10 steps to authentic Czech bone broth
Taking a stand for quality meat
We aren't serving you a guaranteed recipe for the broth of the century – instead, a few tips that the chefs at Lokál follow, to take your broth that little bit further. Here are the tips from creative chef Petr Benda.
1. Use a 50:50 ratio of rib and joint bones, cut into pieces around 10cm long.
2. Before cooking, roast them on a baking tray. Just half an hour in an oven preheated to 250 °C.
3. Add the bones to cold water! Place them in the pot without the loosened fat and protein.
4. Continuously collect and remove the clotted protein, fat and dirt.
5. Before cooking, dry roast the seasoning in a frying pan. It should start to crackle – only then will it brighten and release more flavour. Petr Benda uses allspice, peppercorns and bay leaf.
6. Do not peel the vegetables! Just clean them and cut off the roots if necessary. At Lokál, carrots, parsley, celery, onions and garlic will do.
7. Reduce the size of all vegetables by slicing with at least three diagonal cuts.
8. Add the veg as soon as the meat and water starts to boil. This will cool the contents of the pot, and then let the broth draw just below the boiling point. The soup must no longer bubble!
9. Boil the broth ideally overnight, so it doesn't get in your way during daytime cooking. It'll take up to ten hours!
10. And the ratios? For 3 litres of broth, use about 1 kg of bones and 400 g of vegetables.
