Making Beef Stock from Ground Beef

[Shel_B]

I've a need for a simple beef stock but I want better quality than boxed, commercial broth.  I don't want to make a full-tilt stock in which bones are roasted, etc., nor do I need anything like that.  I'd like to try using ground beef and the appropriate aromatics and additions.  Any thoughts on the idea or suggestions to enhance the flavor?

 

I'm familiar with, but haven't used, Better than Bullion and More than Gourmet, and I may consider using one of those or another similar product, but for the moment I'd like to explore the idea of using ground beef.

[gfweb]

It should work fine.

Contrary to generations of chefs, bones add no taste to a stock. They do add gelatin which will change  the "mouthfeel" (hate the word) and thickening ability.  No bones should taste fine.

 

There'll be more fat from ground beef.

 

I think I'd brown the beef.

 

When you consider how little beef actually is on the bones that go into stock, it shouldn't take a lot of ground beef.

[KennethT]

Ground beef may get decent flavor but it will be short on the collagen/gelatin you'd get from bones/connective tissue.

 

Making stock in a pressure cooker makes it go much faster but doesn't really help with the time to brown which is important for a good beef stock.

 

I've used the BTB beef stock and it's pretty good. If you don't use much, I think it's a good alternative to making your own unless you have tons of time.

Edited June 20 by KennethT (log)

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

Try browning the ground beef with some chopped up chicken wing tips, a chopped up chicken back or backs or some chopped chicken feet.

They'll add the collagen than differentiates broth from stock.

 

[KennethT]

I like @Senior Sea Kayaker's idea.  I was actually thinking that if you had a good homemade chicken stock, you could brown the ground beef well and then deglaze and simmer in the chicken stock.  That should add the browned, beefy dimension to the pregelatinized stock.

[AlaMoi]

using chuck maybe more cost effect and more  flavor effective . . .

any beef will need to be heavily browned - just simmering raw beef will not get you anything close.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

5 minutes ago, KennethT said:

I like @Senior Sea Kayaker's idea.  I was actually thinking that if you had a good homemade chicken stock, you could brown the ground beef well and then deglaze and simmer in the chicken stock.  That should add the browned, beefy dimension to the pregelatinized stock.

 

That's an even better idea as long as you have homemade stock.

 

 

[Duvel]

Bocuse introduces a clarification step using a ground meat raft for „traditionally“ soups, e.g. his famous truffled chicken soup. Clarifies the soup and intensifies the flavor - maybe that‘s a way to go (with whatever base you have) for you ?

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

32 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Bocuse introduces a clarification step using a ground meat raft for „traditionally“ soups, e.g. his famous truffled chicken soup. Clarifies the soup and intensifies the flavor - maybe that‘s a way to go (with whatever base you have) for you ?

 

That's a technique really used to produce a clear flavourful consomme. It takes a long time and I don't think it's what the OP wants.

He's looking for a fast runaround to using boxed supermarket broths.

 

Edited June 20 by Senior Sea Kayaker (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

17 minutes ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

I don't thing it's what the OP wants.

He's looking for a fast runaround to using boxed supermarket broths.

If that's all he's looking for, using ground beef should work just fine because I haven't found one box product that is anything but broth. As far as I'm concerned they're nothing but the cubes or the powder with water added. Making it himself he could control the salt content and not wind up with all the preservatives.

Edited June 20 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[dans]

I remember seeing a chef on TV (I can't remember which one) that was making a recipe and made some stock/broth from the discarded beef trimmings. He took the beef trimmings and browned them well, then added the veggies and water and made a small amount of broth that he used for a sauce.

 

I wish I could remember who it was.