Beef Stock bone type/ratio

I have made homemade beef stock a few times, and it seems to come out quite well in flavor, but not in texture. My stock is thick, but not gelatinous, even when reduced a lot. I am just using whatever bones the butcher has on hand, on the day I decide to make the stock, and he never seems to have more than one knuckle(joint) bone package, but there is plenty of pipe(marrow) bones and some rib bones. I do use at least one package of ox tail, but that is expensive compared to the other bones. ($1.99 lb. vs $5.49 lb.) I roast the meat, drain the fat, and add balsamic vinegar, and vegggies/spices. Then I cook it for 2 days, skim fat/scum, topping the water up. When done, I strain, and simmer until it gets concentrated(about 6 cups of liquid out of a 12qt stock pot).

Do I need to explicitly seek out more cartilage bones vs marrow bones? Or is there some general preparation step I am missing? Are there specific kinds of bones that are way better than others? Or a golden ratio of kinds of bones?

NOTE: the flavor and color is wonderful, I just don't have all the cool gelatin that all the recipes/youtube videos have.

Hi Bill

My top tip for good gelatinous stock is to include a pig's trotter or two (or more) to the mix

Same goes for chicken's feet, a couple of those have lots of gelatin for stock.

When we butcher the chickens I blanch and peel the feet as part of the process. Then I bag and freeze separately so they are ready for easy access as needed.

You can also buy good gelatin at Amazon from Great Lakes http://www.amazon.com/Great-Lakes-Unflavored-Gelatin-16-Ounce/dp/B001ELLBJS

I started making bone broth a few months ago when I learned all it's lovely benefits for our bodies! I live in Boise and first went to our local Co-op to purchase marrow bones. I compared prices at Whole Foods, and guess what??? The Co-op beat WF by a landslide (no surprise here).

I found a few recipes online and found that I like Wellness Mama's quite a bit. I must say that I am one who pursues recipes for idea, but always tend to make them my own. I did a combo beef bone/chicken carcass broth once that was very interesting. I find that letting the beef broth simmer for 72 hours results in a great consistency.

This is only my second post at Permies and I must say, I am totally excited to be here!!! Thanks everyone look forward to getting to know my way around these parts. Oh, here's a link to Wellness Mama's recipe for the broth...

http://wellnessmama.com/5888/how-to-make-bone-broth/

A hefty amount of cartilage makes a huge difference. This is where the ox tail makes a great soup! I usually prefer the knees and other points, but your butcher may get cuts that are already separated.