When any recipe includes a foot, I’m out. The Knorr’s beef soup base that comes in little pots is very good.

I want to make it entirely from scratch, though. I know the "Better than" Bouillion is good, but years ago I made the soup with homemade broth and it was just soooo good

Chicken stock is so easy to make because we are used to dealing with bones in chicken., and using the deboned chicken in other recipies. Buying a bunch of odd pieced bones with some meat on them is not in my wheel house. We had French Onion Soup this past week and it was excellent. I compared a few different recipies. They seem to be in two camps. Those that add sugar those that let the onions carmelize slowly enough the sugar is not needed. I went with the no added sugar. I used cartoned beef stock with added beef broth granuels. We could not have been happier with the results.

Oh mtn, I choked on my coffee when I read Julia’s recipe! To me, soup is homemade even when you use boxed broth/stock.

Specifying the bones is a bit extreme, and it seems like a recipe for bone broth rather than what is called for in the soup. I would stick to soup bones from your butcher, split open if possible. The knuckles add some extra collagen but that might be too heavy for onion soup (some recipes call for veal or chicken broth). Roasted bones tend to be better for this soup, too, I think.

I think you need a good butcher to find foot bones. I imagine they up the gelatin content.

(I am hearing Hailey Mills as Pollyanna talk about bringing calves foot jelly to an invalid)

https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-affordable-bone-broth-using-beef-feet/

This is a good recipe. I don’t skim as it cooks, just put in fridge and let cool. I also do not use cheesecloth, I have a metal strainer I use for both chicken and beef stock.

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_beef_stock/

Thank you, @Sherry8aNorthAL, I will use that!

Is it reslly possible that one cup of that Simply Recipes stock is more than 500 calories??? Whoa!

XH and I made French Onion Soup *once* (cooking was about the only place our interests intersected). We used Julia’s recipe from the French Chef cookbook. I would bet our first-born that there was not a beef hoof involved. It must have used some other method to get the gelatin/collagen into the broth.

Kswl, I've never looked at the nutrition label, lol. Those are always guesses anyway.

I actually find the femur more disturbing

@bbstx, I made it once, and considering I distinctly recall which kitchen it was, and the guests, I think it was ~15 years ago. I remember roasting bones and remember it was delish. I will use JC's recipe.

I just watched the episode of the French Chef (killing time waiting on a workman) where JC makes French Onion Soup. She talks about using buillion or making your own stock. I’m guessing we both used the same recipe, @mtnrdredux_gw. You took the road less followed and I took the path of least resistance. I’d say that is pretty typical of each of us. 😁

Mtn, the link in your original post doesn't work for me, but I've made beef stock similar to Sherry's link. But imo if you're going to bother making it, make sure to let it simmer at least 6 hours. I can't see what your recipe calls for in terms of time. When I do anything less than 6 hours, it never has enough depth. I usually slow simmer in a crock pot overnight. I also add a splash of apple cider vinegar, which helps break down the bone collagen.

To me, any stock is a process, not a recipe. Precise amount are not needed.

Saw this in the freezer case at the butcher today - couldn't help thinking of you!

I would like to cut down to one serving. Not that i need anymore only one person meals, but I like French Onion Soup and Hubby would not touch it if he was starving! He eats about six or seven things, mostly fried.

LOL, @DLM2000-GW!

So I am following the Simply Recipes stock recipe and yikes. I spent $25 on bones and a then $8 for pound of stew meat. Just to make the stock.

These are the bones and a drizzle of oilve oil. It is not at all what I Imagined soup bones to look like?

These are the bones they showed in the recipe: Simply Recipes stock

Those are shank bones. It will make a great soup base but you aren't going to use the meat in this soup - save it for something else.

The second picture didn't show up at first - they are also shank bones but without the meat attached. the first one is called cross cut.

Mtn - those are beef shanks. Veal shanks are used for osso buco, which means "bone with a hole".

I wondered, so I googled "soup bones."

Plenty of examples looks like mine, eg

@mtnrdredux_gw you got some hefty shanks there! those are gorgeous. id fix them and put the meat in large raviolo… with broth. excellent soup course. ( trailrunner with chef son)

They smell wonderful, I will say that. They were frozen so I started them off on their own. I just added the stew meat and the veggies. I threw in some about to go soft cherry tomatoes because a lot of recipes for beef stock use tomato paste, and these were going past their prime. I figure the skin won't matter as it all gets strained in the end.

It's a little crowded int the pan but I figure at 400 it wont be crowded for long.

I agree it looks like a lot of "sacrificial meat" (as my DH calls it). The recipe says "At the end of cooking time (3 hours minimum, 6 to 8 hours if you can do it) use a slotted spoon or spider ladle to gently remove the bones, chunks of meat, and vegetables from the pot and discard."

