Beef broth with marrow bones – Tafelspitz recipe

This is how you make broth like a pro!

Would you like to make beef soup and even add marrow bones, but have no idea how to do it? What kind of meat should you buy? Should you put it in cold water or hot water? Do you need to boil the bones separately first? When should you add the vegetables? Many similar questions may arise before making beef soup. I’ve seen answers to these questions on the internet, but they also mention a number of unnecessary steps that can make the soup even worse. As a chef, I felt I had to show how to make a professional, flavorful beef soup. Soup nourishes, heals, and warms you from the inside. For me, this means that a well-made soup can heal both the body and the soul. A good Hungarian soup does not contain artificial flavorings! It is not a quickly thrown together packet soup, but a substantial lunch or dinner rich in vitamins and minerals. Make your own nutritious soup based on a traditional recipe! Get to know tafelspitz, too!

Table of contents

• When should you make beef soup?
• What kind of meat should you use?
• What makes good beef?
• Where to buy meat?
• What should you buy to go with meat?
• Should it be placed in cold water or warm water? 
• Should the bones for soup be blanched?
• Should you salt the end of the marrow bone?
• How to consume marrow?
• When do you salt the soup?
• How long do you cook beef soup?
• How can it not be confusing?
• When should you add the vegetables?
• What kind of pasta should you put in it?
• Serving the broth
• How long does beef broth keep?
• Is beef broth healthy?
• Is beef broth diet-friendly?
• What is tafelspitz?
• Serving tafelspitz
• Preparation of apple horseradish sauce

When should you make beef soup?

Beef soup with marrow bones is an excellent lunch idea for festive occasions. It is also worth including in your Christmas menu.

Make a delicious soup:

• during major events and holidays, such as Christmas or Easter
• on weekends, for Sunday lunch
• if you are feeling weak due to illness or other reasons, it gives you strength

Read this too! >> Let’s restore the reputation of soup!

What kind of meat should you use?

 Topside (UK) / top round (US) is best for beef broth. However, beef brisket can also be used if top round is not available.

What makes good beef?

In general, beef is characterized by its rich red color, fine grain, and marbled texture. Fresh meat has a pleasant smell. It is firm to the touch, elastic, and springs back when pressed with a finger. The cut surface is shiny.

Where to buy meat?

It is no coincidence that they say cheap meat has thin gravy. When making beef stew, don’t skimp on the meat! Find an excellent butcher! The basis of beef stew is high-quality meat. Unfortunately, in my experience, the meat sold in retail chains in Hungary is of poor quality. Beef tenderloin is a rarity. So where should you buy meat? Only from a good butcher! This is something you have to experience for yourself. Find the best butcher in your area! I am willing to travel an hour to get the best meat.

What should you buy to go with meat?

The main ingredient in beef broth is clearly high-quality meat. However, bones are also needed to make a delicious broth. Be sure to buy beef bones to go with the meat. If you like marrow, you can also buy marrow bones. For 1.5 kg of beef shank, buy at least 500 g of beef marrow bones and 300 g of beef meat bones.

In addition to meat and bones, you will also need soup vegetables. These can be any vegetables. The basics are onions, carrots, turnips, celery, and kohlrabi. In addition to these, kale goes particularly well with beef soup. A leaf or even a handful of Brussels sprouts will give it a delicious flavor.

Be careful not to let the vegetables overwhelm the flavor of the meat! You are not cooking vegetable soup, but meat soup! There is no need to overload it with carrots either. There should be proportionally less vegetables than meat. Less than half a kilogram of vegetables is enough for 1 kg of meat.

Should it be placed in cold water or warm water?

Always cook soup in cold water. Cold water allows the flavors to be better extracted from the meat.

If you put it in hot water, the meat will suddenly form a crust. This makes it harder for the flavors to escape.

Some recipes say to bring the water to a boil suddenly, then turn off the heat. Remove the meat, rinse it under running water, wash the pot, and then put it back on to cook in clean water to make the broth even clearer. I don’t prefer this method. I think we lose flavor this way.

Should the bones for soup be blanched?

I have read recipes in many places that say to boil the bones separately first, then pour off the water and put them back on to cook. This is supposed to make the soup less cloudy. I think this is unnecessary and that it also causes a loss of flavor. If you are working with good quality ingredients, this step can be omitted. Simply rinse the bones under running water and put them in the pot. Add the meat, pour in cold water, and bring to a boil.

