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Author: Jessica Formicola
Published: 01/21/2014
Updated: 07/12/2023
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Have you ever been to a fabulous restaurant and had a bowl of French Onion Soup that knocked your socks off?
How do they do this? Good stock. The base of any superb and memorable soup or gravy is a rich stock.
The Best Beef Stock recipe made with herbs and vegetables. Freezer friendly and full of flavor, you’ll never buy store bought again!
If there is nothing else you take from this post, take this: not all stock is created equal. Store bought stock, the kind you get in a cardboard box, will never have the same robust flavor as homemade.
I get it, it takes a lot of time to create a flavorful stock, it is so much easier to pick up a box and add a little Kitchen Bouquet to “beef” it up.
If only once, try making your own. You will forever respect the process. Another key to this process is the quality of ingredients.
The more meat and bones, the better the flavor. Depending on the meat used, you may not achieve the same dark brown color you would get out of bullion or store bought stock, but have no fear, those generally have color added to produce the finished product.
After you apply your beef stock to the intended recipe, you will never notice the difference in color because you will be blown away by the intense flavor. The texture will also be thicker, even gelatinous when cooled.
Another pro? Stock freezes really well. Take one lazy Sunday and make a triple batch to freeze for later.
If you do decide to freeze, allow space at the top of your container to allow it to expand. You will need a stock pot or large enamel Dutch oven to prepare your stock.
But before you get started, make sure to read my How To Make Stock to ensure yours is the BEST it can be!
Recipe that use beef stock:
- Apple French Onion Soup
- Short Rib Soup
- Beef Stroganoff
- Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
The BEST Beef Stock Recipe
4.38 from 27 votes
The Best Beef Stock recipe made with herbs and vegetables. Freezer friendly and full of flavor, you’ll never buy store bought again!
Prep Time: 30 minutes mins
Cook Time: 8 hours hrs
Total Time: 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Servings: 6 cups
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Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds beef bones *
- 2 large yellow onions , peeled and quartered
- 1 cup carrots , roughly chopped
- 3 celery ribs , cut into 4 segments
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 pound beef stew meat * , or scraps left over from other meals using beef cuts
- 1 celery base , the bulb at the end
- 4 cloves garlic , smashed and pealed
- 1 turnip , diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper , coarsely ground
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss beef bones, onion, carrot and celery in olive oil. Roast for 1 hour, turning half way.
Meanwhile, place the stew meat, celery base, garlic, turnip, parsley, bay leaves, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary in a large stock pot. Add the roasted vegetables and beef bones to the pot, although with any remaining liquid. Pour the red wine into the hot roasting pan to deglaze, loosening all the browned bits. Pour the wine and browned bits into the stock pot.
Add enough water to cover ingredients, plus two inches.
Simmer on low heat for 4-7 hours, the longer the better. About 2 hours after cooking, pull out the bones and using a potato nail or the end of a meat thermometer, scoop the marrow out and return to the stock along with the bones. The mixture might not be the deep brown color you are used to, after the mixture sits and fats separate from the broth, it will be less cloudy and more brown.
The liquid will have reduced by half, if not more. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out all solid ingredients. Line a colander or large sieve with a triple layer of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl, Dutch oven or casserole dish. Strain liquid through the cheese cloth. Discard solids. Cover and place liquid into the refrigerator.
After liquid has chilled, all of the fat will rise to the top and solidify. Now it can easily be spooned off the top leaving only deep, rich and flavorful beef stock. Now use your beef stock for something fabulous!
If you've tried this recipe come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.
Notes
*My grocer sells beef bones frozen in large hunks. Apparently not a lot of people in my area make their own stock. The problem is that frozen bones rarely have a lot of meat on them, so I compensate by adding extra stew meat. If your bones are super meaty you can omit the stew meat.
Nutrition
Calories: 296 kcal, Carbohydrates: 8 g, Protein: 13 g, Fat: 19 g, Saturated Fat: 6 g, Cholesterol: 53 mg, Sodium: 1237 mg, Potassium: 364 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g, Vitamin A: 3605 IU, Vitamin C: 4.8 mg, Calcium: 40 mg, Iron: 1.7 mg
Author: Jessica Formicola
Calories: 296
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beef broth, beef stock
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