I'm with you..I want to make beef stock...but DANG NABBIT the bones are soooooo expensive!
I found some marrow bones yesterday for 1.99lb..but they were labeled funny...I didn't know where they really came from.

I live where there is a family owned packing house. They package up their soup bones for free. There is usually enough meat on them for the soup.This is a service for their regular customers. They sell free range beef, so we shop their regularly.

My butcher, one village over, gives me bones for free if I ask him in advance to set a few aside. He's an independant butcher...not at a grocery store.

/tricia

At that price, I'd buy a pound of chuck roast and use it for soup.

I grow my own beef and Carl packages the bones for me, labelled as "soup bones" but I think what the groceries are charging for bones is outrageous.

Annie

I'm sure you'll get more expert replies than mine, but I love the stock that ribs make. Half a rack for a soup pot usually works for me. I simmer slowly until the meat is falling off. Remove the meat for the soup and freeze the bones to brown later and use again for more stock (along with all the other bones and scraps I've saved).

Also, if my stock is not rich enough I'll add one or some of the following: soy sauce, oyster sauce, or dried mushrooms. I'm like you are and don't want a bowl of soup that cost me 10.00 to make! lol

I agree trsinc, ribs make great soup, but they're very fatty, so I have to let the stock sit and remove that thick layer of fat before I can proceed. The flavor is great, though.

And there's always ox-tails.

Annie

Even ribs are at the near $2lb mark.

Isn't it amazing that most of the inexpensive cuts of meat and poultry have become designer food at designer prices?

I remember when the stores used to almost give away chicken wings (for soup). Now, thanks to the folks in Buffalo (LOL) they're more expensive than boneless breasts.

agreed..I remember getting beef ribs not that many years ago on sale for .59lb....now they may go down to .99lb.

Soup bones here are pretty expensive, 3 for like 2.99, it's really insane.

I faced the same dilemma a short while ago making stock using CI's recipe. The stock was simple and amazing, tasting of beef, beef, and more beef. I figure as long as you're eventually going to use the meat it's ok to splurge. As for mine, that which I didn't use I froze. I figure someday I'll reheat it, slap it on some cheesey garlic bread, kill it with a bit of worchestershire sauce if needed, and enjoy.

By the way, I paid $3.99 also but have since seen shanks for $2.99. At six pounds, it's worth a call or two to see if you can find it cheaper.

First of all, 6 pounds of beef shank is a huge amount for soup...think of putting that into a pot and covering it with water! That would ba a huge amount!
I am with those who say to use the beef ribs for the "bone" taste and additional chick or round for some meat.
I can get a rack of beef ribs for about $6 to $8 here and add another pound and a half of chuck and it's not too bad...
But minestroni is a "big" soup...veggies beans and pasta....don't need a lot of beef....just bones for the flavor.
Since beef shank has gotten so expensive as has lamb shank because someone says it's "trendy"
..I am anxiously awaiting the price decling of beef fillet and lamb loin chops....as they are so...declasse...
Pah!
Linda C

I make a recipe for minestrone using chicken stock (McCalls Cooking School). I have never used any beef in mine, and it's good.
Di

I just finished the soup and was very disappointed in it. The recipe called for 8 cups of the expensive beef stock and 4 cups of water. I shouldn't have added the water as the final flavor was very mild. I had to add bouillon cubes to $18.00 dollars worth of beef shank stock! EKK

So disappointing to spend several hours making something that comes out poor.

Thanks for all your ideas. I will keep them for future reference when I don't spend $18 on beef shank and don't use this inferior Sunset Magazine recipe!

Ginny

Oh that's terrible!!! It's one thing when any old recipe doesn't work out, but an expensive all day affair failing can set me off kicking the dog. Knowing me I would have tossed the whole thing and then later wished I had just strained out the solids and let the stock simmer and concentrate another several hours. Better luck with your next endeavor.

Well I picked up 2 4 bone slabs of beef ribs for .99lb and those marrow bones I saw were on mark down..I'll be roasting bones tomorrow. I might have to part with a few ribs for hubby to eat...LOL

I just had another serving and it IS very boring. I thought of cooking down the broth but there is so little broth - too much pasta for one thing and just too much of everything, except taste! I know it needs salt. I just added 4 bouillon cubes which helped a little but still quite bland.

Thanks for the sympathy :)

Ginny