Cooking with Lucia - Beef Broth

Now that I'm home, I've decided to make a concerted effort to learn to cook more things.  I already like to cook and do most of the cooking for Kelly and I, but there are certain things I've never made and want to try to make them.  Since my mom is an awesome cook, I figure now is the time to take advantage of her expertise.  I'm attempting to make this a weekly ritual and gain more cooking knowledge.

My first cooking episode was last week.  I wanted to start with just basic beef broth.  I've already screwed this up when trying to make pho, so I thought I'd give it another try. 

What you'll need:
Large pot
Beef bones (we used beef shank)
Ginger
Salt

We start with the beef.  We started w/between 4 - 5 lbs. of beef shank.  Oxtail was also considered (I've heard that is a better, but more expensive choice), but ultimately decided on the shank.  To start out, fill and heat a large pot of water and heat on high until boiling.  While waiting for the water, you need to trim the outer fat layer from the shank. When boiling, put the beef in the pot and cover again.  Also, cut up some ginger and add it to the pot.  The ginger is used as a clarifying agent.  After a few minutes, you can start skimming the fat from the top with a ladle.  After the first skimming, lower the heat, but keep it covered.  Skimming is something you'll have to do periodically throughout.  The whole process should take around 3 hours. Near the end, salt to taste and strain.  Put it in your fridge or freeze it and use it at your convenience.

For a cleaner/clearer broth, after boiling at the beginning for a few moments, strain meat and ginger and rinse.  You can boil this in just a little water.  Then take the meat/ginger and put into a large boiling pot of water and continue as you would normally.