The Cure-all bone broth
Beef bone broth
PREP TIme: 30 minutes
Cook time: 6 - 24 hours
Thanks again NY Times Cooking for your amazing recipes! This one for Beef Bone Broth is essentially the same as the one from Marco Canora that was adapted by Julia Moskin but I further adapted it to be what I think is a cure-all for many ailments. When I had my son back in the winter of 2011, I was hammered with Anemia. For weeks I couldn’t walk around the block without Jason supporting my arm. I was cured by two high-iron foods: lentils and beef bone marrow. Bone marrow gives us vitamins A, B2, B12, and E, plus omega-3s, omega-6s, and minerals like calcium, iron, selenium, and zinc. Wow-za, right?!
Now when I make bone broth, I head to the butcher to ensure that my mix of bones include knuckles and slices of marrow. Then, when I get to the simmer stage of the recipe I don’t cut it short. It takes a long time but totally worth it. Plus your house will smell like a dreamy Sunday pot roast aallllllll weekend looooooong.
The Cure-All Beef Bone Broth
INGREDIENTS
1½ pounds bone-in beef short rib
2½ pounds beef shank or oxtail
3 pounds beef knucklebones, beef shank, veal shank or oxtail.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2 onions, halved and peeled
1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes (they can be whole, peeled or diced)
1 head garlic, excess skins removed, top chopped off to expose the cloves
2 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ bunch fresh thyme
¼ ounce dried mushrooms
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
METHOD
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place meat and bones in a rimmed half sheet pant. Drizzle with olive oil, turning to coat, then brush all over with tomato paste. Roast until browned, 30 to 35 minutes to develop some color.
Put roasted meat and bones in a large Dutch oven or stock pot and add vinegar and enough cold water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours. While simmering, occasionally skim fat and foam from the top using a ladle.
Add all the remaining ingredients. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for a minimum of 6 hours. I like to simmer overnight, 9 to 15 hours, until the knucklebones have broken down.
Remove meat and bones with tongs; reserve meat for another use (or shred and add back to a mug of your prepared broth). Pour broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl. Once broth has cooled, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
