Vacation Cook #1: Beef Broth

[NCGrimbo]

So I'm taking a chunk of vacation time and I've planned a few cooks while I'm not working. The first was to make some beef broth that I could use in some of the other cooks I am planning. I purchased 3 lbs of ox tails, 2 lbs of marrow bones, and 2 lbs of 80/20 hamburger (of which only 1 lb is used in the broth).

I fired up the Yoder to 400 degrees and watched as I found all of the leaks it has developed over the last 7 years:

Once the thick smoke switched over to normal, I put the raw bones and meat on the smoker:

After 20 minutes of roasting:

Pulled after 40 minutes:

Meat and bones into the pressure cooker:

Water added to the pressure cooker:

Final results:

The results were horrible. This broth tasted like water more than beef. I'm not sure what I did wrong as I followed the directions from this video on YouTube (by Brian Lagerstrom), but I did the roasting on the Yoder and ran it for 40 minutes since the ox tails weren't roasted enough when I checked at 20 minutes. I did freeze the results and may try to fix it at some point, but for now, I'll be using store bought stock for my upcoming cooks.

 

[Swine Spectator]

NCGrimbo,

I have made homemade French Onion soup for Christmas Eve for >10 years.

I roast ~10lbs of shank bones about 2-3 days out. I let them cool, then put them in a pot of COLD water. I put two fire bricks on a low gas stove and then set the stockpot on top of them. I usually add 1/2-1 bottle of red wine to the pot. In a perfect world, it will reach the point where a bubble floats up every 3-5 seconds. It is the lowest possible simmer. I let this go for 36-48 hours. THIS is how you extract the most flavor and gelatin.

Once it is done, I remove all of the bones and debris. Then I strain it and reduce it by 50%-75%. You know it's good if the stock jells at room temp.

I watched your linked video. I think the pressure cooker is a mistake. It might work for chicken, but for beef I think you need a slow extraction. Additionally, I wouldn't smoke the bones or add ground meat. I believe there is a technical difference between "stock" made with bones and "broth" made with meat.

I braise my onions in butter and deglaze them with brandy or madeira wine. I top them with toasted bread and Emmenthaler cheese., then broil.

Good times...

 

[bowhnter]

NCGrimbo, despite that, enjoy your vacation and cooks!

 

[Itsdone]

1st, how much water was originally added to the pressure cooker? 2nd, how long did you pressure cook? Generally if you add a quart of water, to a 4lb chunk of meat, you should end up with 2 quarts. Also, i pressure cook that amount of meat for at least 90 minutes for stock.

 

[edmonds]

NCGrimbo,
I roast ~10lbs of shank bones about 2-3 days out. I let them cool, then put them in a pot of COLD water. I put two fire bricks on a low gas stove and then set the stockpot on top of them. I usually add 1/2-1 bottle of red wine to the pot. In a perfect world, it will reach the point where a bubble floats up every 3-5 seconds. It is the lowest possible simmer. I let this go for 36-48 hours. THIS is how you extract the most flavor and gelatin.

Once it is done, I remove all of the bones and debris. Then I strain it and reduce it by 50%-75%. You know it's good if the stock jells at room temp.

I watched your linked video. I think the pressure cooker is a mistake. It might work for chicken, but for beef I think you need a slow extraction. Additionally, I wouldn't smoke the bones or add ground meat. I believe there is a technical difference between "stock" made with bones and "broth" made with meat.
Good times...

+1 on this
I usually do about 5 lbs total shank and "soup bones" including both bones and meat, and whatever else I have plus vegetables. After roasting, I cook on stove top at low simmer (temp 205-210 F) for 24 hours. I get about 2.5 quarts yield. I am working on a video of this but its not finished yet so here are some pics.

 

[Fooball]

What's done is done.

Just cheat on your fix it idea by adding some Better Than Bouillon beef base.

The resulting broth may be surprisingly good!