Roasted Garlic Braised Denver Roast
cozy season is here
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Holiday weekend :)! I had a nice few days of resting/recharging, but I’m ready to get back to my regular schedule. In this newsletter there are 2 recipes; a gelatinous-collagen filled beef stock and a roasted garlic braised Denver roast.
PSA: if you still have Thursday’s leftovers in your fridge, freeze any turkey you have left. For everything else… do your stomach a favor; throw them out.
With that being said, I did a massive fridge clean out. I had odds and ends of just about everything. I grabbed some beef bones that I had stashed away in my freezer and decided to make some beef stock. - very anti-thanksgiving weekend?
I used a very similar technique to my homemade chicken stock recipe. Roasting the bones and vegetables first, then simmering on the stove. The only difference this time was using a different vegetable combo and an adjusted amount of simmering time. The end result, a VERY GELATINOUS stock.
Tips
Beef Bones- I used a variety of neck bones, femur bones, and knuckles.
How to source- The grocery store I went to (Pete’s fresh market) had them pre packaged as “Beef Stew Bones”. If you don’t see them on your grocery shelves just ask the butcher at the counter, they should have some to sell to you. Small Business Butchers are typically my preference, as they ALWAYS have them available and are local.
Pick your vegetables- leeks, carrots, onion, parsnip, celery, green onion, shallots, mushrooms and garlic are all solid options.
Traditional French Stock: uses a classic mirepoix (carrots, onion, celery)
Asian Style Beef Stock: Green onion and Ginger can be used along with carrots, onion and celery
Both give amazing flavors just slightly different flavor profiles
Spices/Herbs- Bay leaves, parsley, thyme, whole peppercorns and ginger are all fine options for beef.
For a true definition beef stock, you would only use beef bones so you can technically skip the vegetables entirely.
I prefer to roast the bones and vegetables prior to simmering.
Use cold water to fill your stock pot.
Strain using a fine mesh strainer and a cheesecloth. It takes a little longer but it makes sure there isn’t any unwanted sediment in your stock.
For storage purposes I prefer using glass canning jars over plastic because I am pretty impatient when it comes to allowing them to cool. However, I’ll use plastic deli containers when freezing the broth.
A gelatinous stock can have up to 10 grams of protein per cup.
Beef Stock Recipe
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 45-50 Minutes
Simmer Time: 5-6 Hours
Ingredients
3-4 lbs. Beef Bones (necks/knuckles/femur)
1-2 Large Carrots Cut into large chunks
3-4 Stalks Celery Cut into large chunks
1 Bunch Green onions Whites and Greens separated
1 Onion Cut in half
Handful of Parsley
2 inch Ginger Piece Sliced
5 ishhh Cloves Garlic
Handful of Fresh Thyme
10 Whole Black Peppercorns
2 Bay Leaves
How to make:
Preheat Oven to 450ºF. Using a large sheet pan roast the bones in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. (photo shown above).
Halfway through cooking the bones, roast the carrots, onion, celery, ginger slices, garlic and whites of the green onion. Remove from the oven once bones have roasted.
Using a large stock pot. Place beef bones in first. Then add roasted vegetables. Add in parsley, thyme, green parts of the green onion. Add 12-15 cups of cold water. Place in bay leaves and whole black peppercorns. Cover.
Bring up to a boil. Once it’s at a boil drop the heat to a simmer. After a few minutes of simmering you will notice foam/grey scum on the top. Skim from the broth.
Continue to simmer covered, skimming if you see any scum emerging. Simmer on low for 5-6 hours.
Strain the liquid using a fine mesh strainer and a cheesecloth. Allow to cool before storing in containers. Keep in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Braised Roasted Garlic Denver/Chuck Roast
A Denver steak is the striated muscle located in the chuck region on the underside of the shoulder blade. It’s tender and versatile. You can treat it like a steak and grill/sear it or treat it similarly to a boneless short rib or chuck roast and braise it.
This Recipe can be used with chuck roast, boneless short rib or Denver steaks
(Denver steaks can be a bit tricky to find). Your best bet is a local butcher, I purchased mine at Publican Quality Meats located in the West Loop of Chicago.
If you watch the video you will notice me adding an orange tinted oil. This was the new shiitake mushroom oil from Algae Cooking Club I loved the extra depth of umami flavor. *note I was gifted this product* but nonetheless this is my honest opinion.
Equipment Used:
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Servings: 4
Ingredients
2-3 lbs. Denver Steak
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