Thursday, February 23, 2017

The Ultimate Beef Broth

We have a new favorite restaurant in our little village and we go there often on our 'date nights' which makes me very, very happy.
 
On Valentine's Day, the menu included short ribs, and we brought the bone home for my old girl, Lily.
 
Of course, Monkey stole it from Lily within a minute or two, but sweetie solved that problem by sawing it in half.
 
Now Monkey has two halves. She's a little punk like that.
 
 
So, when we were at our favorite restaurant again on Friday, we asked if they might have any more bones in the kitchen that we could bring home for the pups.
 
Our server came out with a giant bag of short rib racks that the chef had frozen to make beef sauce and gave them to us.
 
Well, you know there was no way I was going to miss out on that opportunity!
 
There were about 4 racks of ribs in that bag, and this weekend the first rack made the most incredible beef broth.
 
Lucky you, I remembered to take photos so I could share the recipe!
 
 
I wanted to roast the rack first to really bring out the deep flavors. I preheated the oven to 425 while I got the rack ready. 4 yellow onions, sliced in half, and 3 heads of garlic joined the roast in the oven.
 
 
I roasted it until it got nice and brown and let me tell you, the aroma in the house was heavenly!
 
While the rack was in the oven, I got the rest of the ingredients ready in the crockpot.
 
 
Two more heads of garlic, a handful of frozen baby carrots, a half pint of frozen mushrooms, about 3 stalks of celery, and the white ends of a bunch of scallions. And, of course, a hunk of frozen parmesan reggiano.
 
 
Next came the roasted rack...that was the hardest part, trying to get that rack to fit in my crockpot! I dumped in the roasted onions and garlic, and rinsed the pan, scraping up any brown bits, and tossed the liquid in as well. On top went some tomatoes that were starting to get wrinkly (like me, ha!) and needed to be used up.
 
 
Next up, a healthy sprinkle of dried parsley, 3 bay leaves, a sprinkle of thyme, a heavy dose of freshly ground pepper, and a light sprinkle of freshly ground sea salt.
 
Via
The final seasoning I added was my favorite Vermont Country Seasoning.
 
Sorry about the blurry photo, I stole it off their website....don't tell.
 
I love this stuff and I use it in all my broths, and most of my soups as well.
 
 
I filled the crockpot to the brim with cold water and set it on low.
 
 
My crockpot might not look as good as it used to (like me, ha again!) but it still works like a charm.
 
Remember when you are making broth you need to let it simmer on low for at least 24 hours to let the flavors really develop.
 
 
The next afternoon I had this. And my house smelled amazing!
 
I took the lid off and let it cool for a while, and then strained it through a fine mesh strainer.
 
 
And then I had this....just look at how deep and rich that broth is! This is far better than anything you can buy at the supermarket, that's for sure!
 
 
You can see that as the broth cools, the fat rises to the top. I put the broth in the fridge, and before I use it I will skim all the fat off.
 
 
When I was straining the broth I made sure to set aside the now clean bones for the pups, as well as all the beef that fell off the bones.
 
Lucky pups, for sure!
 
And we're pretty lucky as well, because tonight some of that broth is going to become this:
 
French Onion Soup Au Gratin. One of my favorite soups of all time.
 
Served with a loaf of crusty peasant bread, we're talking pure heaven here, folks.
 
I'm drooling already.

43 comments:

  1. You sure figure out how to make the most of things! And Abi would have pulled the very same stunt.
    Brenda

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    1. No doubt, Brenda, and I thought the very same thing when I was writing this post, poor Charlie would have been out of luck! Not that he can chew on bones any more with no teeth, poor little guy!!

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  2. You amaze me with your cooking. I bet your house smells good all the time...Just like Nellie in Knoxville Tenn (berries and more)....she's always cooking. I told her I would probably walk back and froth in front of her house, if I live near by. LOL. Well good food for you and nice bones for the doggies. Blessings, stay warm , xoxo, Susie

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    1. Ha ha, it might seem like I'm always cooking but we actually eat out usually 2, sometimes 3 nights each week also! Which means, when I'm home, I'm happy to be cooking!

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  3. I love making bone broth. I only have turkey broth in my freezer right now. I don't have any beef bones. You are so lucky that you got those beautiful bones at the restaurant!

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    1. I know!! I could not believe it when the server came out with this huge back, with giant vacuum packed racks of beef ribs! Lucky me!! :)

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  4. What a great recipe and to get the bones for free-yeah! I was concerned at first about the onion and garlic(they are poisonous to dogs), but saw that that wasn't included with the bones. My daughter often makes beef broth-because it is so healing for the stomach/gut(she's got kiddos with issues). I also love it, but we have a hard time finding the bones in the markets here. Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs,
    Noreen

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    1. I didn't know that it was healing for the stomach/gut, that's great to know, thanks! Next up....beef barley soup. I'm thinking that's Sunday's experiment, since winter is coming back that day.