PS Trail, I remember your chef son, you shared some marvelous places he had cooked at IIRC. Farm to table spot .... didn't it have Hen in the name?

Re The 500cal/serving. I read the comments that followed the recipe that Sherry8a posted and someone asked that same question. The author of the recipe said that includes all the veggies, the fat from the bones, etc. According to her it is really difficult to parse the calories any finer when everything is cooked and then taken but she thought it would probably be around 20cal/cup.

Isn't it crazy that even the foot bones are like $7/lb. My corner butcher (in CA) does the same, bags them up for sale, frozen, but includes more than just leg shanks. However, he also provides house-made frozen beef stock which may be a bargain in the end.

Isn't it crazy that even the foot bones are like $7/lb.

Yes, it is! I'm like, isn't this supposed to be old woman in a shoe fare?

DD and DSIL usually split a whole cow with his parents. I’m going to suggest that they have the processor also package some bones and scraps for making stock!

@mtnrdredux_gw Yikes! i hope you don’t discard the meat!!! that is GOLD! Yes you remember correctly he was at the Red Hen here in Lexington. Not at the time of the infamous incident .

He was also at The YellowHammer in Waverly AL became quite well known there for his farm to table meals. Also before that he was at Acre in Auburn AL and actually got them going via his amazing Charcuterie.

He is quite happy now as a fraternity chef the past 6 yrs . W&L U . The boys appreciate what he does. They are all fine athletes swimmers and baseball a few wrestlers and track so they are very aware of nutrition .

Tgat mest from those shanks will taste fantastic. c

I cannot imagine discarding it! I have the rest of my Valentine's Day menu planned (Cobb Salad and chocolate fondue) so I won't be cooking with it today but def. using it another time!

The hours of restaurant work are so tough, I am sure he much prefers his new gig! Can I guess where he got his love of cooking from?😉

Back to google the infamous incident! (I don't recall now what i was LOL)

PS, YAY Steph

It is still talked about by ” those who shall remain nameless”. The name of the restaurant was changed. Chefs are still the same. There are folks who actually foam at the mouth with anger over The Incident. 😳

Collin gives credit to both of us and we talk food all the time. He is 1 mile from us so we do eat together pretty often and with our 14 yr old grandson.

Here are a couple pictures. He has a custom John Haney Alveron smoker . John drove it up here and set it up . It is 5 ft long. Holds a lot of butts and racks of ribs 😊.

Those lucky boys! What a fun and gratifying job that must be for him, C.

(Googled the Red Hen incident. Interesting!)

Whoa! Gorgeous. Lucky fraternity bros!

BTW, I tasted the meat when I drained the stock, and it was dry and kinda meh. (keep in mind the stock has zero salt at this point). Thanks to your heads up I did not throw it out. I read that it needs to be "rehydrated" and came across a suggestion to add barbecue sauce.

I whipped up a quick cole slaw with what I had (red cabbage and carrot), made a serving of beef bbq, and put it on a toasted brioche. DH love it!

I will also add salsa to some of it and use that for tacos or quesadilla. SO many used for it!

@mtnrdredux_gw . Collin takes it and makes pasta dough cuts it in 4” squares puts some of the shredded meat inside and seals the edges of the raviolo. Serve en brodo ( in the broth) with a grating of cheese. Incredible.

( seems my name is back some places lol)

https://www.google.com/search?q=beef+raviolo+en+brodo&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1149US1149&oq=beef+raviolo+en+brodo&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yDQgCEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyDQgDEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyCQgEECEYChigATIJCAUQIRgKGKABMgkIBhAhGAoYoAEyCQgHECEYChigATIHCAgQABjvBTIKCAkQABiABBiiBNIBCTEzMzAwajBqN6gCGbACAeIDBBgBIF_xBShXmZ4ZD26P&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

LOL, nowhere else to leave the stockpots to chill and separate.

Croutons ready (no I did not bake the baguette)

6 cups of sliced onion, caramelized

The quintessential crock. Wish I had the Lion heads tho

I can smell that delicious soup from here and I want the cheese on top so badly!

Oh to be a frat boy! I certainly never ate that well in a dorm or even in my own college apartments!

That's a wonderful Valentine's day menu - yum.

Mtn, your 2nd photo is what I use if I do not have steak bones (or enough steak bones). Beef marrow bones in the freezer at Publix. They are $2.99 a pound this week. Your first photo is what I use for Osso Buco. I also save the extra broth from pot roast.

ETA: I’ll bet you are having some fantastic meals from the cooked beef!