dem bones, dem bones

Knowing all the cooking that I do, you’ll be surprised to hear this: I have never made my own beef stock from scratch. Oh yes, I’m a pro at throwing together a rich, flavorful chicken stock (recipe here) and have always been able to get away with just that. But when it came time to make braised short ribs for a special occasion, I realized that homemade chicken stock just wouldn’t cut it. And I really didn’t want to use the store bought kind. So it was time for me to research stock recipes and come up with my best take on this kitchen staple. Really, it was easier than I expected and the gelatinous goodness that this recipe yields will serve to add complexity to dishes all winter long. The magic is in the bones…

Homemade Beef Stock

It doesn’t take a lot of ingredients or prep work to make this rich stock. The secret to bringing out depth of flavor is in the technique. Roasting a combination of veal and beef bones with onions and carrots caramelizes everything and brings out the intensity of each component. You’ll notice that I don’t use any salt in my stock; I want the stock to be a blankly seasoned canvas that I can adjust as needed in different dishes.

If you’re going to do it, do it right. I made a huge batch of this stock in order to be able to freeze it and have plenty on hand for the long winter months. But I realize that not everyone has the equipment to make a large quantity of stock at once, so this recipe can be easily cut in half.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spread the beef and veal bones out in 2 roasting pans (if you’re halving it, you will only need 1 pan).

Add the onions and carrots to the pans and place in the oven to roast for one hour, turning occasionally.

Make a Bouquet Garni: wrap parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves in a piece of cheesecloth and tie securely with kitchen twine.

When the bones and vegetables have all browned well, remove pans from the oven. Using tongs, place everything into a large stock pot–I use a 12 quart.

Straddle roasting pans over burners on stovetop. Add 2 cups of water to deglaze each pan and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom, about 2 to 4 minutes.

Pour the liquid from the roasting pans into the stock pot. Add celery, bouquet garni, and 8 quarts of water, and bring to a boil. Skim froth that rises to the top of the pot.

When the stock no longer produces any froth, lower the heat and bring it down to a simmer. Leave uncovered and cook the stock until liquid is reduced by half, about 4 hours.

Allow the stock to cool. In a chinois or large strainer, strain the liquid and solids into another soup pot or large bowl. Push down on the solids in the strainer to extract all the liquid.

If you’re using the stock right away, skim off the fat. If not, cover and refrigerate overnight. The fat will solidify, making it easier to remove–use a large spoon to skim it from the top of the pot.

Measure and divide that gelatinous goodness into 2 and 4 cup containers and freeze until needed. You’ll be thankful to have that rich, beefy component on hand for many soups and stews you’ll want to make through the cold months to come….

Makes 4 quarts:

4 pounds meaty beef bones
4 pounds meaty veal bones
4 onions, unpeeled, quartered
2 carrots, quartered

bouquet garni:
8 fresh flat leaf parsley sprigs
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
 
4 celery stalks, quartered
8 quarts water