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  5. Girl, that was so nice of that guy to give those to you! That broth looks rich and amazing!!! I can smell it through the computer...YUM! I do hope you are sharing the recipe for the French Onion Soup. The hubster loves it!! And those pups are pretty darn lucky to have a mom like you!! Love and hugs!

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    1. Hi Benita! You can find the link to the French Onion Soup recipe by clicking the caption under the photo. I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe....I love her recipes!! xo

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  6. This looks amazing!! I always leave your blog with my mouth watering!!

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    1. Sorry, my friend, if I make you hungry!! You should tell your hubby to check out my blog so he can make you some French Onion Soup, since I know how much you hate to cook! :)

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  7. It sounds like this is work making just for the aroma alone! Love French Onion soup!

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  8. oops, I meant to say worth making it, but I guess it is work too!

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    1. I don't find it hard work, but then again I make broth all the time so I'm used to it. It's just soooooooooo much better than store bought!

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  9. Oh. My. Gosh. Truly, I believe I can almost smell the aroma of such deliciousness!

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    1. My whole house still smelled like French Onion Soup when I woke up this morning!! And I have a quart in the freezer for another day - bonus!

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  10. My oh my! Holy cow! This looks absolutely scrumptious! You are my kitchen hero. :) And seriously, how to you keep your white grout so clean?

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    1. I spray the counter with a mixture of bleach, all purpose cleaner, and water every now and again when it starts getting discolored. Honestly, I don't do it that often, maybe once a month if even. I'm just compulsively neat in the kitchen so I am constantly wiping up!

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  11. I doubt that I will be lucky enough to receive any short rib bones from a chef, however, you now have me longing for some homemade beef broth. Thanks so much for the inspiration and I know that Bentley will appreciate the bones too!

    Big Texas Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

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    1. Oh, little Bentley would be ever so happy to be chomping on a bone like that, for sure, Susan! I was truly lucky to get these bones, and I have enough in the freezer to make a few more batches of broth - yay!!

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  12. Oh yes you have nailed this broth to perfection and I totally agree it is the ultimate in broth! Is it okay if I am drooling and nodding my head!
    Fantastic!
    xo
    Jemma

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    1. It's all gone, Jemma....a pot of French Onion Soup last week, and a pot of Beef Barley Soup last night! And it was GOOD!!! :)

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  13. You are a woman after my own heart :) I cook like this too :)

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    1. It's all about REAL food, Deb, isn't it? I think a lot of folks out there think cooking is much harder than it actually is!

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  14. I am drooling too. That looks so good. Enjoy.
    Kris

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    1. Thanks, Kris - it's time for another batch now, since this one's all been used up already!

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  15. That's what I love about bone broth, none of it goes to waste! We enjoy the broth, and the doggies the bones! Your beef broth looks soo good. I need to make some more beef, as I usually just do chicken. Hope you have had a lovely weekend :) We got a couple inches more snow today!

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    1. Oh my, the snow just keeps coming for you, doesn't it? We are having a sunny day today, I hope it melts all the ice and sleet on my deck! I usually make chicken broth also, but I couldn't resist with the gift of these bones!

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  16. Oh that deep colored broth looks delicious!

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    1. It was so delicious that it's time to make more, Lori, as that batch is all gone!

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  17. Debbie, You've got me drooling over here! That looks so flavorful and I've never thought about using my slow cooker for soup...DUH!

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    1. I use nothing else but my crockpot for broth, Carol!

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  18. I am a huge fan of broth, particularly made in the crockpot where it becomes so rich and delicious. My mouth is watering just looking at yours.

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    1. I am totally out of broth at the moment, both chicken and beef, which is not sitting well with me! There will be another batch simmering before long, no doubt!

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  19. I'm not even hungry right now, but that looks amazing! Going to try this sometime. I think your crockpot is cute. I'm not sure I've ever seen one like that. Monkey is adorable.

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    1. Monkey is a little punk, Heidi, but I love her so much! She's a rascal, no doubt, but a super cute one.

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  20. Oh my goodness that looks delicious!

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    1. Sweetie and I enjoyed the last of the onion soup this weekend as soup for dinner Saturday and as dipping au jus for a French Dip on Sunday - oh my gosh, I'm telling you, it was incredible - best French Dip EVER!! :)

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  21. Oh yes, that looks yummy! We have a roast in the slow cooker, so I have smell-a-vision along with the post...ha! xoxo

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    1. Yummmm!! I need to make another batch of that broth, it went all too quickly!

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