When it comes to making your own soups and stews, it’s all about using the best ingredients. Why cook with a broth or stock from a can, when you can start your pot of deliciousness off with this Wholesome Homemade Beef Stock?
Select the freshest organic ingredients you can find and set aside a day for simmering this goodness. You’ll be so happy to have this liquid gold stashed away in your freezer to bring so many dishes to the next level. Soups, stews, risottos, sauces, gravies. You get the idea.
What you need for your Wholesome Homemade Beef Stock…
- Olive oil – My first choice is always single source EVOO from Italy. Less processing = healthier more delicious olive oil.
- Beef bones – My first choice is always beef marrow bones. The bone marrow is full of collagen, which improves the health and strength of our bones and skin. The long, straight femur bones are widely available and used most often since they contain the most accessible marrow. Of course, add what you may have saved in the freezer from leftover steaks or roasts.
- Yellow onions – Unpeeled & cut into large chunks. White, yellow or sweet onions may be used.
- Celery – Roughly chopped.
- Carrots – Unpeeled, scrubbed & roughly chopped.
- Garlic – Cloves peeled & left intact.
- Dry red wine – I use Cabernet Sauvignon since we usually have it on hand. The wine adds flavor, acidity, and complexity to cooking. The alcohol in wine helps release flavors in other ingredients and breaks down fats.
- Tomato paste – Tomato paste adds a burst of umami, with its concentrated sweetness and mild acidity.
- Fresh thyme sprigs – Fresh thyme has a distinctive, earthy, and slightly peppery flavor with hints of sweetness and a subtle, floral aroma.
- Black peppercorns – Whole peppercorns are used to infuse the stock with a subtle peppery taste without overwhelming it with ground pepper.
- Fresh bay leaves – Bay leaf adds a subtle, herbal, and slightly floral flavor, with notes of thyme and oregano.
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley – Fresh parsley has a clean peppery taste with a touch of earthiness. Adds a brightness to the beef stock.
- Water – Filtered or bottled water is recommended. The water can be cold or at room-temperature.
- Preheat the oven 425°F.
- Add the beef bones to a large roasting pan, similar to this one, in a single layer.
- Thoroughly coat with the olive oil.
- Roast for about one hour or until well browned.
What are the best bones to choose when making Wholesome Homemade Beef Stock?
My first choice is always beef marrow bones. The bone marrow is full of collagen, which improves the health and strength of our bones and skin. It’s also rich in glucosamine, a compound that helps against osteoarthritis and relieves joint pain as it reduces inflammation in the joints.
Bone marrow is present in all bones, but beef or veal bones are predominantly used due to their size. The long, straight femur bones are widely available and used most often since they contain the most accessible marrow.
What does bone marrow actually taste like?
Many people say it has an umami flavor and tastes very buttery and creamy because of its high fat content. Cooked properly, it has a slightly sweet, savory full-bodied flavor. Roasted marrow is often blended with butter to create an over-the-top rich spread for breads. It is also delicious when tossed with steamed vegetables.
- Transfer the roasted bones from the pan to a large stock pot of at least 20-quart capacity and set aside.
- Drain off all but 3 to 4 tablespoons of rendered meat fat in the roasting pan.
- Place the pan on your stovetop over several burners over low heat.
If you haven’t done so yet, prep your vegetables while the bones are roasting.
- The onions just need a good rinse, no peeling required.
- Same with the celery and carrots, give them a quick scrub before chopping.
- The garlic cloves are peeled but not chopped.
- Add the prepared onions, celery, carrots and garlic to the roasting pan.
- Braise in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until lightly caramelized.
- Deglaze with one cup of the red wine and simmer until it’s reduced by three-quarters.
- Mix in the tomato paste.
- Continue to cook over low heat for an additional 15 minutes until the paste resembles a rust color.
- Transfer the vegetables to the stock pot with the roasted beef bones.
- Add the fresh thyme, parsley, bay leaves and black peppercorns to the mix.
- Place the roasting pan back on the burners and deglaze with the remaining cup of red wine.
- Cook for a few minutes to remove any of the leftover bits of fond on the bottom of the pan.
- Add that liquid to the stock pot.
- Fill the stock pot with cold or room-temperature water so that it covers everything within to include a 6-inch layer of excess water above the contents.
- Simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 hours while continually skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface.
- Do not allow the stock to come to a full boil as it will cause the stock to be cloudy.
- Strain the entire contents of the pot through a micro-mesh colander and discard the solids.
- Pack in several large containers and chill overnight.
- If desired, remove any visible fat from the top of each container.
- Transfer to smaller containers to be stored.
- Have your storage containers ready and lined up so that you can fill them as you go.
- Wide-mouth Ball jars are ideal.
- Quart-sized jars work well but you may want to include a few smaller ones.
- Be sure to leave about an inch of head space in the jar to allow for expansion in the freezer.
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Check these out…
- Awesome silicone freezing trays separate my homemade stock into 1-cup portions.
- Once frozen, they can be stored in a ziplock bag.
- Amazing way to freeze soups and stock.
- And free up your jars and containers.
How can you use your Wholesome Homemade Beef Stock?
- Slow Cooker Beef & Barley Stew
- Scrumptious Braised Beef with Flaky Topping
- The Best Beef Barley Soup
You can also make a quick homemade beef gravy using your beef stock.
- Simply use the formula of 1 tablespoon fat + 1 tablespoon flour + 1 cup stock.
- Follow the simple directions as outlined in our Best Ever Make Ahead Turkey Gravy.
wholesome homemade beef stock
Recipe compliments of Chef Billy Parisi
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 to 10 pounds beef bones
- 4 medium yellow onions, unpeeled & roughly chopped (about 24 ounces)
- 8 celery stalks, roughly chopped (about 12 ounces)
- 8 medium size carrots, roughly chopped (about 24 ounces)
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 cups dry red wine, divided
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 15 sprigs fresh thyme
- 20 black peppercorns
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven 425°F.
-
Add the beef bones to a large roasting pan in a single layer. Thoroughly coat with the olive oil. Roast for about one hour or until well browned.
-
Transfer the roasted bones from the pan to a large stockpot of at least 20-quart capacity and set aside. Drain off all but 3 to 4 tablespoons of rendered meat fat in the roasting pan. Place the pan on several burners over low heat.
-
Add the prepared onions, celery, carrots and garlic to the pan. Braise in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until lightly caramelized.
-
Deglaze with one cup of the red wine and simmer until it is reduced by three-quarters. Mix in the tomato paste and continue to cook over low heat for an additional 15 minutes until the paste resembles a rust color.
-
Transfer the vegetables to the stock pot with the roasted beef bones. Add the fresh thyme, parsley, bay leaves and black peppercorns to the mix.
-
Place the roasting pan back on the burners and deglaze with the remaining cup of red wine. Cook for a few minutes to remove any of the leftover bits of fond on the bottom of the pan. Add that liquid to the stock pot.
-
Fill the stock pot with cold water so that it covers the contents to include a 6-inch layer of excess water above the bones.
-
Simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 hours while continually skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface. Do not allow the stock to come to a full boil as it will cause the stock to be cloudy.
-
Strain the entire contents of the pot through a micro-mesh colander and discard the solids. Pack in several large containers and chill overnight.
-
If desired, remove any visible fat from the top of each container. Transfer to smaller containers to be stored. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
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More homemade broths & stocks…
