Farmer Ken's Favorite Soup!

Winter time is perfect for those hot, hearty, and healthy bone-broth soups. It's a bit of a process, but with a little instruction...it really isn't difficult. It's an easy way to turn those more economical cuts into a delicious, nutritious meal.

Ken's favorite soup is beef and rice (with LOTS of beef, of course!) Here's how I make it using cross-cut beef shank bones...

Put several shank bones on a cookie sheet. I like to put them on parchment paper for easier cleanup.

Bake at 350 for about an hour. This will brown the meat and bones and REALLY add to the flavor. Some of the pieces may curl a bit around the edges, and the meat will still be very tough. But don't worry...the next step will take care of that!!

Using a pair of tongs, transfer the bones to a stock pot or Dutch oven (make sure you get all those lovely drippings...lots of flavor there!) Cover with water, add some salt and seasonings (I like basil, onion powder, cumin, and chili powder), put a lid on the pot and bake at 250 for approximately 9 hours. Your house will smell amazing!

Remove the pot from the oven. The meat will be very tender and falling off the bones.

You can take it out of the broth to cool faster (tongs don't usually work because the meat is too soft, so I end up pouring it all through a colander.)

Let the meat cool until you can handle it, then simply remove the bones, any gristle or fat that hasn't rendered, and shred the meat with your hands.

Look at that gorgeous, rich broth!! This is pretty concentrated, and you may even want to add some water when you make the soup.

Put the meat and broth back into the stockpot or Dutch oven, add some rice and cook until the rice is soft.

You could use pasta or potatoes instead of rice, and also add as many veggies as you like. (Add longer-cooking veggies - like carrots - first, then quicker-cooking ones at the end.)