stock bones from half beef

13 years ago

I'm writing up my cut sheet for a half beef. I want the bones for stock, and have no idea how many pounds that will be. The only bone-in cuts will be spare ribs, rib-eye steaks, and porterhouse / T-bone steaks. Any idea how many bones will be left after the beef is cut?

For each batch of stock, I think a mix of marrow bones, other bones, and beef scraps would be best. Should I have the beef scraps packed separately? There might be some freezer burn if packed with the bones. If I have the freezer space to delay stock making I'd rather wait until fall for most of it.

A package of 6 to 7 pounds should work well in a roaster oven. (I'll buy either 18qt or 22qt.)

I presume it's reasonable to ask the butcher to mix the bone types in each package. We haven't worked with this man before, but he now does the processing for the farmer who raised the cow.

Any other thoughts or suggestions? This is our 2nd half beef, but the first time I'll be getting the bones.

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Comments (7)

annie1992
13 years ago
liz, I've always just asked for "soup bones" and that's how everything comes labeled, whether they are actually marrow bones, knuckle bones, the very bottom of the shank portions, neck bones, whatever. The processors usually cut the bones into pieces that avoid sharp edges that might perforate the shrink wrapped packages, so they don't have to reprocess. When I tell them I make stock from the bones, they gladly leave some meat on them as it is less work than trying to remove it all (or mostly) so I don't have to add the beef scraps, they're already there.

I tell them to limit the bones to no more than 35 or 40 pounds, that gives me 6 or 7 good batches of stock, but there are a lot more bones than that in half a beef. If I take only the best, I don't get things like the big joint in the shoulder, parts that are unwieldy and large. There are a lot more than 35 pounds of bones in half a cow, though, even if you keep the short ribs and the porterhouse.

You might also consider asking for the heart and tongue to add to your stock, and don't forget the tail.

I found this website, it might help answer some of your questions. It says 146 pounds of bone, fat and waste from an 1100+ lb. lean steer. If it's very lean, there might be 20 or 25 pounds of fat trim and waste (sinew, ligaments, etc) leaving you with 120 pounds of bones, or 60 pounds in half a beef. That might be a generous assessment, but I'd figure at least 50 pounds if you take them all.

Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: Ask the Meatman
liz_h
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, Annie. That's just what I need to know.

