Homemade Beef Stock Recipe
Published January 29, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Make one of the most fundamental recipes in all of cookery with this rich and delicious homemade beef stock.
Stock is one of the most important things to use in cooking. Whether you’re making a soup or a sauce, it’s is a must-have to keep on hand. If you want to explore using it, then definitely check out my Mulligan Stew or Loco Moco.
Beef Stock
Beef stock is a beef-flavored liquid used in braising food, making sauces, soups, risotto’s, etc. There are many ways to use it and when homemade, it far supersedes anything from the grocery store and will enhance your meal on another level.
Here are the typical ingredients used in a traditional beef stock:
- Beef Bones – This can be from leftover bones from steaks, or bones directly from your butcher.
- Mirepoix – A combination of 50% onions, 25% carrots and 25% celery.
- Herbs and Spices – Fresh thyme sprigs, parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns.
The Difference Between Broth and Stock
There is definitely a difference between stock and broth and here they are:
Stock – a roasted beef bone base that is slowly simmered in water with herbs and vegetables. The bones from the beef cause it to be gelatinous and extremely rich in flavor.
Broth – a thin beef-flavored liquid that has beef meat cooked into it with vegetables and herbs. It is often seasoned with salt and pepper and most certainly what is in those boxes at the grocery store.
How to Make Beef Stock from Scratch
Follow along with these simple instructions for how to make this amazing beef stock recipe:
Coat the bones in olive oil and roast in a roasting pan in the oven at 425° for 1 hour.
Transfer the bones to a large stockpot and set them aside.
Place the roasting pan on a burner on the stovetop and roast the mirepoix over medium heat until lightly browned.
Deglaze the pan with red wine and cook it until it’s almost gone.
Next, mix in tomato paste and cook it over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the tomato paste turns to a rust color. Transfer the mixture to the stockpot with the roasted bones.
Place the roasting pan back on the burner and deglaze once more with the red wine to get up the rest of the fond. Pour it into the stockpot.
Fill the stockpot up with water until it covers the bones by about 6 inches.
Simmer the stock on low heat for 8-10 hours while continually skimming the scum on the top.
Strain the stock with a chinois or a fine-mesh strainer and store.
Other Ingredients to Add-In
Making beef stock does not just stop with the ingredients that I used here in this recipe. Here are several things you can add to the beef stock to further enhance the flavor:
- Mushrooms
- Leeks
- Parsnips
- Green onions
- Vegetable peelings
- Herb sprigs with no leaves
- Shallots
- Zucchini
- Squash
Do not use bell peppers, spicy peppers, tomatoes, vegetables from the radish family, or any overly strong flavored vegetables.
What Is a Remouillage?
A remouillage is a stock that is made from the bones and vegetables that have already been used in a stock. Essentially after you strain the first stock you add the bones and vegetables back to the pot, refill it with water and make a second stock.
The flavor of a remouillage is much more subtle than original beef stock and is an affordable option for people or restaurants looking to extend the amount of beef stock they need.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 3 days ahead of time but can also be used immediately.
How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze covered for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount to a saucepot and heat over low heat until hot.
chef notes + tips
- It can easily be made using all leftover ingredients. It’s important if you often fabricate beef to use in your cooking to freeze the leftover pieces of meat or bones.
- Any leftover bones at all should be frozen.
- Any vegetable peelings, or if they are starting to go bad, please put them in the freezer to make this beef stock as economical and delicious as possible.
- If you are using veal bones, cook for 6-8 hours.
- Do not boil the stock, as it will only make it cloudy.
Recipes that Use Beef Stock
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Video
Homemade Beef Stock Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 8-10 pounds of beef bones
- 4 roughly chopped medium-size yellow onions
- 8 roughly chopped celery stalks
- 8 roughly chopped medium size carrots
- 10 garlic cloves
- 2 cups red wine
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 15 sprigs fresh thyme
- 20 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Add the bones to a roasting pan and coat in olive oil. Roast in the oven at 425° for 1 hour or until browned.
- Remove the bones and transfer them to a large stockpot and set aside. Drain off all but 3-4 tablespoons of rendered meat fat in the pan and place the roasting pan on a burner over low heat.
- Add in the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic, and roast in the pan for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Deglaze with 1 cup of red wine and cook until it reduced by ¾.
- Next, mix in the tomato paste and cook over low heat for 15 minutes until the tomato paste resembles a rust color.
- Transfer the vegetables to the stockpot with the roasted bones.
- Add the pan back on the burner and deglaze with the remaining 1 cup of wine and cook for a few minutes to remove any of the leftover bits of fond on the bottom of the pan. Pour it also into the stockpot.
- Fill the stockpot up with cold water until it covers the bones by about 6 inches along with the thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves, and parsley.
- Simmer over low heat for 8-10 hours while continually skimming off any impurities on top.
- Store.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 3 days ahead of time but can also be used immediately.
- How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze covered for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
- How to Reheat: Add the desired amount to a saucepot and heat over low heat until hot.
- It can easily be made using all leftover ingredients. It’s important if you often fabricate beef to use in your cooking to freeze the leftover pieces of meat or bones.
- Any leftover bones at all should be frozen.
- Any vegetable peelings, or if they are starting to go bad, please put them in the freezer to make this beef stock as economical and delicious as possible.
- If you are using veal bones, cook for 6-8 hours.
- Do not boil the stock, as it will only make it cloudy.
The stock is wonderful, but I have a question.
After the bones are roasted & you drain the fat before roasting the vegetables – should the fat be discarded? Or can it be used like tallow? It’s really clear with very few particles in it, which is what got me wondering.
You could probably use it. Probably won’t have as high of smoking point as tallow though.
I just made the recipe EXACTLY as written but it seems to have very little flavor other than the roasted bone marrow. The color and consistency are GREAT! Is it because there is no salt?
correct. I don’t season it until it is in something. No need.
Hey there!
I’m also looking at your pot roast recipe – do I understand correctly that this really only makes enough to make, for example, one pot roast? Or should I be treating this like a concentrate?
Cheers!
What do you mean?
I’ve been looking for a homemade stock to use for beef stews and such. However my husband has an issue with gout. Is this fresh or refined enough where it wouldn’t cause issues? I’ve seen ‘beef extract’ on the boxes of stock/broth which is on the ‘list’ of no-no’s.
I saw your video on beef stew it looked Amazingly delicious and my husband would have it and deal with consequences, LoL. But anything I can help to avoid would be greatly appreciated.
have no idea on that. I’d ask your doctor.
Thank you for sharing 🤗
Hello, I’m making your beef stock today, but noticed there is no mention for quantity of water or size of stock pot? How much should we be using? 8 quarts of water to reduce down to 4 quarts of stock? Quantity would be appreciated. Thanks so much and happy holidays!!
4-6 inches above the bones.