Them Bones / A High Yield Stock

I find myself in a quandary.  I've written two great posts with recipes that were so over the top good and that got a HUGE response that I am left wondering what to write about.  The past two weeks have been really slow in the kitchen and I have been revisiting some things that I haven't had in a while, so the creative thing has gone by the wayside temporarily so that I might get back to some "Old Standards".

However, I did realize that as I go over these Old Stand By's that a few of my techniques have changed or evolved as I pick up a tip here and an addition there.  I may mention some older posts but only long enough to tell where I'm going with my new flavor additions.  So, this week I am offering for your consideration............

Beef Marrow Bones
Beef Consomme

Beef Marrow Bones

Before anyone says anything, let me answer your question right up front:  Yes, I eat this stuff.  I is generally agreed among Anthropologists that what lead to the great leap in Human Evolution was the use of stone tools.  One of the things that was accomplished by using stone tools was the ability to crack open the bones of prey and extract the fatty, protein rich marrow.  Now, I will not be cracking open bones to eat raw marrow, but when roasted, a fatty, beef flavored oyster is your result.  And DAMN is it good and usually costs about $2.00.

Roasted Marrow Bones...and Dessert.

2-10 Marrow Bones, cut in half
Pinch of Sea Salt, fresh ground Pepper, Granulated Garlic
Splash of Port Wine

This is incredibly simple:  Make a cup from aluminum foil that is large enough to fit the wide base of the bone and sprinkle in a pinch of sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a splash of Port Wine.  Place the bone in and tightly wrap it around the base.  Sprinkle these on the top of the bone as well.  Over a hot grill or on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven, roast bones until the fat is bubbling and the interior of the bone appears browned and roasted.  Using a metal skewer of the long, narrow handle of a teaspoon, rout out the marrow and let fall on a plate.

To the uninitiated, this is going to look like an oyster, of a sense, and there will be an abundance of fat as well.  Save the fat for something to be determined later and enjoy the fatty, beefy richness that is the decadence of roasted bone marrow.  That's all there is to that.  Again, it's not going to look appealing and you have to love the fatty taste of beef.  If that is a flavor you dearly love, as I do, this is what you've been waiting for.

Beef Consomme

Consomme (Consume-May) is a simple stock with a complicated method of preparation.  You can use any number of ingredients that you would when making a stock., so don't think that this list of ingredients is all there is to it.  Add, subtract, improvise, etc.  Just remember the final steps are whats important.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
10 Beef Marrow Bones, split and cut into short pieces
1 lb. Beef scraps, stew beef, or other leftover beef cuts.
1/2 a large White Onion, keeping the skin and cut into chunks
4 cloves of Garlic, skin on.
4 large Carrots cut into chunks
4 large Celery stalks cut into chunks
1/2 cup each of fresh Rosemary, Sage, Thyme
1/4 cup Port Wine
1/4 cup dry Red Wine
Water to cover
Salt, Black Pepper, White Pepper
4 Egg Whites

Add all ingredients except herbs to a roasting pan, cast iron dutch oven, or similar heavy cookware that can accommodate the amount of ingredients.  Roast in oven for about 2-3 hours or until vegetables are caramelized and the fat in the bones is browned and crisp on the edges.  In the same pan, degalze with Port and Red Wine making sure to scrape all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan.  Add herbs, cover with water, and let simmer for about 3 hours making sure to skim the top often for floaters, fat, etc.  Let cool to room temperature then place in the fridge over night.  The next day, scrape the fat cap off the top and reheat to a light simmer.  Remove all large pieces and strain remaining bits through a cheese cloth.  You may wish to repeat this process another time or two.

Here's the fun part.  While at a light simmer, you want to thoroughly combine 2 egg whites with 4 tbsp water and slowly pour into the stock.  This is called making a "Raft"  what this is going to do is combine with the remaining floating bits and fats in the stock and force them to all float to the top.  Skim off the raft and, if needed, repeat the process.

In the parlance of Proper Culinary Terms, a broth is made from meat and a stock is made from bones.  In this case, your using both to make a very rich type of soup that is typically served clear, with no additions.  For my purposes, this is what I use for broth.  If I'm making a gravy, soup, or anything that requires beef stock this is what I use.  The reason being that the gelatin's and calogen's give this a richness that you will feel as well as taste.  This is the "Extra Mile" that will make anything using this consomme extraordinary.

Roast Beef ready for a Long, Slow Cook

As a passing note, if you follow the above recipe, add a Top Round Roast to the pot, don't worry about clarification, and let it stew for a few hours and you have a Roast Beef that is very, very rich.  Now, take the roast out and slice it, save the juices and add them back to the pot, mix in a little Roux (there's a Blog Post for That), add  the roast back in and soon you'll have all you need for Roast Beef Po' Boys.

You can do tons with a good beef broth or stock.  Adding Consomme instead of those will create a mouth feel, a richness, and an overall texture to any gravy, soup, or beef dish that will more than certainly be noticed.

Party Well, Eat Better
Rob