Should you salt the end of the marrow bone?

Many sources say that you should salt the cut half of the marrowbone so that the marrow doesn’t slip out into the soup. I don’t usually salt it, and the marrow has never come out of the bone. Perhaps this is necessary when cooking smaller pieces of bone. I usually have 10-15 cm pieces, and in my experience, they don’t need to be salted.

How to consume marrow?

The marrow is delicious when warm, lightly salted and spread on toast.

When do you salt the soup?

As long as the beef is in it, you shouldn’t, because the meat will dry out. Allegedly. But I prefer it when the salt permeates the meat. I’ve read in many places that you should only salt the soup at the end. But I salt it when I start boiling it. My grandmother did it this way, and I’m not going to change it, because I always end up with delicious soup and meat.

How long do you cook beef soup?

The broth should be cooked for a long time (3-5 hours), during which time all the tasty ingredients, which are both nutritious and healthy, will be absorbed into the soup. To extract all the delicious flavor from the bones, you can cook them for up to 5 hours, but it is important to remove the meat and vegetables as soon as they are tender.

How can it not be confusing?

The broth should simmer gently throughout. It will become cloudy if you boil it at a high temperature. Be sure to cook it gently!

When should you add the vegetables?

In the past, everything was cooked until soft, but according to modern cooking methods, vegetables are now cooked until crisp. When the meat is almost tender, it is a good idea to add the vegetables so that they cook at the same time.

What kind of pasta should you put in it?

Vermicelli or garganelli pasta (in Hungarian: csigatészta or lúdgége tészta) are excellent choices for broth. You can make it a little more special by adding semolina dumplings. Unfortunately, there is no healthy, diet-friendly version of these soup ingredients, so consume them in moderation. Always consider whether they fit into your diet.

Serving the broth

Chop up the cooked soup vegetables and mix them together on a plate. Slice the meat, then dice it and place it on the bottom of the plate. Add cooked pasta to taste. Pour hot soup over it. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and it’s ready to eat. It is customary to serve it with hot peppers.

How long does beef broth keep?

Beef broth should not be stored in the refrigerator for more than 4-5 days, as it may spoil. Here are two tips to make sure it lasts for 4-5 days:

• Cool the remaining soup as quickly as possible and place it in the refrigerator.
• Never cook or store pasta in it, as this will cause the soup to spoil more quickly.

Tip: If you know you won’t eat it all, freeze it in small portions (together with vegetables and meat). It will come in handy on days when you don’t have time to cook soup.

Is beef broth healthy?

Beef broth is rich in vitamins and minerals. Beef is fattier and more substantial than poultry, but if you need strength and energy (for example, if you are ill or feeling weak), then a long-simmered beef broth is the best choice. It strengthens the immune system and is also good for muscles and joints.

One of the best sources of collagen

Beef is a valuable source of protein. It supports muscle building. Slow-cooked broth from bones, tendons, and connective tissue provides not only valuable minerals but also collagen. This gives the soup its thickness. Collagen supports joint health.

Is beef broth diet-friendly?

Chicken soup is a better choice from a dietary point of view because it is a little lighter, but beef soup is not terribly high in calories either if you keep a few things in mind.

Tip 1: Once the soup has cooled down, the layer of fat on top can be easily removed. This makes it suitable for those on a diet.

Tip 2: If you are watching your fat intake, it is best to leave out the marrow. This is a delicacy with a high fat content.

Tip 3: If you don’t add pasta to the soup, you’ll save some calories and quickly absorbed carbohydrates.

What is tafelspitz?

The preparation of Viennese boiled beef, or tafelspitz, is identical to this recipe. The essence of tafelspitz is tender boiled beef, which is served with various sauces (horseradish, apple, spinach, etc.). The meat is poured over with a little broth and served with the vegetables cooked in it. It is served with marrow bones and toast. A complete lunch. So, the burning question of “What should we have with beef soup?” is always solved!

Serving tafelspitz

For tafelspitz, slice the meat and place it in a deep plate. Add the vegetables, cut into large pieces. Pour the hot broth over the meat, but do not cover it completely. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley or chives, or possibly leeks. Serve the horseradish apple sauce in a separate bowl alongside the meat. This is good for spreading on the meat.

