In the course of everyday cooking, when a recipe calls for chicken, vegetable or beef stock, most of us swing by the supermarket and pick up a container of the ready-made stuff. But many have no idea how it's made, how much salt it contains, what other preservatives or chemicals might have been added. There are definitely great tasting, well-made, store bought stocks out there - if you read the labels and ingredients carefully, you will find brands that completely skip the salt, are organic and indicate non-GMO. |
Once you make your own stock, you will be amazed at the flavor, aromas and taste, and how much better it tastes compared to the store-bought stuff. You can also further reduce the stock when it's finished to develop even more concentrated, complex flavors. Beef stock can be used as a base to make flavorful sauces, soups and stews, as the liquid for cooking rice and grains, and lots of other dishes.
We won't lie - it takes a LONG time to make the beef stock. Probably about 10 hours end-to-end, but once you get it started, you're not doing much more than checking in on it periodically to monitor liquid level, how much it's simmering, and skimming it periodically. Your kitchen will smell great and it really warms up the house on a cold winter weekend. When we made this batch, we ended up with about 3 quarts of stock after straining it. You can refrigerate or freeze the stock to use at a later time. If freezing, one option to consider is to pour the cooled stock into ice cube trays, freeze, and once frozen, empty into labeled Zip Loc freezer bags. The frozen cubes allow you to easily determine and thaw the amount of stock you need for your dish. You can also pour it in Zip Loc freezer bags, remove as much air as possible, and store them flat in the freezer.
Before listing the recipe, there is some kitchen equipment you'll need to make this recipe:
- Heavy-bottomed roasting pan (large enough to hold the beef bones in a single layer)
- Heavy-bottomed stock pot (ours was 12 Quart)
- Sieve/strainer and some cheesecloth (to strain the stock)
6 pounds beef bones (we used neck bones) - use bones with lots of marrow or cartilage
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
4 large carrots
4 celery stalks
3 large onions
1 head garlic
2 whole leeks
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup red wine
Cold water (several quarts - see instructions)
1 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
10 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
small bunch parsley leaves
small bunch celery leaves (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. If you have a large oven (or if you are one of those lucky people with two), you can roast the beef bones at the same time as the vegetables. We don't, so we did the vegetables first.
- Wash the vegetables, and chop the carrots, celery and onions into about 1-inch cubes. Slice the garlic head in half lengthwise. Toss to coat lightly with some canola oil and place on one or two baking sheets.
- Wash and chop the leeks, making sure to wash away any dirt inside. Use both the green and white parts of the leeks. Keep the leeks separate from the rest of the vegetables - they will require less roasting time.
- Roast the onions, carrots, celery and garlic for about 30 minutes. Periodically toss the vegetables so that they are browned evenly. After 30 minutes, add the leeks and continue to roast for another 15-20 minutes until all vegetables are caramelized.
- Add enough of the oil to the bottom of the roasting pan to coat it. Add the beef bones in a single layer. Roast the bones in the middle of the oven until browned and caramelized on all sides. This might take up to an hour. Turn the bones midway through roasting to ensure even caramelization.
- Discard all excess oil from the roasting pan and place on the stovetop. Make sure you leave the little browned bits (sucs) on the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat and add the red wine to deglaze. Loosen the sucs from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer this until the wine reduces by half.
- Heat the stock pot and add some of the oil. Add the caramelized vegetables and the tomato paste and saute for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the caramelized beef bones, wine mixture and enough cold water to cover the bones by 2-3 inches.
- Bring to a simmer, uncovered, skimming periodically to remove impurities from the surface of the liquid as it cooks. Simmer, uncovered, for at least 8 hours. Check the heat level periodically to make sure you don't have too much or too little simmer, add cold water if the liquid level starts to fall too low, and skim periodically.
- About 30 minutes before the end of cooking, add the peppercorns, thyme, parsley leaves, celery leaves, bay leaves and tuck under the surface of the liquid.
- When the stock is finished, skim one last time, remove the bones and vegetables with a spider or large slotted spoon. Strain the liquid at least twice through a fine sieve - you can line it with some cheesecloth if it isn't fine enough.
- You should also skim off any fat from the stock - this is easiest to do when the stock is cold. It's easy to remove (with a spatula or spoon) any fat that rises to the top and solidifies. If your stock is gelatinous, this is natural and what's typically desired in terms of consistency. This comes from the marrow and connective tissue of the bones.
- If you're not going to use the stock immediately, cool it quickly by placing the stock in a large pot or bowl and placing that in an ice bath (ice + water mixture). Stir the stock to help it cool. This should take approximately 10 minutes. Refrigerat or freeze. Whenever you use homemade stock in a dish or sauce, always make sure it comes to a simmer before eating.