Beef Stock
Do you ever end up with a lot of beef bones? Maybe after de-boning a large roast? If you hate to waste food like I do, try this simple way to make beef stock using bones! It’s so simple, and yet a smart way to take advantage of leftover bones.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Start by putting all of your trimmed bones in a large roasting pan. Globs of trimmed fat are fine as well. Some people believe in salting and peppering the bones and bits, but I just leave mine plain. After you’ve collected the stock, you can taste and season. That way, you also don’t end up with too salty of a stock.
Roast the bones for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 375 degrees and continue roasting for another hour.
Remove the pan from the oven and place it over 1 or two burners on the stove. Let the pan cool for a while, then add some filtered water to it.
Turn on the heat until the broth just boils, then turn it down to a low simmer. You could add other ingredients at this point, and seasonings like bay leaves, but I like to just leave it alone and keep it simple. Bones and water. And some fat.
After about two hours, and occasionally turning the bones, you’re left with a beautiful broth like this.
Let the mixture cool somewhat, then place everything through a colander over a large bowl and drain well. And there you have it.
Refrigerate the broth overnight, then remove the fat layer before proceeding with a recipe.
I used this broth when I made Chili and Boeuf Bourguignon!
note: This could be called either a stock or a broth. There are more involved home-made stocks, like those that also include vegetables, but personally I like just using the bones. Then I get the meaty beef flavor into my soup or stew via the stock/broth, and then add the aromatics at that time I’m preparing the soup or stew recipe. It’s just a personal choice.
About the Author: Chef Mimi
Hi Mimi, I like the simplicity of your recipe. I think it’s important for the flavor to use bones with some meat still attached, as you did judging from the photo.
Thanks! There was definitely meat attached, and quite a bit of fat, which I just removed the next day. Come to think of it, I should have kept the fat…
For sure, because it is very tasty and can for instance be used to brown the meat for your chili. I also use it to roast cauliflower and then serve it over pasta – yum!
Very good Mimi, I have beef stock on my list. I plan to buy a big stock pot soon. They appear in the supermarkets here in the run in to Christmas (when everybody thinks they are a master cook) and disappear quickly after the reality of Christmas cooking is revealed.
Best,
C
hahahahaha! That is so funny. I still have macarons on my list at Christmas time, and then, as always, Christmas gets in the way!
It’s the time of the year to start making beef and chicken stock – I actually used up all my precious bags from the freezer…
interesting that you don’t add veggies, I like that – a pure beef stock.
I use veggies when I make chicken broth, for beef broth I just do the meaty bones. I guess because I’d have to roast the veggies separately, and so I just keep it simple!
Homemade stock is the best! Roasting the bones, as you did, is also important in my opinion — a nice, deep flavored stock.
It’s so easy to do, too!
I’ve done this, and must say that the extra effort is more than worthwhile. I used my first batch to make real French onion soup, which was out-of-this-world delicious!
French onion soup really requires a good broth. Great idea!
Great idea!
thanks
Very simple, very tasty. You just cannot find beef stock/broth with near the flavor as homemade. Also, you paid for the bones when you bought the meat so you might as well use them. Once you have a good beef stock you can do an immense variety of dishes, i.e. soups, sauces, stews, chili, braises, etc., etc., etc. I just made a batch of chicken stock Sunday but we haven’t eaten beef in a while so no beef stock. Typically, because we eat so little beef, when I make beef stock, I have to go buy bones. Ankle bones are pretty inexpensive and we can get them from the Mexican markets with a fair amount of meat still on them. I also try to buy 1 large femur bone because of the marrow. The marrows adds that umami quality to a good beef stock. Also, the house is so aromatic when you make stock. I love it. :)
I order marrow at restaurants. That’s how much I like it. I’ve never thought to order bones – I’ll have to see if that will work here!
I find them at Alberstons here for $2.25/lb.
I’ll have to look more closely!
They won’t be out on display. Ask someone in the meat market. They will even cut it up for you. :) Also, if you cannot find a femur bone at Albertsons, try a local butcher. They typically have all sorts of bones, lamb bones, pork bones, etc. Some may even have venison bones. :)
I will do it this way from now on. Always did it differently, thanks.
There’s no reason to change if you like your beef stock! This is just an easy option!
That’s why I like it, much easier.
I make the beef stock/broth with the veggies roasted with the bones, then just tump all of it in water to boil for hours and hours. I also use a cheese cloth to strain. I have never tried a pure beef bone stock, I bet it’s delicious and rich cooked down like that.
Any version works, doesn’t it?!! It’s just what you like. I usually do veggies in a roasting pan separately just because I don’t roast them at as high of a temperature as I do the meat. So maybe, that means I’m lazy, and just roast the bones for this stock!
I have never deboned a roast but I would like to get my hands on some beef bones just to make this stock. I bet that chili was excellent using this broth.
It was good. Nice and meaty tasting. I’ve never just bought bones, but I know you can. I’ll have to do that, too!
I really must start making my own stock. This is a great way to avoid wasting those beef bones. xx
Unless you have dogs who can eat leftover bones, I think this is definitely the way to go!
As you know I’m a huge fan of little waste & of making homemade stock. I’m looking forward to our next batch of beef stock so I can make a big batch of Vietnamese noodle soup (pho). We had one at Noodle Station in Iceland this summer that was like none if ever tasted. Hoping to replicate it!
In Iceland? Who’d have thought!!! Funny you mentioned pho, cause I have a recipe from F & W I was going to use to make it all from scratch. Just enjoyed pho at a little dump in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but boy was it good! And, of all things, at Whole Foods I discovered and purchased a carton of pho broth, just like chicken or vegetable broth that’s on the shelf. I thought I’d test it out as well!