Comments on: Save my broth!

Question: Save my broth!

Nonce — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:11:44 -0800

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?

By: Knicke

Knicke — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:15:41 -0800

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.

By: gnutron

gnutron — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:21:44 -0800

Don't be afraid to DILUTE! DILUTE! DILUTE! with some water or pre-packaged broth.

By: CKmtl

CKmtl — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:24:33 -0800

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.

By: advicepig

advicepig — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:32:55 -0800

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.

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:37:58 -0800

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.

By: torquemaniac

torquemaniac — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:39:30 -0800

I'd try to rescue it with a mirepoix sauteed in butter.

By: ohyouknow

ohyouknow — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:42:04 -0800

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!

By: trip and a half

trip and a half — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:48:41 -0800

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.

By: rtha

rtha — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:58:36 -0800

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).

By: Nonce

Nonce — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:03:22 -0800

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.

By: smoke

smoke — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:15:50 -0800

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.

By: Nonce

Nonce — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:01:52 -0800

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.