Spatula Diaries: Which bones are best for a great soup?

I thought I’d squeeze in one more hot soup blog post before the weather gets toasty and our thoughts turn elsewhere.

Lately, I’ve been making a big pot of vegetable soup on the weekends, starting with homemade beef stock. I went through a phase when I saved time and bought beef stock from the store—there are so many good quality ones these days—but honestly, nothing compares to the real thing.

Last year, I got inspired to return to homemade beef stock after we did a fun 225 story on great local soups. I had the best time picking the brains of local chefs on what makes their signature soups so delicious. Some were cream soups that turned on straightforward decadence. But others, like Café Dang’s pho, MJ’s Café’s black bean and Galatoire’s Bistro’s turtle, were soups that rose and fell on house-made stocks. No surprise, they were tended for many hours at a time. Even MJ’s vegetable stock called for overnight slow-roasting of multiple root vegetables.

I’m not sure I have that much time to devote, but I can certainly muster a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon while I’m hanging out with my family and doing lots and lots of laundry. So, the question is, which bones are best for creating a stock that makes your soup sing?

I’ve got it down to two: short ribs and oxtails. Both work great, and are about the same price. They each include plenty of fat, rich beefy flavor and lots of marrow, which adds generously to the flavor profile.

Here’s what you do:

To the bottom of a medium stock pot, preferably with a removable strainer, add 1 ½ pounds of short ribs or oxtails. Fill the pot with water to ¾ full. Add 2 yellow onions that have been cut into large pieces, 3 celery stalks with leaves cut into large pieces, 3-5 carrots cut into large pieces, a few peeled whole garlic cloves, a tablespoon of peppercorns and 3-5 bay leaves. Bring to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt. Let simmer for 2-4 hours. Turn off the heat. Strain the bones and cooked vegetables. You can use the stock to make soup immediately, or you can refrigerate it overnight and skim the fat the next day, which will have risen to the surface. I used to be vigilant about skimming the fat, but now I leave it. It makes for a superior soup.

Enjoy!

Maggie Heyn Richardson is a regular 225 contributor and the author of the book Hungry for Louisiana, An Omnivore’s Journey. Reach more at hungryforlouisiana.com.