Question about soup bones & broth.
 

hey guys hope all is well today! Going well here except for the cold/crappy weather.. Looking for an opening to fire up the smoker for the beef ribs I have in supply right now and then an idea went through my mind.

Can you smoke soup bones before making broth? I Don't see why you can't... I have seen video's and recipes that recommends roasting the bones in the oven for 30-60 minutes before putting the bones in the stock pot.

Next question is.... Is it worth it? How would it effect the flavor of the broth?

I plan on freezing the broth in ice cube trays.. I'm only going to do small batches at a time.. I have plenty of soup bones.. I figure I could play around with different recipes and ingredients if I did small batches..

Pulling the frozen broth cubes out of the freezer.. Give me idea's of some use? I honestly don't use broths much unless I'm dealing with specific dishes that calls for it. I mean if the broth was in jars or a big container.. I would thaw and use for soups.. Same thing for ice cubes I assume right? I like the idea of freezing in ice cubes.. as I could use just a couple to add flavor into my meals easier.

I would try it. You will probably get a smokey flavor in your broth. I would also reduce your broth too. That way you can reduce the amount space you are using in your freezer. When you add them back into your recipe you can add water back at that time if you need a milder flavor.

yeah.. I agree it makes sense to reduce the broth. I don't exactly know how to do that... But it is one of the things I was going to look into before jumping into making the broth.

I liked the idea of smoking the bones instead of roasting them. I plan on trying it anyways, I just wanted to hear other opinions on it first.. If I'm being told by everybody its a bad Idea i don't even want to attempt it.

Beef and pork bones should be roasted (or smoked) before making broth. Poultry bones can be used as it. I have smoked pork blade bones from butts in the past and used them to make bone broth. I could taste some of the smoke flavor in the broth.

Smoke em if you got em. For uses of stock/broth, besides the obvious soups and beans, I use it for the liquid when I make rice, quinoa or barley. Layers of flavor...

Thanks guys.... So the question would be.. I'd be cooking in the range of 200-350 in the offset.. How long should the bones be in the smoker for? Just depends on the mood I'm in and how fast I'm trying to cook.

I've never smoked straight bones before, but I make stock out of a smoked chicken carcass all the time and it's awesome! Always a great smoky flavor.

I agree you can smoke them but to be honest I would be concerned with the quantity of smoke they receive. With the blade bones that Ron_L talks about only a small portion of the bone is actually exposed to the smoke. Rib bones would have a larger surface area and therefore would take up more smoke.

Add to that, if you reduce the stock you are not only increasing the overall flavor, but also the smoke flavor. My advice would be to use a 50/50 mix of smoked and roasted bones for a more balanced flavor.

As for smoking the beef ribs, I would smoke them low and slow with a nice brisket rub for 4-5 hours.... aka, 'Brisket on a Stick'....

I would definitely smoke them, suck the marrow out, then make broth with the bones.

You could definitely do it, but the question is whether you ought to. Just like salt, I think you want your stock to be neutral, so you can use it with more versatility. So, for us it's been "roast 'em in the oven" before making the stock. You might, however, want to consider roasting them without purposeful smoke in your outdoor cooker. Could give it a nice subtle touch.

I was smoking just the bones so the whole thing was exposed to smoke. They were removed from the butt while the butt was raw.

I let them go for about 45 minutes in the cooker at 300.

Beef Bones should always be cooked before making stock or broth. Making a clear beef stock (AKA White stock) you blanch the bones in boiling water for a few minutes before making the stock. For a brown stock, the bones are roasted for a good 20 to 45 minutes with a little tomato paste and mirepoix.

If you don't roast or blanch your beef bones before cooking, you will be skimming white floating scum coming off of the surface of your broth for a couple of hours.

FYI -

Broth = Bones and or Meat only simmered in water.

Stock = Bones, Meat, Aromatic Vegetables, Bay Leaf, Parsley, S&P, Thyme, etc. simmered in water.

Thanks alot guys for the info! I'm thinking smaller batches.. So I will be doing my first batch un-smoked.. I'll save the bones that have a little meat on them for the smoker.

To reduce the broth, all you have to do is boil off the water. A medium simmer will be a good start being your first time. I would start by taking your full amount and letting it simmer until there is half of it left. Try freezing those and then see how they work for what you want to use them. These will also good for making sauces too.

Ok... currently I have a 12 quart stock pot.. Is there a specific bone to water ratio I should look for?