flavor of the marrow permeates the whole stock and can be a little oppressive.


----------



## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Silly, after you roast your bones you dig out the marrow and eat it with white toast... crust cut off of course.


----------



## chef from va (Nov 13, 2003)

honestly this is why i love this site... cooks after my own heart!  brings a tear to my eye to know that others enjoy roasted marrow as much as i do!!!

definately use 2-2.5" thick cross cut leg bones, roast them until a rich brown(classicly you would rub them with a thick tomato product other than paste because it has to much sugar and can burn easily) of corse you scoop out the marrow and eat it on thinly sliced toasted bread (i like using cardamom bread... its the sweed in me :lips deglaze the roasting pan with redwine and make sure to scrape all of those delicious tidbits off of the bottom. make a sachet using (for 10 lbs of bones) 8-10 fresh parsley stems, 1-2 bay leaves, 1.5 tbsp whole tellicherry peppercorns, and 2 cloves of garlic slightly smashed and skinned. if you have stock from a previous batch use it inplace of or in addition to water for your stock (using another stock gives you a heartier stock with a more complex flavor profile) then simmer, depolage, and simmer some more.


----------



## scott123 (Dec 23, 2003)

Kuan, to each his own. Although I use marrow in a diluted form in a handful of recipes, I can't eat it straight. Thanks, but no. The taste of marrow reminds me of... well, I won't go there


----------



## hans.schallenbe (Oct 10, 2004)

fully agree with that, bone marrow is ok as garnish added last minute. 

on top, it is an headache skimming off all the fat. 

it was also mentioned to use veal bone. they are too high in collagen, and you dont want to thicken your bouillon. therefore best are fresh beef bones, and if you want to intencify the flavor, add, high connective beef meat, ligthly fatty and simmer bones and meat over 3 to 4 hours.

The meat you then eat, with boiled potatoes, cabbage, mustard or horseradish or make a beef salad.

hans


----------



## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

**Sniff** I love you man  **HUG**


----------



## chef from va (Nov 13, 2003)

:chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: :chef: 
:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: 

Same Here Boss!


----------



## kylew (Aug 14, 2000)

That's disgusting!

I prefer to leave the crust on


----------



## joepiebaker (Oct 17, 2004)

Wow. Thanks for all the input. I'll also try the marrow on toast with my daughter. She LOVES toast and doesn't eat well. I try to sneek in good foods as much as I can.

Thank You!!!

Joe. :chef:


----------



## diva (Jun 14, 2002)

I was trained in french cuisine.. but Italy made my life easier!
Bollito Misto 
Is the Italian boiled beef dinner.. which feeds families for days!

no more roasting of bones!
try it

Buon appetito! :lips:


----------



## schwanke (Nov 5, 2010)

Heck no, it doesn't matter what type of bones and beef went into the pot, I use a mixture of everything I get from a whole steer, from the trimmed shortrib bones to the bigger leg sections.

You could have simmered it all night, although you'd have to make sure you have plenty of liquid and your stock might not be as clear because of the vegetables and bone marrow, etc. Simmering that long would probably just disintegrate those items and the solids would disperse into the stock.

Some people strain the broth to make it more clear, I don't bother.


----------



## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

I always tried to get Shin Bones and cut them about 3 inches.The marrow is sometime served as a garnish for a consomme. some people put on toast rounds some make a canape on toast rounds.


----------



## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Well, "beef soup" can cover a lot of different styles.  When I make beef stock I usually start with either oxtail or back rib bones.  Roasted in a hot oven for about 45 minutes, maybe an hour.  By the time the stock is done what little meat is on the bones is not really worth eating so it gets strained out and some other cut is added to make soup.

But if you are making oxtail soup and not just beef stock or broth, that's different.  Shucks.  On another thread I was inspired to make a roast chicken for sunday's dinner.  Now I'm thinking oxtail soup and grilled cheese sandwich.  Decisions, decisions.

mjb.


----------



## tjbt (Mar 3, 2013)

Several points I would like to make....

Roasting bones gives a heartier flavor to stock/broth which is often desireable to the tongue.

But some now say it is healthier NOT to roast bones/meat.  High heat produces carcinogenic compounds - heterocyclic amines....

It's your choice, hearty flavor or health concerns.   Many countries in the world simply boil their meats as ovens are not readily available.

Regarding the collagen excesses in veal bones, some might prefer the unctuous stock/broth this would produce.   Again it is a matter of taste.   In Italy they serve a sausage made with part pork skin (high collagen and very unctuous) during the holidays.  Certainly there are many health advantages to veal stock/broth for therapeutic use to aid in the healing of wounds and  ligament and tendon injuries - noteworthy is the high content of manganese along with the collagen used by the body to knit and repair.


----------



## thatchairlady (Feb 15, 2012)

Learned to make veggie beef soup from my Grandmother and consider it a "dump" recipe!?!  She'd start with chunks of beef and bones... have NO idea if there was a special type of bones?  Well browned then the dump began.  Lots of celery/carrot/onion... and REQUIRED bay leaf?!?  Have no idea how old hers were but never realized they actually HAD a flavor until I bought my own??  Some kinda tomato product... whole, crushed, sauce.  Big handful of split peas and navy beans.  Then whatever veggies ya might have left over iin fridge.  Cabbage, if ya had it... usually did.  Water to fill pot and a nice long/slow simmer.


----------



## kccjer (Apr 11, 2013)

thatchairlady said:


> Learned to make veggie beef soup from my Grandmother and consider it a "dump" recipe!?! She'd start with chunks of beef and bones... have NO idea if there was a special type of bones? Well browned then the dump began. Lots of celery/carrot/onion... and REQUIRED bay leaf?!? Have no idea how old hers were but never realized they actually HAD a flavor until I bought my own?? Some kinda tomato product... whole, crushed, sauce. Big handful of split peas and navy beans. Then whatever veggies ya might have left over iin fridge. Cabbage, if ya had it... usually did. Water to fill pot and a nice long/slow simmer.


LOL This was called stew at my grandma's house! At the end of the week, you cleaned out the fridge and threw it into a pot and cooked it. She never used any special type of bone or cut, just whatever was left over. I use leftover roast and gravy for my base and then just start adding.


----------



## juanv (Jun 27, 2013)

Hi,

I'm new to the board, and this is my first post.  I'm making beef broth, and I had a couple of questions:

I understand that after roasting the bones I should put them in the pot, and start with cold water.  Should I let the bones cool first, or do I go straight from the oven to the pot with cold water?  Also, how cold should the water be - are we talking about room temperature or ice-cold?

I'm making the broth as part of a batch of baby food - introducing beef for the first time.  I'd also like to hear any suggestions on beef baby food if anyone has any.

Thanks,

 - JV


----------



## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

I love Chef Talk!!! This conversation started in 2004. I've actually met three of the people who've participated in it (Kuan, KyleW and Diva). Even if you never meet any of the other members in person, it's this kind of easy-going give and take you won't find _anywhere _else. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/bounce.gif Gotta love it.

TJBT, I didn't know there was a concern about roasting; I knew there was about flame-broiling and barbecueing. Something to consider, but I have to say I'll probably continue in favor of brown = flavor = good.

Thatchairlady, the cooking method you describe is how I learned to cook. Brown this, add that, how much? Until it tastes like _this_ or looks like _that_ or fills_ this much_ of your palm. At least when it came to cooking, not so much for baking!

Vegetable beef soup at my house always started with a combo of beef bones and a large beef chuck roast. (You can't find them in a supermarket with the bone in these days, but try to anyway.) Choose some marrow bones (the straight ones) as well as some knuckle bones (knobby ones from the joints). The knuckles have gelatin, which gives body to the soup. The meatier the bones, the better! Roast the bones in the oven. While they're browning, brown the chuck roast on both sides in the soup pot.

Back to the bones in the oven: Pour off any fat that accumulates in the pan. If there are browned bits ("fond") in the roasting pan, that's good flavor- don't throw it away! Add a little boiling water and scrape the fond off, then add it to the soup pot with the roast. Put the bones into a soup pot too. Add enough cold water from the tap to cover the bones and roast (but not by more than an inch). Bring the water to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer. Skim off any scum (it's protein, don't get grossed out) and discard. Let it all simmer gently for about an hour, then remove the roast. Trim it and cut it into bite-sized pieces; set them aside. At this point I start with the vegetables and one large bay leaf, but sometimes I'd put in some tomato paste earlier. It gives a bit of sweetness you might not like. I add onion, celery, carrot, rutabaga (swede), chopped cabbage and crushed canned tomatoes with their juices. I add some thyme and maybe some other dried herbs now. I like a lot of greens, so I put in the celery tops, parsley and sometimes some kale leaves (chopped) and regular pearl barley. About a half hour before it's done I add cubed potatoes and rinsed canned beans (kidney or navy). If you like, you can also add cooked pasta like ditalini or other small pasta. Taste for seasoning. Add the meat back in just to heat it up.

Yum.


----------

