Bone broth - fail?

(Mike W.) #1

The recipe I’m using says to “blanch” the bones for 20 mins before roasting. This process took almost an hour to reach a simmer. It seems like most of the marrow is out the bones already and in this blanching water I’m supposed to dump :frowning: Did I screw this up or is there more the bones have to give?

(Guardian of the bacon) #2

I’m not broth expert, but I’d roast the bones now, save the blanching water for your low and slow cooking process

#3

I agree, I’d be doing this also. I haven’t heard of blanching them, just roasting.

(AnnaLeeThal) #4

I just roast them and throw them in the pot, along with all the fat that rendered out.

#5

Next time, skip the blanch.

(Mike W.) #6

Yeah, it’s a bust. The blanching water is done for as it’s been sitting out. Bones have been roasted. I’ll guess I’ll add them to some water tomorrow and see what happens.

#7

Well, I just roast the bones (and eat the marrow) and then add them to water in the crock pot, so I’d say that your bones will still make excellent bone broth. Especially if you have some short rib, oxtail, knuckle bones, etc to include.

(Mike W.) #8

So you make your broth without marrow? I’d love to be able to eat all that center deliciousness and still have good broth!

#9

Yeah, if you have the cartilege type of bones (knuckles, oxtail, etc), it will still be a thick gel! And I never “waste” the marrow in my broth! :smile:

(Mike W.) #10

I do have knuckles and femurs so it might be ok. Thanks!

#11

Why roast the bones? Why can’t the bones just go right into the crockpot? What is gained by roasting the bones rather than let the marrow become part of the broth?

(jketoscribe) #12

I’ve seen this in recipes for Asian broths like Pho. I think “blanching” the bones means just to boil them for about 20 minutes or so because the loose proteins coagulate and rise to the top–often people call this “scum”. In the Asian recipes I’ve seen they instruct you to bring the bones to a boil for 20 minutes, then rinse the bones, clean out the pot, and start all over so that the finished broth will be perfectly clear. This is really unnecessary, you can just as easily take most of the “scum” out with a spoon because it floats on top, or if you use a pressure cooker there’s no scum and broth comes out perfectly clear without any extra effort. .

Some people roast the bones for depth of flavor, but it’s optional.

(Mike W.) #13

That’s what I had read. Unfortunately my 24 qt stock pot took an hour to eat. Maybe I should have started it already boiling.

#14

I’ve skipped the roasting many times before. And you are correct…still comes out tasting good. Roasting adds another depth of flavour, but certainly not a critical step for good final result…especially when you are using aromatics in the broth (herbs, carrots, celery, onion, etc).

#15

I haven’t found a difference in the broth whether roasting or not, but I like to eat the marrow so I roast first! :slight_smile: