Homemade beef stock is a fantastic addition to your staples as it adds so much flavour to your soups, stews, or other dishes. Beef stock is made by simply roasting the bones, adding water, vegetables, and herbs, and then leaving that to simmer.
Ingredients
This beef stock recipe requires some beef bones to make a flavourful stock. The bones also have a tiny amount of meat but also some fat on them which adds to the depth of flavour. The addition of carrots, onions and parsley is pretty standard for stock and this recipe uses those as well as some thyme, mixed peppercorns and rosemary.
For a full list of recipes with measurements, see the recipe card.
Instructions
To get an improved stock flavour, it is best to roast the beef bones until they turn brown. Do this by putting the bones in a pan and roasting them in the oven until brown.
When ready, transfer the bones into a pot large enough to hold the bones, water and the other ingredients. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil and then lower the heat so that it simmers. Every now and then skim off the foam or scum off the top of the stock. Ideally, you want the stock to simmer for at least 2-3 hours. The longer you leave it to simmer, the better taste you will develop on the stock.
Once the stock is ready, strain it with a sieve and then again through a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel. Leave it to cool completely. This will allow the fat to solidify on top so that it can be discarded.
Once most of the fat has been skimmed off and discarded transfer the stock into a glass jar or ziplock bag and freeze it for later use. One thing to note, once the stock freezes, it will be even easier to remove any additional fat.
Substitutions & Variations
- Roasted vegetables - for even better-tasting stock, you can roast the vegetables alongside the bones.
- Pan roasting - if you do not have an oven and you still want to roast your bones, you can do that in a pan over the stove.
Storage
The best way to store this beef stock is to freeze it in a ziplock bag. Alternatively, they can be made into cubes like these frozen ginger cubes.
Tip
You do not have to struggle to remove the fat from the stock. The fat will solidify when the stock is cold and will be easy to scoop and get rid of.
Some other recipes you may be interested in are:
- How to freeze ginger
- How to make caramelised onions
- Making breadcrumbs without a food processor
Simple Homemade Beef Stock
Equipment
- 1 Roasting pan
- 1 large pot
Ingredients
- 1 kilogramme beef bones
- 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into smaller chunks
- 1 large onion cut into half or quartered
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried
- parsley
- 2.5 litres water
Instructions
- Put the bones in a roasting pan and roast over medium heat in an oven for about 40 minutes or until browned. Make sure to flip them about halfway through, so that both sides get brown.
- Place the bones in a large pot and add water.
- Add the vegetables, herbs, and peppercorns and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat so that the contents of the pot are simmering.
- Ocassionally skim of the foam or skim from the top.
- Leave to simmer for at least 3 hours but longer if possible. (See note 1)
- Using a sieve, strain the stock and set the solids aside. You can either discard them or use them. See notes. Using a finer meshed sieve or a cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel, strain the stock again.
- Once cool, take off any fat that has collected on top of the stock.
- Place in mason jars or a ziplock bag and freeze for later use.
Notes
- If you can afford to leave the stock to simmer for about 6 hours. If that is impossible, let the stock simmer for at least 3 hours.
FAQ
Yes you can however letting the beef stock simmer for longer results in better tasting stock.
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