Meat Stock

Recipe No. 519 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Soups. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Meat bones (shank) — 24 pounds
• Shank meat (cut from bones) — 8 pounds

Water — 8¼ gallons (33 No. 56 dippers)

• Worcestershire sauce — 1 ounce (2 mess kit spoons)
• Celery, chopped — 8 ounces (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Carrots, chopped — 14 ounces (1 mess kit cup)
• Onions, diced — 8 ounces (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Salt — 3 ounces (6 mess kit spoons)
• Cloves, ground — (¼ mess kit spoon)
• Pepper — (⅓ mess kit spoon)

Directions

Key ingredients

Worcestershire Sauce

1. Saw shank bones into pieces. Cut shank meat into 1 inch cubes.
2. Combine bones, meat and water.
3. Cover and heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer about 3 hours, skimming as necessary.
4. Add Worcestershire sauce, celery, carrots, onions, salt, cloves and pepper; mix well.
5. Cover and heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 hours. Strain.
6. Cool as quickly as possible. Refrigerate until needed.
7. Before using, remove layer of hardened fat from surface of stock.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Meat bones (shank) — 1 lb 14¾ oz Shank meat (cut from bones) — 10¼ oz Water — 2⅔ qt Worcestershire sauce — about ½ tsp Celery, chopped — ⅔ oz Carrots, chopped — 1 oz Onions, diced — ⅔ oz Salt — about 1½ tsp Cloves, ground — scale to taste ((¼ mess kit spoon)) Pepper — scale to taste ((⅓ mess kit spoon))

Save hardened fat for frying or shortening.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 519, Soups. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.