How to Make a Clear Bone Broth
Video: Beef Short Rib Soup
A clear broth is more profound than it looks. Only the flavor from the making of the broth remains, everything else is removed. A clear broth is as light as water, yet profound like a stew. The broth tastes best when you use bone-in parts. I am using bone-in beef short ribs here. You may also use beef shanks or soup bones to make a splendid broth. Trim the fat on the outside. It is easy to feel like you must remove every bit of fat, but you really don’t. We will continue to remove the fat as we cook, so just remove the fat on the outside and move on to the next step.
Put the bone-in beef in a large pot, pour just enough COLD water to cover the beef, and bring it to a boil over medium heat. The blood in the meat and the bones will be released in the water as the water heats up. If you put the meat and the bones into boiling water, the meat tenses up immediately and the blood does not get released. After boiling for 10 minutes, discard the water so the impurities don't cloud the flavors. Rinse the boiled meat and bones before putting them in a clean pot to finish cooking. You will see dense and shiny bubbles as you cook, they are grease bubbles. Use a fine mesh strainer to remove them so the flavor takes center stage. That’s how you get a clear bone broth!
Another way of removing the fat is to finish cooking, let it cool before putting it in the refrigerator overnight. You will see the grease bubbles solidify into fat. Then you can easily use a spoon to remove the fat. This method works but it requires a lot more time. I prefer using the fine mesh strainer to remove the fat as I cook.
Trim off excess fat as you see fit, no need to go crazy here. I usually just remove the outer layer.
Put the beef short ribs in a large pot, add enough COLD water to cover the short ribs. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil. When it boils, uncover and let boil for 10 minutes. Discard the water. Rinse the short ribs to rid of any impurities.
Place the rinsed beef in a CLEAN pot to finish cooking, see Beef Short Rib Soup recipe.
The grease bubbles are dense and shiny, use a fine mesh strainer to remove them so the flavor takes center stage. That's how you get a clear broth!
Clear Beef Bone Broth
