Basic Beef Stock

Submitted by breezermom

"This is a great recipe for beef stock. It will save you money and is healthier than buying beef broth at the store. You can put it into ice cube trays and freeze it, keeping it in the freezer for about 6 months. 5 to 6 cubes is equal to about 1 cup of stock."

 

• Ready In: 5hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Yields: 11 cups

ingredients

• 3 1⁄2 lbs beef shanks
• 2 lbs short beef ribs
• 14 cups water, divided
• 2 large yellow onions, quartered
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 large ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
• 6 whole garlic cloves
• 2 whole bay leaves
• 8 sprigs parsley
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Arrange the beef shanks and short ribs in a single layer in an ungreased large shallow roasting pan.
3. Roast, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until nicely browned.
4. Transfer the shanks and ribs to a stockpot.
5. Pour off all the fat from the roasting pan.
6. Add 2 cups of the water to the pan and swirl it around, scraping any browned bits of meat or juices.
7. Add to the stockpot along with the remaining water.
8. Bring the water to a boil, uncovered, over high heat, skimming off any scum.
9. Add the onions, carrots, tomato, garlic cloves, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and salt; partially cover and simmer for 3 hours, occasionally skimming off the scum.
10. Remove the short ribs and save to use on another day.
11. Continue simmering the stock, partially covered, 1 hour longer.
12. Pour all through a large colander or sieve set over a very large heatproof bowl.
13. Save the shank meat for soup or another use.
14. Discard the other solids.
15. Let the stock cool; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
16. In the morning, discard the fat that has solidified on top.
17. Ladle stock into ice cube trays.
18. Freeze; place in freezer bags for future use.

Reviews

[CHEF GRPA]

I too had never made beef stock before, lots of chicken stock but no beef. This makes a fine stock, I didn't waste the vegetables. The barley soup was outstanding. A neat trick when making stock is to add a cup of white vinegar to it. It leaches calcium from the bones which is better for you than the stuff the vitamin indusrty makes. The vinegar cooks away, leaving no taste. I found this method really, really easy. I did leave it for about 24 hours and I think every last suggestion of flavour was removed from those bones. After I strained it, I mashed the vegetables into a thick sort of paste and used that and the stock to make a beef and barley soup. I think the vegetables retained alot of flavour and I didn't want to lose that... the soup turned out really well and I will definately make stock using this method again. I might add a bit more seasoning next time. Thank for posting this great recipe

 

[Stephanie S.]

What a delicious stock this makes. We just got our "beef" and I made two batches of this to put in my freezer. I can't wait to use this again. I used some of it for some Beef barley soup. Delicious. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Nif_H]

Delicious way to make beef broth. I always make my own chicken stock, but I'll be doing this more often. I couldn't get the cuts of beef listed but I used half beef soup bones and half beef grilling ribs. I painted the meat with tomato paste because I needed a tiny bit of it for another recipe and hate to waste the can! I had also read about doing that and it was a nice touch. I simmered it all for about 8 hours and left it outside (-20C) so I could easily lift the fat layer off this morning. Delicious and thick and rich. Thanks! Made for 123 Hit Wonders.