Milky Beef Bone Broth
if it's not jiggly, I don't want it.
Today is my last day of postpartum freezer meal prep. The finish line is near and I’ll soon have pizza and buckwheat chocolate chip cookies waiting for me in the freezer. I started this whole meal prep process a little over 2 weeks ago. I was awoken by thunder and the strange sound of hail outside, which almost next happens in the Bay Area. For a moment I felt like I was waking up to a Spring morning in Ohio again. It was a strange weather day, but perfect for stocking up on bone broth.
One of the first things I knew I needed to have ready in the freezer was bone broths. For sipping and incorporating into my favorite soups, noodle packed or otherwise. I’m not necessarily doing a traditional Chinese confinement diet (I did just mention cookies and pizza so I think that’s out the window) but I do plan to incorporate some elements into my first 30 days and nourishing soups are a major part of that.
Proper bone broths should be rich and jiggly. It should coat your lips with that slightly thick, collagen laden feeling, like you just put on some luxurious chapstick. It doesn’t take much to create a good broth, you really just need time and some good pots.
Today’s Milky Beef Bone Broth recipe is one I return to every few months. At first sip I can immediately feel whatever healing properties were tucked away in those bones. I love to use beef neck bones that have some meat still on them because you also get super tender soup beef to snack on or incorporate into a noodle soup. To remove the initial impurities from the bones and meat, I roast them first in the oven. The more traditional Chinese way is to parboil them first, dump out the scummy water, and reboil with fresh water. Which you can of course do but I personally prefer roasting instead. There’s only so many times my pregnant self can walk from the sink to the stovetop with a giant pot of water and bones.
Once you get the boiling process going you let it boil for as long as you can. I like to let it go for at least 8 hours, some let it go for 12 or even 24 hours but even after 8 you’ll start to see the broth go from clear to this emulsified cloudy liquid of fat and collagen. You want to make sure to be present during the boiling process and refill the pot with more water whenever it starts to dip below the level of the bones. At the end you can take out the bones, let them cool and pick off any tender meat. With this batch we got so much delicious beef from the bones, it filled up 2 quart containers!
Store the cooled broth in the fridge overnight and it should have properly set up and you’ll see the jiggly texture. On top will be a fat cap which you can easily scoop off if you like! If you plan to keep the broth for longer than a few days, keep them in the freezer and defrost when you need something nourishing to sip on.
I’ve used this same technique for also lamb and pork bones if you wanted to experiment with other bone broths.
Happy simmering!
Scrappy Chicken Stock
On this same broth day I also made a big batch of my very loved scrappy chicken stock. This recipe can be found in my second cookbook, Chinese Enough! It’s made with chicken feet (although you could also use wings), which are nutrient-dense and produce such an incredible chicken stock thanks to the amount of tendons and cartilage found in chicken feet. I simmer it with some carrot, onion, and a sheet of kombu. It’s a simple blend of kitchen scraps I always have but produces a special and complexly flavored broth I love dearly.
Milky Beef Bone Broth
Makes about 12 cups
6 lb beef neck bones (preferably bones with some meat on them)
12 cups water (or more if your pot can fit it)
1 tbsp coarse salt
Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Arrange the bones on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast the bones until deeply browned and crisp, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow the bones to cool on the pan for 15 minutes.
Transfer the bones to a very large pot and add the water and salt. Bring the pot to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a low boil and cover with a lid, leaving a gap for steam to escape. Continue to boil the broth until it turns milky, at least 8 hours but can go up to 12 hours. In the initial stages of simmering, skim off any impurities off the top of the broth and discard. Continue to refill with water throughout this simmering process so the bones are always covered. If you have a hot water kettle, you can refill with hot water so it doesn’t bring down the water temperature.
Remove the beef bones from the broth and transfer to a platter or sheet pan. Once they are cool enough to handle you can pick off and save any tender beef meat.
Allow the soup to cool until just warm or room temperature. Transfer the bone broth to quart containers and chill in the fridge overnight until solidified and jiggly. The next day you can scoop off the fat cap if you prefer.
If storing in the freezer, freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight or in the microwave at 50% for 4 to 5 minutes, until it is loose enough to remove from the container. Fully warm up in a saucepan.
Side note: your handwriting is so pretty 😍
You are REMARKABLE for all this work and I am positive it will pay you back a billion-fold. I am really intrigued by Chinese postpartum care and for a while it was like my entire IG algorithm. I don't know a ton about it — just snippets from what I've seen. But the idea of deep, longterm rest and eating what your body needs feels SO right to me. I'm glad you're leaning into that slash whatever version works for you. A great start for your growing fam!