Anonymous wrote:This is the OP. I got the bones from HMart in wheaton where they have all manner of butchered animal parts, including chicken feet. (I used turkey wing bones.) I'm embarrassed to say that I did not add the extra ingredients to make pho -- I thought after all that time, the stock itself would be like liquid gold, the way chicken stock is. (I didn't realize the bones were for texture, rather than flavor, although some did have a lot of meat left on them.) I added what I had on hand for pho and it is an improvement but still not close to what you can get at a restaurant. Maybe it's missing MSG. I'll just eat it out from now on.
Thank you for all the replies. Any more tips would also be appreciated.
Anonymous wrote:If you have access to a real butcher, throwing in a couple collagen rich items, like chicken feet, really up the gelatin in your bone broth. I also roast my big beef bones before putting them in the pot and I add bay leaves, an onion and a carrot.
For me, the key is just saving my bones and storing them in the freezer until you have enough for broth. Then I just dump them in the pot and add water and the above ingredients.
Anonymous wrote:Poultry bones are much smaller and the collagen breaks down much more quickly than the beef. In your first batch the body probably came from the turkey, even if it was a mix of bones. In any case, I wouldn’t mix species - the taste profiles are different, cooking times are different, etc. I have never liked broth made from mammals - I much prefer poultry. And it’s easier. I don’t think there is anything nutrient-wise you are getting from beef stock that you can’t get from poultry stock.
Now if you really want beef stock for French onion soup or something I can see trying to get it right! But again, I wouldn’t mix different kinds of bones, and the more meat you use the more flavor it will have (flavor comes from the meat, body comes from the bones themselves).