If you have a hard time slicing your beef, freeze it for 15 minutes before slicing.
Young ginger is less intense and slightly sweeter than regular, mature ginger. You can mimic its subtlety by soaking peeled, sliced pieces of regular ginger in water for 30 minutes.
Three hours is the bare minimum for making a hearty stock. Of course, boiling the bones and meat for longer will yield a much more intense broth, which is what the vendors here in Taiwan do. If you have time to spare, push it to 6 to 8 hours, topping it off with more water as you go.
