The secret behind most of the delicious soups, sauces, and stews is definitely a good-quality homemade beef stock. Although it takes some time and effort to prepare a good homemade beef stock, it’s definitely worth the time and effort. It is healthier and more nutritious than shop-bought ones. Also homemade stock has a full-bodied richness that is coming from the gelatin of the bones and connective tissues. It definitely tastes better and doesn’t contain any salt. You can also save some pennies if you do in big batches and freeze them.
All the good restaurants and hotels make their own beef stock in big batches to use in their sauces, soups, or stews. I learned how to make this beef stock when I was working in a big hotel in London as a professional chef. We used to make big batches of stock a couple of times a week. I still use the same ingredients and technique when making it at home. It is quite simple and doesn’t require a big list of ingredients. All you need is some beef bones, few vegetables, and aromatic herbs. You can ask for some bones from your butcher for making this beef broth.
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How to Make Beef Stock?
This is a straightforward recipe to follow. However, to achieve the best results you need to follow few tips and simple steps:
- Use meaty bones with bone marrows – The key ingredient to a really good stock is meaty bones with marrows. The meet gives the flavour while the morrow gives the deepness and richness to the stock.
- Roast the bones and vegetables – Roasting the bones and vegetables develops the flavour and is also necessary for darkening the colour of the stock. Make sure you roast the bones until brown without burning.
- Don’t let the stock boil – Cover the bones and vegetables with cold water and simmer gently on very low heat. Don’t stir it while cooking. Boiling or stirring will mix the fat and the scum in with the stock which will make it cloudy.
- Skim the scum on the surface – While your stock is gently simmering, all the scums will run to the surface. Skim them with a ladle now and then for a clear stock.
- Cool it down and store – At the end of the cooking time, remove all the solids from the pan and pass the stock through a fine sieve into another clean pan or pot. Pour in the jars or containers to store in the fridge for up to a week. The fat will rise to the top and solidify when it’s chilled which would act as a protective layer against bacteria. Discard the fat if you are going to freeze the stock, otherwise, keep it for longer shelf life. You can keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Since you now have a good amount of homemade beef stock, it is a good time to try our delicious Beef Bourguignon or Traditional Cottage Pie recipes. You will be surprised how much flavor and depth this beef broth will add to your dishes, and you’ll reinvent your current recipes by simply switching to this stock rather than store-bought ones or water.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this Homemade Beef Stock as much as you enjoy using it in your cooking!🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Homemade Beef Stock Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 kg beef bones
- 2 onions (cut in quarter)
- 1 carrot (chunky cut)
- 3 celery sticks (chunky cut)
- 4 bay leaves
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 1 TSP black peppercorn
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- few parsley stalks
- 3 litres water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- When the oven is hot, place the bones in a tray and roast for 25 minutes.
- 25 minutes later, take the tray out of the oven and spread the tomato paste on the bones.
- Add the vegetables on top of the bones and roast for another 15 minutes.
- Place the roasted bones and the vegetables in a large pan and add enough cold water to cover the bones and vegetables, thyme, bay leaves, parsley stalks and peppercorns.
- Simmer on very low heat for 6 to 7 hours, skimming the scum on the surface from time to time. Don't let it boil or don't stir it during cooking.
- At the end of the cooking time, remove all the solids and discard them.
- Pour the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot and let it cool down.
- Pour the stock into the weck jars or containers to store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
This sounds excellent…do you think you could use it to make Pho?
Hi Geoffrey
I am sure you can use it if you add some ginger, star anise, cinnamon and any other asian flavourings you like 🙂
Amazing