The last time we did this, I told DH I wanted all the bones for stock. The butcher wrote down soup bones, and I got two little packages!
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Sorry to be so late responding. I appreciate all of the advice. My e-mail has been acting up so I didnÃ¢ÂÂt get any notifications and forgot to look here. I thought of cooking it outside just to keep the odor out of the house. Using the garage isnÃ¢ÂÂt practical with our house design. It turned out not to be a problem inside. I think that I've cooked it a higher temp in the past - often a vigorous simmer instead of barely a simmer. Much better broth quality with the lower temp. Grainlady, the homemade boullion cubes looks great! IÃ¢ÂÂll remember that for the future. Ajsmama, the bones are from the half cow that I purchased last summer. Since most people donÃ¢ÂÂt want them, I suspect I can get more from the processor quite inexpensively. I love the effect of the parboiling. I put the bones in a stockpot, then covered with cold water. My stove brings this to a boil in a few minutes. After a vigorous 3 minute boil, all kinds of crud surfaced. I rinsed the bones, then roasted them, and made the stock as usual. There was almost nothing to skim during the stock making and the stock tastes wonderful. I probably didnÃ¢ÂÂt cool the stock as quickly as I should have, but it was all down to room temperature within 30 minutes from removing it from the stove, and straight into the fridge. I wish IÃ¢ÂÂd thought to use the blue frozen packs as we have a ton of them. I sadly ended up losing half of my bones before I started, so made this on top of the stove. Fortunately itÃ¢ÂÂs easy to maintain a bare simmer on that stove. I found that the pan from my 24 quart roaster fits perfectly in my prep sink. We filled the sink with ice and water so that it came up around the sides of the pan; then strained the stock into the pan & stirred to cool. Since my stock was very concentrated, I also added ice directly to the stock, about 2 trayÃ¢ÂÂs worth. This was a mistake, as I did lose the visible gelatin. It still tastes good, but I certainly won't dilute if at all when drinking.
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As Annie said, I use beef stock to make a richer, thicker beef "sauce" called " Espangole" or "Brown Sauce" which is one of the 4 or 5 (depending on your Church) French Mother Sauces. Sometimes I further reduce the Brown Sauce to make Demi Glace but mostly I stop at the Brown Sauce. I do freeze in ice cube trays. It adds an incredibly rich flavour soups, gravies, sauces etc. As a matter of fact I have large roaster of beef bones, carrots, onions and celery in the oven as I key! it's a bit of work but not much effort , just elapsed time. Great therapy on wet cold days. Demi Glace and Sauce Espagnole made from stock For Stock 5 Or 6 Pounds Of Beef Bones, Veal Bones ,Maybe More 2 Celery Stalks Chopped 1 Onion Chopped 2 Carrots Chopped For Brown Sauce 3 carrots chopped 4 celery ribs chopped 1 Large Onion Or 2 Small chopped 1 cups Butter 1 Cup Flour 3 TBSP tomato paste 12 Cups hot beef stock Thyme, Bay Leaf, Parsley For Demi Glace 2 Tbl Maderia additional beef stock equal to The Brown Sauce For the Beef Broth Drizzel the bones and veggie with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the veggies and beef bones in the oven at 400 degres for 30 minutes, turn and cook 30 minutes more or until lovely and carmelized. Place in a large stock pot and cover with 18 cups of cold water. Simmer for 4-6 hours. Strain, place in fridge. In the morning skim off fat. For the Brown Sauce ( Sauce Espagnole) Saute mirepoix ( chopped onons, carots and celery) in butter until the onions are light golden brown. Add tomato paste and continue cooking gently. Make a brown roux over low heat in a heavy pan with 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of flour. When the roux is a hazelnut color, add two thirds of HOT beef broth. (Reserve one third for demi glace), and whisk together. Add the vegetables, as well as a bay leaf, a little thyme and some parsley stems. Simmer the mixture for 2 to 3 hours, skimming off the scum that rises to the surface. Strain it through a fine strainer, and press the mirepoix gently to extract their juices. CHill over night. Skim off fat.~ Then, for the demi-glace, add an equal amount of beef or veal stock, bring it to a boil, and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half, again skimming the surface as necessary. Off the heat, add 2 tablespoons Madeira. Freeze in ice cube trays. Note re liquid amounts. Use 2/3 of stock for Brown Sauce and reserve 1/3 for the Demi. For the Demi use equal amounts of brown sauce and stock.
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If it's fit for human consumption then why would it be labeled as dog food? It's not like dogs object to eating human food. Here's a quote from ritaotay on this same topic in another (linked) thread: "Years ago my Mother would buy soup bones from a local butcher who bought whole animals from the local stock yards... On one visit to the butchers shop she noticed a sign for Free dog bones and asked for a few pounds of beef dog bones... The man behind the counter told her they were NOT for human consumption for various reasons, most weren't properly refrigerated, they were all dumped in one container ( beef, pork, lamb, veal... ) some had fallen on the floor or fished out of the trash... Granted most stores today wouldn't take the chance of selling contaminated bones but... Better safe than sorry, ask if they ARE fit for human consumption." p.s. Any particular reason to supervise dogs eating bones? Here is a link that might be useful: fit for human consumption?
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liz_h
Original Author
13 years ago
I just spoke with the butcher we're using this time. He was very helpful, and amenable to whatever I want. A nice change from the processor we used last time. :)
annie1992
13 years ago
It sure helps when you have a processor that is helpful and friendly, isn't it?

I'd be furious if I only got a couple of packages of soup bones out of an entire side of beef, geez. Of course I'm appalled every time I see a "soup bone" at the store that doesn't have a scrap of beef on it, that's not a soup bone, it's just a bone!

Annie
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
13 years ago
When I get large bones, I freeze them and I can cut them into smaller pieces on my table saw.

Quick and not too much mess in my shop.

dcarch

This post was edited by dcarch on Fri, Jun 21, 13 at 7:20
annie1992
13 years ago
That works if you're buying bones, dcarch, but my processor will cut them into manageable pieces for me at no extra charge, so I don't have to do the work AND it costs no more money. Double bonus, plus they stay nicely sealed/shrink wrapped in usable portions so I can keep them longer without having to repackage.

I do remember when the butcher would sell a femur or whatever as "dog bones", and wrap them in white paper. They were cheap, but you had to cut them up yourself to fit into the soup pot. We used the band saw.

Annie
ryseryse_2004
13 years ago
We go to a meat processor for large dog bones (for our very large dogs) and he gives us a huge box of beef bones for $5.00. Since we only use the leg bones full of marrow for the dogs, I boil down the rest for marrow broth. I use my Nesco cooker and simmer them for 36 hours. I get wonderful rich broth that I use in all sorts of dishes.

stock bones from half beef

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stock bones from half beef

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