Homemade Beef Stock Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is homemade beef stock worth it? ›

It's vastly superior to any store-bought stock, and is one of the main things that distinguishes home and restaurant cooking. It takes time to make, but if you truly want the best, it's worth it! Let me say from the outset: homemade beef stock requires effort.

Broth is stock's cousin but has some key differences. Although both stock and broth involve simmering in water, broth uses meat while stock uses bones. As a result, broth contains very little protein, a key ingredient in building flavor.

Stocks contain four essential parts: a major flavoring ingredient, liquid, aromatics, and mirepoix: The major flavoring ingredient consists of bones and trimmings for meat and fish stocks and vegetables for vegetable stock. The liquid most often used in making stock is water.

Woody herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, tarragon, and marjoram release tons of flavor as they slowly simmer in stock. Give them a rinse and toss in a big handful of sprigs per quart of store-bought stock.

Obviously, the vegetables left over from the broth will no longer be very tasty, but they can be reused to prepare other excellent dishes. Don't throw them away, because you can do some creative recycling with them.

When it comes to cooking time at least. There's a limit to how much flavor a given ingredient will impart—past that, extra time just turns everything to mush. Big beef or lamb bones can be cooked for up to eight hours, or overnight.

Chicken stock can be simmered for as little as 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Most often, you'll see recipes call for somewhere in between, about 3 to 4 hours. The longer the stock simmers, the more concentrated its flavor.

The stock should be at a bare simmer, just a bubble or two coming up here and there. (You may need to put the pot on your smallest burner on the lowest temp, or if you are using an oven-safe pot, place it in the oven at 190°F.) Cover the pot loosely and let simmer low and slow for 3 to 6 hours.

Chicken bouillon is a concentrated flavor enhancer available in both powdered and cube form. Think of it as chicken stock condensed into a convenient package. Chicken bouillon is made by dehydrating chicken stock. It gives you a concentrated product that can be easily stored and used when needed.

For a clear stock, never let it boil and never stir it. Avoid adding salt if reducing the stock later. Concentrate the flavors by simmering the stock further after straining.

What is the easiest stock to make? ›

Vegetable stock is a relatively easy stock to make. No bones or carcasses to contend with, just crisper staples like carrots, onions, and celery.

The main ingredients in stock are meats and fish, spice, herbs, and most importantly mirepoix and water.

Tomato paste – We are all about that rich, beefy flavor. Thanks to the umami in tomatoes, tomato paste helps us achieve it. We roast our beef bones, rubbed in tomato paste, for 30 minutes before making the stock.

Then add apple cider vinegar, which is added primarily because the acidity breaks down the collagen and makes it more abundant in the broth.

You can thicken beef stock with flour or cornstarch or even rice or potatoes cooked in the stock.

“The biggest one is the protein and specifically the gelatin content of boxed [versus] homemade stock. Boxed stock has virtually no gelatin, which means that it does not have the viscosity and richness of a homemade stock.

Provided you store your beef broth in a container with an air-tight covering, you can expect homemade beef broth to last around 3 days in the fridge before it starts to go bad. If you are saving store bought broth, it will likely last 4 days as it has extra preservatives meant to extend its shelf life.

Although bone broth is considered healthy, it can do more harm than good to certain people. Here's why, there are side effects that some drinkers experience like gas, bloating, constipation and stomach pain.