Beef Stock
Directions
- 1Preheat your oven to 425F/218C.
- 2Lay your bones on a tray lined with a rack and roast for 30-40 minutes until deeply browned.
- 3Brush all of the bones with a thin layer of tomato paste and pop back in the oven for 3 minutes until the paste is a deep brick red.
- 4Place the bones in a pot and cover with cold water.
- 5Bring the pot to a gentle simmer.
- 6After around 40 minutes, skim off all the foam (congealed proteins) that comes to the top.
- 7Take a quarter of an onion and place it in a hot dry pan to char one side for an onion brulee.
- 8Roast the rest of the vegetables (mirepoix) in the oven for 8-10 minutes until they have a decent color.
- 9After simmering for around 6 hours, add your mirepoix and aromatics (thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves) to the pot.
- 10Simmer for an additional 2 hours.
- 11Strain the stock.
- 12Cool the stock and use within 1 week or freeze for 3 months.
- 13For a second stock (remouillage), cover the used bones with fresh cold water and simmer again; you can add fresh mirepoix if desired.
Ingredients
- 4 lb beef neck
- 4 lb beef knuckle
- marrow bones
- 2 onions
- 5 carrots
- 6 celery ribs
- 5 thyme sprigs
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 12 quarts water
- tomato paste
Equipment
ovenrackpothot dry pan
Tips
- Do not let the stock come to a rolling boil; a gentle simmer (180F/85C-200F/93C) is ideal to extract collagen and turn it into gelatin.
- For an onion brulee, char a portion of the onion in a hot dry pan to add deep rich flavor, caramel color, and a touch of bitterness.
- Add mirepoix and aromatics in the second half of simmering for easier skimming and optimal flavor extraction.
- You can make a second weaker stock (remouillage) by covering the used bones with fresh water and simmering again.