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Beef Broth
Ever the frugal cook, I pull the meat from the long-stewed bones in this recipe and add it to marinara to make a Sicilian-style ragu
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MAKES 10 CUPS [2.4 L]
ACTIVE TIME 15 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME 8 TO 9 HOURS
5 lb [2.3 kg] meaty beef bones (a mix of oxtails, knuckle bones, and shank bones)
2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
2 large celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped, with skins
2 Tbsp tomato paste
10 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1.
Adjust an oven rack so that it is 6 in [15 cm] below the heating element, and preheat the broiler on high.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2.
Arrange the beef bones in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Broil until the tops are browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
Flip the bones with tongs and broil on the second side until well browned, 5 minutes more.
3.
In a 7-qt/6.5-L slow cooker, combine the bones with the carrots, celery, onion, tomato paste, peppercorns, bay leaves, and thyme.
Cover with 8 cups [2 L] of cold water.
Cover the cooker and cook on low heat for 8 to 9 hours.
4.
Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
Refrigerate the broth, uncovered, until cool.
Spoon off and discard the hard fat that has settled on top of the broth.
Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
STOVE-TOP VARIATION:
Broil the bones as instructed above.
Combine the broiled bones, carrots, celery, onion, tomato paste, peppercorns, bay leaves, and thyme in a large soup pot.
Add 8 cups [2 L] of cold water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 3 hours.
Strain the broth, refrigerate, skim, and store as directed above.
Cooking Beans from Scratch
Bean
Quantity Dried
Slow-Cooker Cooking Time
Yield
Black
3 cups [550 g]
8 to 9 hours
8 cups [1.4 kg]
Black-Eyed Peas
3 cups [530 g]
5 to 6 hours
8 cups [1.3 kg]
Ca
3 cups [565 g]
7 to 8 hours
8
1
/
2
cups [1.3 kg]
Cranberry/Borlotti
3 cups [570 g]
8 to 9 hours
8 cups [1.4 kg]
Kidney (see Note)
3 cups [490 g]
6 to 7 hours
7 cups [1.2 kg]
Small Red
3 cups [515 g]
7 to 8 hours
7 cups [1.2 kg]
Note: Slow-cooking dried beans works well for all beans except kidney beans. Kidney beans contain a high concentration of phytohaemagglutinin (also called “kidney bean lectin”). This chemical is toxic to our tummies and will cause food poisoning–like symptoms if not boiled briskly. If you are going to cook dried or even soaked-overnight kidney beans in a slow cooker, you absolutely must boil them for 15 minutes and drain them before they go in the machine
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How to Make the Best Homemade Beans
The best-tasting beans are homemade. Generally, I use homemade beans in my soups because it’s as easy as turning on a slow cooker. Plus, beans freeze really well, so it’s easy to make a big batch and bank some for later. (Don’t worry if you don’t have home-cooked beans around; I include instructions in recipes for using ca
Personally, I think the best-tasting homemade beans are made from dried beans that have not been soaked overnight. Conventional wisdom used to dictate that soaking dried beans before cooking them makes them easier to digest and quicker to cook, but recent studies have confirmed that there is no science to back this up. Hurrah, one less step!
I’ve cooked thousands of batches of beans, and I’ve found that the easiest and tastiest way to prepare dried beans is to chuck them in a slow cooker, add water and a few aromatics, and let them cook slowly on low heat for several hours. The finished beans have a plump, but not mushy, texture and tons of bean-y flavor. Every few weeks, I make a batch of beans and freeze them to use later in soups. In case you don’t have a slow cooker, I’ve included a quick stove-top recipe, too.
Dried beans vary greatly in cooking time, depending on what type of beans you are using, how old the beans are, and how hard or soft your water is. I supply a range of cooking times (see the chart on page 18); start checking your beans at the low end of the suggested cooking time, and go from there. Also, keep in mind that not all slow cookers are created equal. Your mom’s harvest-orange slow cooker from the ’70s cooks at a significantly cooler temperature [about 25°F or -4°C] than newer units.