Platter of Boiled Beef & Stock
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Boiled Beef & Stock


Austria   -   Tafelspitz

Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
noted
***
4+ hrs
Yes
This recipe makes both boiled beef but also plenty of stock. Supposedly, beef cooked this way was the favorite lunch of Emperor Franz Josef, and it has been popular in Austria ever since.

3
3
5
12
12
6
1
4
20
3

#
#
qt
oz
oz
oz
#
oz


Beef (1)
Beef bones (2)
Water
Onion
Turnip
Carrot
Leeks
Celery & leaves  
Peppercorns
Bay leaves

A 3 pound roast will yield about 1 pound 10 ounces of cooked meat and 2-1/2 to 3 quarts of stock.

Make:   -   (4+ hrs - 30 min work)
  1. You'll need at least an 8-quart pot for this recipe.
  2. Crack the BEEF BONES into pieces if you haven't had the supplier saw them up (Note-2).
  3. Trim the BEEF of as much fat as you can.
  4. Blanch and rinse both Beef and Beef Bones so your stock will be clear. To do this put them into a pot with plenty of water to cover (together or separately), bring to a rolling boil for 3 minutes, then pour out the water and rinse any remaining scum off the meat and bones. Clean the pot.
  5. Put the Beef Bones only into a pot with 4 quarts (16 cups) of fresh cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer covered for at least 2 hours. Meanwhile, chill the beef with cold water and refrigerate until needed.
  6. Slice ONION thickly crosswise, chop TURNIP coarse, chop CARROTS into 1/4 inch rounds. Carefully clean LEEKS discarding green parts. Slice white and yellow parts about 1/4 inch thick. Mix all.
  7. Add Beef to the pot as a single lump. Add Vegetable Mix, Peppercorns and Bay Leaves. Simmer until meat is tender (1-1/2 to 2 hours).
  8. Pull Beef and cool. When cold it can be sliced and eaten with horseradish, mustard or cucumber sauces, fried with onions and served with sauce, used in sandwiches or diced for soups.
  9. Strain out and discard all solids from the stock and de-fat. (Note-3). For storage methods see our Soup Stock / Broth - General Method page.
NOTES:
  1. Beef:

      Many recipes call for Brisket. I usually use a Chuck Roll Roast which local markets have reliably and at a good price. Round is a little too lean, but it'll work well enough. Tough cuts are best here for flavor. The fat goes in with the meat - much of the flavor in meat fats is water soluable, and it's easy to remove at the end using a gravy separator. For more details see our Soup Stock / Broth - General Method page.
  2. Beef Bones:

      Some recipes call for "marrow bones", but what we generally find in markets here "soup bones" which are pretty solid. If you buy a large bone your vendor should be asked to saw it into chunks for you. Alternatively, use a sharp heavy meat cleaver and drive it through the bones with a soft faced mallet. Always break bones lengthwise as they are very hard to break crosswise.
  3. De-fat:

      Use your gravy separator. It'll take several batches so pour off only 2/3 of what's in the separator before refilling to keep fat out of the pour spout. An alternate to the gravy separator is to refrigerate the stock to solidify the fat layer, then peel it off, but who has that much room in their fridge?.
  4. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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