How to Make Beef Stock

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When you need to know how to make beef stock; you may as well learn from the experts. :)

This recipe is a combined recipe from Julia Child & Mark Bittman
(I did the combining :).
They are my two favorite cooking authorities :)

How to Make Beef stock: Basic Recipe.
3 to 4 lbs. meaty beef bones; like shank or shin, tail or short ribs
1 cup roughly chopped onion
1 cup roughly chopped carrot
1 cup roughly chopped celery
**Onion, carrot and celery are the "must have" vegetables for any stock.**
1 large unpeeled tomato, roughly chopped or 1/2 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes
2 large garlic cloves
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
10 sprigs fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt, more if necessary
3 or 4 cloves
10 peppercorns
About 4 cups water -- enough water to cover ingredients plus 2 inches.
You may need to add more during boiling.

To create a darker, richer base, you can roast the meat and some vegetables first.

To brown the bones:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Arrange the bones and 1/2 cup each of the chopped vegetables in a roasting pan.
Brown for 30 to 40 minutes in oven; turning and basting with accumulated fat several times until they are walnut brown.
Put bones and vegetables back into stockpot; pouring off accumulated fat.
Pour 2 cups of the water into the roasting pan to deglaze.
Bring to a boil and loosen brown bits from roasting pan.
Pour this liquid over bones and vegetables in stockpot.

Back to Basic Beef Stock:
Bring ingredients to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer; cover loosely.
Add water as needed to keep meat and vegetables covered.
A gray scum will rise to the surface; skim this off as often as needed.

Boil until, as Julia Child says, "the bones have given their all." :)
Strain through a colander, pressing juices out of bones and vegetables.
Season as needed.
This can be refrigerated or frozen.
To skim off fat; refrigerate and skim off the hardened fat which will coagulate at the top.

Enjoy as a soup base or when beef broth is called for in recipes.
If used in recipes, divide into 1 or 2 cup portions for easy use; store frozen in Ziploc bags.
Don't forget to mark and date it :)

Two of my favorite "how to" cookbooks.

My favorite pots & pans with a beautiful
stock pot to make beef stock.



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