10/15/2026
Low-Carb Shredded Beef Neck Bone Soup
• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 3.5-4 hours
• Servings: 6
Ingredients
• 3 lbs beef neck bones, rinsed and patted dry
• extra cubed beef, if desired (we like a lot of beef)
• 1 tbsp olive oil, avocado oil or beef tallow
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 3 medium turnips, peeled and cubed
• 1 lb red radishes or daikon radish, trimmed and halved
• 1 lb rutabaga, peeled and cubed
• 1 bag of frozen green beans
• 8 to 10 cups water or low-sodium beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 tbsp apple c***r vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• additional Seasonings: 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp parsley, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• additional veggies, if desired, parsnips, kale, spinach or mushrooms all go beautifully with this recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Sear the Meat
Heat the oil or tallow in a heavy-bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the cleaned neck bones generously on all sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sear the bones in batches for 4 to 5 minutes per side until a deep golden-brown crust forms. Remove the bones and set them aside on a plate.
2. Sauté the Aromatics
Turn the heat down to medium. Add the diced onion and celery directly into the beef drippings. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
3. The Long Covered Simmer
Return the seared neck bones and any collected juices back to the pot. Pour in the water or broth, ensuring the bones are fully submerged. Add the bay leaves, dried thyme, and crushed rosemary. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil, then immediately drop the heat to low. Cover the pot tightly with a lid (or seal with foil under the lid) and let it simmer gently for 2.5 to 3 hours.
4. The Meat Extraction
After 2.5-3 hours, turn off the heat. Keep the lid on tight and let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes to let the muscle fibers relax.
Use tongs to transfer the bones to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Let them cool for 10 minutes until safe to handle. Using two forks or your fingers, pull the tender beef away from the complex bone crevices. I find fingers easier for separating the meat from the fatty bits. Roughly chop the meat, check carefully for small bone fragments, and discard the bare bones and bay leaves. (or save for making more bone broth later). Optional: cut up extra cubed beef, season with salt and pepper and add to the broth.
5. Simmer the Low-Carb Veggies
Turn the stovetop burner back on to low heat. Return the shredded beef to the broth. Stir in the cubed turnips and rutabaga, halved radishes, green beans, Worcestershire sauce and the apple c***r vinegar (this cuts the sharp edge of the root veggies). Cover and simmer for an additional 30 to 45 minutes until the root vegetables are fork-tender.
6. Finish and Serve
Taste the broth one final time. Adjust the salt and pepper, or add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if you want to brighten up the finish. Ladle the rich, meaty soup into bowls and serve hot.
We like some buttered sourdough or old country bread from Tabora Farms to go with this.
