Save my broth!

July 1, 2009 10:11 AM

Help me fix my broth.

I made some roast beef in a crock pot. I used a hoppy beer for the liquid, along with lots of shallots and garlic. I want to reduce the remaining liquid into a gravy/sauce, but I think I went overboard on the garlic and shallots. It has a strong flavor that isn't exactly unpleasant, but also not delicious.

I have a suspicion that I might want to add something sweet to balance the thing. Am I on the right track? Or should I just salt it up and hope for the best?

posted by Nonce to food & drink (12 comments total)

Hmmm. It might be the hops that are too strong. Reduction basically concentrates existing flavors, so hoppiness becomes SUPER-HOPPY. Sweetness might be the way to go, but I would reduce the liquid first before adding any other flavors.
posted by Knicke at 10:15 AM on July 1

Don't be afraid to DILUTE! DILUTE! DILUTE! with some water or pre-packaged broth.
posted by gnutron at 10:21 AM on July 1 [1 favorite has favorites]

It's a bit of extra labour, but you could transfer a portion (1/2 or 1/3) of your beefy-beery liquid to another pot, top it up with water and start from there. Maybe throw in some carrots and celery.
posted by CKmtl at 10:24 AM on July 1

When I don't know what to do, I will often fill three small bowls with the broth and try a different thing in each. I might salt one, add sugar to another, and dilute the third. Sometimes the answer is in a combination of these things, but it helps to experiment with smaller quantities so you don't throw the whole thing off.
posted by advicepig at 10:32 AM on July 1

What gnutron said. Dilute it. I'd choose just water and add to taste. Thicken it with a water/cornstarch mix unless you are very well versed with making a roux.
posted by elendil71 at 10:37 AM on July 1 [1 favorite has favorites]

I'd try to rescue it with a mirepoix sauteed in butter.
posted by torquemaniac at 10:39 AM on July 1

It does sound like you need more sweetness, and also more broth to counterbalance things. As far as sweetness goes, I'd recommend frying up a bunch of carrots with an onion, then adding a box of chicken broth to that... and go from there. Good luck!
posted by ohyouknow at 10:42 AM on July 1

Yeah dilution is the way to go. Was it a bone-in roast? If so, you might want to take the bone and roast it, then make a separate broth with it (maybe with some onions for sweetness) and add it back to the first one.
posted by trip and a half at 10:48 AM on July 1

Did you salt the meat before you put it in the crockpot? Or salt the mixture before you started cooking it? People often underestimate the deliciousness that is brought out by salt.

As an anecdotal aside, I've not been happy with things like this that I've cooked with hoppy beer. I now stick to decent pilsners or lagers (or stouts, depending on what I'm cooking).
posted by rtha at 10:58 AM on July 1

Thanks for the ideas! I'll let you know what I do and how it turns out sometime tomorrow.

Also, I think rtha and knicke are right, and if there is blame to be had, it's the beer I chose.
posted by Nonce at 11:03 AM on July 1

Yeah you gotta be careful with beer. It's great when it's great, but it's very hard to recover from the bitterness. Tow things *may* help: fats and sugars. Add a pinch of sugar, and/or some crushed tomatoes. If you've got some leftover lard from the beef - even better some lamb - chuck it in too. But I warn you, this has happened to me a couple of times and there's a bitterness level you just can't come back from, and the beer is typically to blame.
posted by smoke at 8:15 PM on July 1

Quick note: It wound up being salvageable with a bit of salt and a bit of appreciation for the unique (but not bad for all that) flavor.
posted by Nonce at 11:01 AM on August 4