These Ribs Are The Secret Ingredient Your Bone Broth Needs

Scratch-made bone broth has a great deal of nutritional benefits and can make the base for a variety of delicious soups, stews, and much more. Rather than sifting through over-salted and underwhelming store-bought beef broth brands, it's worthwhile to spend the time preparing your own homemade version to make the most of your meat. Tasting Table chatted with Christie Vanover, Head Cook and Pit Master for Team Girls Can Grill and contestant on Season 4 of Food Network's "BBQ Brawl," to get her expert opinion on why beef short ribs are the secret ingredient to a fulfilling and hearty bone broth.

Much like short ribs are the chef-approved cut to use for a richer beef stew, so too can these ribs play an important role in your next batch of bone broth. Per Vanover, "Beef rib bones contain a lot of marrow, so when they simmer in liquid, that marrow really flavors the broth." If you're already a big fan of bone marrow, then you know the long way short ribs can go to amping up a bone broth with both the taste and nutrients you truly want in your next batch.

Vanover states, "The marrow in short rib bones is rich and beefy with a great umami quality," which gives your finished product a wide variety of culinary applications. She adds, "It's delicious spooned over polenta or risotto."

If you don't already know how to make rich and healthy bone broth, the process is fairly simple, but it takes some time to complete. Vanover shares a few tips that serve her well to best extract and highlight the unique flavors of beef short ribs. She mentions, "After smoking short ribs, I like to braise them in a pot on the grill or in the oven with some beef broth, red wine[,] and mirepoix (onion, carrots[,] and celery). As they cook, the broth becomes so rich and indulgent."

With this in mind, preparing a luscious beef broth is only a matter of gathering beef short ribs and your choice of other complementary ingredients and letting time and a slow simmer take it from there. Considering all the umami tastes of a rib-based bone broth, the possibilities for use are nearly limitless. In addition to polenta or risotto, you can cook rice, grains, and even dried beans using bone broth in lieu of water to better infuse the flavors.

Try it as a poaching liquid for vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, and turnips, or make it the base of your next pot roast recipe. Even drinking the broth on its own during the cooler months is a great way to keep warm and feel fulfilled. No bones about it, short ribs are the way to go for an unforgettable broth.