Bones Brigade...

November 24, 2012 6:05 AM

[AuJusFilter]I am attempting to roast a prime rib for the first time at home, and the recipe included a from-scratch jus recipe that includes "meaty beef bones," then goes on to specify marrow or knuckle bones. Unfortunately, the only butcher in town is closed on Saturdays, and my only recourse is frozen beef soup bones from the grocery store. Close enough?
posted by kuanes to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

Best answer: Yes, close enough. The recipe is recommending the most marrowful bones available, but you'll be able to get flavor and body from soup bones too. Especially if you roast em.
posted by Lisitasan at 6:18 AM on November 24, 2012

Response by poster: Threadsitting, ugh...

I won't be roasting them (as far as the recipe calls for), but rather salt-and-peppering them, then "searing" them in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
posted by kuanes at 6:28 AM on November 24, 2012

Best answer: "Beef soup bones" are basically "meaty beef bones." Whatever you do with them will be fine (there may be a miniscule difference in umami and mouthfeel, but it's not like this is a substitition that's going to make your au jus explode or start speaking Latin or anything).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:33 AM on November 24, 2012

Best answer: You might increase the quantity a bit, since the bones you have access to might have proportionally less marrow in them. Otherwise, it's fine.
posted by jon1270 at 6:43 AM on November 24, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks for the advice, all...
posted by kuanes at 6:53 AM on November 24, 2012

Have any Marmite on hand? (Longshot, I know.) Or anchovies/anchovy paste? Add a bit of them in; it'll more than make up for any lack of umami from the frozen bones. Mouthfeel comes from extracting gelatin, and getting that from frozen bones shouldn't be any harder than fresh.
posted by supercres at 6:54 AM on November 24, 2012 [1 favorite]

I would roast them even though the recipe doesn't call for it. The meaty bones will get a bit of a maillard reaction from the time in the hot oil because of the meat on the bones. The soup bones would not. I don't think you need to add the step of marmite/anchovies/tomato paste unless you really want to make sure its very umami-ish. Its a fine idea, just a question of magnitude of meatiness.

I mean I probably would, but a recipe that only calls for the meat to be quickly seared is probably intended to be quite light as far as jus goes.
posted by JPD at 7:01 AM on November 24, 2012 [1 favorite]

If you want to pick up a pound or so of stew meat to throw in, that would also help compensate for the lack of meat on the bones. I use meat scraps all the time in my stock making, from frozen and pretty meat free bones.

Just make sure to keep the stock at a VERY gentle simmer, that really helps keep it from getting too cloudy.
posted by Gygesringtone at 7:34 AM on November 24, 2012