Howdy friends—Tony here from Ellsworth Crossing, your go-to farmers market and one of the top meat markets near Omaha, Nebraska. Let’s clear up a little myth today: frozen steaks. I see folks walk into our market, spot those beautiful ribeyes in the freezer, and suddenly their faces say, “Hmm… I don’t know.” But here’s the truth—frozen ribeyes can be every bit as mouthwatering as fresh ones, especially when they come straight from Nebraska ranchers who care about quality.
Recipe for bone
beef broth & then steak soup!
As our lifestyles become increasingly busy, we find ourselves leaning into the convenience of quick fixes like collagen powders and pre-made broths (the health benefits of collagen are a whole story within itself). While these options certainly make life easier, they come at a cost. The Nebraska country-strong tradition of cooking with cuts of beef, like soup bones, is fading away (to our dismay and detriment).
These simple yet vital skills tie us to our Nebraska heritage and offer a deeper appreciation for the food we eat. This is a gentle reminder to pause, reflect, and possibly embrace the age-old methods of cooking that not only nourish our bodies, but also connect us to our country strong roots.
Health tip: store bought canned soups contain high amounts of unhealthy sodium among other ingredients with issues, sugars, preservatives, etc. Please look carefully into this.
Ingredients:
I used 3 lb – 4 lb of Ellsworth Crossing Osso Bucco. Bone marrow helps to boost the immune system and reduce inflammation among other health benefits. Put 1 pd in each crock pot. I used 3 timing crock pots. I suggest one pound per crock pot for the beef broth.
Vegetables such as onion, celery, carrots
Spices such as sea salt, cracked pepper, garlic and onion powder, thyme and sage
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 and place the bones (thawed or frozen) in for about 40 minutes. Remove and place into the crockpot.
Step 2: Cut up large chunks of the vegetables for stock. These do not need to be small bite sized pieces as they will be strained out later.
Step 3: Add in spices to your liking such as Spices such as sea salt, cracked pepper, garlic and onion powder, thyme and sage.
Step 4: Seal crock pot lid tightly and set for 12 – 14 hours.
Step 5: The crock pot will be hot, so be cautious, give it time too cool, and use hot pads. Get a large bowl and strainer and place them strategically in the sink. Dump the contents of the crockpot through the strainer into the bowl. The liquid will be very tasty, healthy, and scrumptious beef stock! You may also have lots of great chunks of beef which can be used for your soup! Make sure and small bones are discarded. I toss the vegetables to our chickens. You can refrigerate or freeze the broth and beef to be used later. Or you can directly make it into soup!
Continued if you wish to make it directly into soup…
I rinse my crockpot to help ensure no small bone fragments are present.
Step 6: Add all the beef broth and meat into the crockpot. If you want to add more beef you can do this several ways including frying ground burger, or steak and cutting it up.
Step 7: Cut up the vegetables that you want to add to your soup. Some Keto friendly ones are zucchini, onion, asparagus tips, carrots, and celery. If you want to make it more hearty country you can add diced potatoes.
Step 8: Add in you preferred spices such as Spices such as sea salt, cracked pepper, garlic and onion powder, thyme and sage. Yes, I do add more even though we had some in the broth.
Step 9: Set the crockpot on low for about 4-6 hours. This will depend on if you added more beef. If you add in more beef then you will want it in the crockpot long enough to be falling apart. If you used ground beef then you should be good at 4 hours.
Step 10: Open the crock pot lid and let it cool for a bit before re-covering. Pour some into a bowl and let it rest for a while. It will be very hot and tempting, but a burnt tongue never helps the taste buds. Other than that, enjoy!!!
On to Carnivore Chili!
This recipe is for a 20-quart large soup pot. Modify accordingly.
Ingredients:
Two pounds of 80/20 Ellsworth Crossing ground beef, 1 pound of ancestral ground beef (10% liver and heart) and 2 pounds of ground pork.
Spices: I used two packages of our “Six Gun Chili” kit. This includes ground masa flour, ground chili pepper, yellow corn meal, cumin, dehydrated onion, garlic pepper and oregano. I set the cayenne pepper aside until the end and depending on my crowd I’m serving, I choose the ‘tenderfoot chili’ (mild), outlaw chili (medium) or six gun chili (hot). I also use some onion and garlic powder along with Timbo’s Adobo spice and smoked sea salt.
Brown all the meats and cook until done to your satisfaction. Put in the bottom of the stock pan. You can then strain the beef broth to separate the bones and meat from your crock pot (base and first recipe). Take the steak from the Osso Bucco and put it in with the meats that you browned. Stir them up to get a good mixture. Then pour all of the beef broth into the stock pot. Stir again.
Next we will combine and ready the spices. I use a large glass bowl and put the two packages of the “Six Gun Chili” kit into it. Add the other spices to your liking. Add water, about twice the amount of spices. Mix thoroughly and then add to the pot and stir in. Let the pot simmer with no lid to thicken.
