Gentle Tiger Acupuncture

Like I promised on the Gentle Tiger Acupuncture LLC Facebook page and I’m sure it was also there on our Twitter page, THE beef stock recipe that will leave you feeling full and satisfied, whether you drink it straight, which I recommend in chronic and/or serious illness, but also if you’re working on losing weight, increasing energy, feeling satisfied without overeating or working to gain some weight (How can I lose weight OR gain weight with this Miguel? – the body as a self regulating organism will know what to do with this fat – it’ll either use it to help flush out toxins thereby losing weight orrrrrr hold onto it and help you gain a healthy amount of weight). And let’s remember that it’s just a danged good beef stock even if there’s NOTHING wrong with you.

BEEF STOCK from Nourishing Traditions – Sally Fallon

About 4 lbs of beef marrow and knuckle bones

1 calves foot, cut into pieces (optional)

3 pounds of meaty ribs or neck bones

4 or more quarts of cold filtered water

½ cup vinegar

3 onions coarsely chopped

3 carrots, coarsely chopped

3 celery sticks, coarsely chopped

Several sprigs of fresh organic thyme (or from your pesticide-free garden), tied together.

1 tsp of dried green peppercorns, crushed

1 bunch of parsley (either curly or flat)

     Good beef stock must be made with several sorts of bones: knuckle bones and feet impart large quantities of gelatin to the broth; marrow bones impart flavor and the particular nutrients of bone marrow; and meaty rib or neck bones add flavor and color.

     Place the knuckle and marrow bones and option calves foot in a very large pot with vinegar and cover with water. Let stand for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place the meaty bones in a roasting pan and brown at 350 degrees in the oven. When well browned, add to the pot along with the vegetables (this is why you’ll need a BIG pot). Pour the fat out of the roasting pan into the pot, too. Add cold filtered water to the roasting pan, set over a high flame and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen up coagulated juices. Add this liquid to the pot, too – we want it ALL. Add additional water if necessary to cover the bones; but the liquid should come no higher than within 1 inch of the rim of the pot, as the volume slightly expands during cooking. Bring to a boil. A large amount of scrim (or scum – same thing) will come to the top, it is IMPORTANT to remove this with a spoon. After you have skimmed, reduce heat and add the thyme and crushed peppercorns.

                Simmer the stock for at least 24 hours and as long as 72. I personally shoot for 48 hours. Just before finishing, add the parsley and simmer another 10 minutes.

You will now have a pot of rather repulsive looking brown liquid containing globs of gelatinous and fatty material. It doesn’t even smell all that good. But don’t despair. After straining you will have a delicious and nourishing clear broth that forms the basis for many recipes.

Remove the bones with tongs or slotted spoon. Strain the stock into a large bowl. Let cool in the refrigerator and remove the congealed fat that rises to the top. Transfer the stock to smaller containers and to the freezer for long-term storage.

Note: I strongly recommend you remove the marrow from the bones and spread on whole grain or sourdough bread. Your dog or someone else’s will love the leftover meat and bones. The congealed fat you collected as it was cooling can be used to make pemmican or put outside for the birds to eat.

p.s Coming your way soon, my next blog post will be about water. ooooooh, I cannot WAIT! I can hear you all scooting to the edges of your collective seats and holding your breath. Well, don’t hold it too long and make sure you get up and stretch from that soon to be uncomfortable position on your chair and hold true, the blog post will be here next week-ish!