Preparation of apple horseradish sauce

Wash and peel the apples. Cut them into cubes and place them in a saucepan. Pour in enough water to cover them halfway. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add the sweetener. Cook until completely soft. It will be ready very quickly. Then pour them into a blender, but only the apples, not too much of the juice, so that it doesn’t become too thin. Add a teaspoon of grated horseradish and blend. Pour into a bowl and serve with the meat.

Tafelspitz is more popular in Austria. In Hungary, it is not really known by this name. I asked five people in my circle and none of them had heard of it. However, almost everyone has eaten beef with tomato sauce and boiled potatoes or even sour cherry sauce, which can also be called tafelspitz.

In Hungary, it is difficult to find a restaurant where you can eat boiled beef, and even if you do happen to find one, it is usually very expensive. I don’t think you need to go to a Michelin-starred restaurant to eat good quality food. You can easily make Tafelspitz at home, and it is much cheaper. Follow my recipe!

Beef broth with marrow bones – Tafelspitz recipe

This is how you make broth like a pro!

Author: Földi Rita

Total time:4 hours hrs

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Hungarian

Type: Christmas, dairy free

Servings: 10 servings

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

• 1500 g beef topside (UK) / top round (US)
• 500 g beef marrow bone
• 300 g beef bones
• 4-5 liter water
• 2 flat tablespoon of salt
• 1 teáskanál whole black peppercorns
• 1 small piece ginger root (approx. 2 cm)
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• ½ leek
• 4 carrots
• 2 parsnip (parsley root)
• 1 small piece celery root
• 1 kohlrabi
• 1 potato
• 1 bunch parsley green
• 5-6 Brussels sprouts or 1 kale leaf

For the horseradish apple sauce:

• 4 apples
• sweetener to taste (I used xylitol, but honey is also good)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon grated horseradish in a jar

Instructions

• Wash the bones thoroughly. Place them in the bottom of a large pot.
• The meat should remain in large pieces. I recommend cutting the 1.5 kg of meat into three pieces. It will soften faster and be easier to remove. Wash the meat in cold water and place it in the pot.
• Pour in cold water so that it generously covers the meat and bones.

  A beef broth with this composition usually requires 4-5 liters of water, depending on how strong you want the flavor to be. If you want a richer, more concentrated broth, 4 liters is enough, but if you want a lighter, thinner broth, use 5 liters of water.

  Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil. When it boils, foam will form on the surface. Remove it with a strainer. Repeat the process until no more foam forms. Then lower the heat so that the soup simmers gently.
• Now it's time for the salt. Add two level tablespoons. You can add the whole black peppercorns straight away, but if you don't want to pick them out one by one at the end, I recommend putting them in a tea egg. Fill the bottom of the tea egg with whole black peppercorns and simply hang it in the soup. This way, you can remove it all at once at the end.
• Cook the soup for at least 3-5 hours. This also depends on the quality of the meat. After 2 hours, check how tender it is and cook it further if necessary. To extract all the delicious flavor from the bones, you can cook them for up to 5 hours, but it is important to remove the meat and vegetables as soon as they become tender.
• But that's still a long way off. First, you have to add the vegetables. Once the soup vegetables have been cleaned and cut into large pieces, it's best to add them when the meat is almost tender. The key is to ensure that they soften at the same time and that the vegetables don't overcook, so that they remain bite-sized.
• When everything is tender, remove the meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon.
• It is worth letting the finished soup rest for at least 30 minutes, then straining it. If you want a very clear, almost fat-free soup, you can also use a cloth diaper. I simply pour the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowls. The strainer is needed to filter out any remaining bone fragments or vegetable pieces.
• Serving the broth:

  Chop up the cooked soup vegetables and mix them together on a plate. Slice the meat, then dice it and place it on the bottom of the plate. Add cooked pasta to taste. Pour hot soup over it. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and it's ready to eat.
• Serving tafelspitz:

  For tafelspitz, slice the meat and place it in a deep plate. Add vegetables cut into large pieces. Pour the hot broth over it, but do not cover it completely. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley or chives, or possibly leeks. Serve the boiled beef with horseradish apple sauce in a separate bowl. This is good for spreading on the meat.
• Preparation of apple horseradish sauce:

  Wash and peel the apples. Cut them into cubes and place them in a saucepan. Pour in enough water to cover them halfway. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add the sweetener. Cook until completely soft. This will be ready very quickly. Then pour into a blender, but only the apples, not too much of the juice, so that it is not too thin. Add a teaspoon of grated horseradish and blend. Pour into a bowl and serve with the meat.

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