Homemade Brown Beef Stock

10 cups
9 hr 15 min

Homemade brown beef stock is the secret to those restaurant quality dishes. If you do it right, it will gel like jello! This is due to the collagen leaching out of the bones into the stock. This will make all those sauces and stews super luxurious and creamy. Now, beef stock is super easy to make and doesn’t require much skill, but it can take a bit of practice to get just right! But don’t worry, watch the video to learn all the tips and tricks to get your stock to gel every time!

Here’s a quick recap: 1. choose high-quality meaty beef bones. The best is a mixture of marrow bones, neck bones, shanks, oxtails and/or knuckles. 2. Add an acid. I like to add apple cider vinegar, but wine works too. 3. Let it BARELY simmer. Collagen breaks down when exposed to high heat. 4. Simmer for long enough, but not too long. I find 8-12 hours is best. 


If you follow this advice, your stock should gel every time! However, if it doesn’t gel for some reason, never fear. Just add a bit of unflavored gelatin (about 2 tsp for every cup). You can add this to storebought stock as well if you don’t have time to make homemade!

Recipe details
  • 10  cups
  • Prep time: 75 Minutes Cook time: 8 Hours Total time: 9 hr 15 min
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Ingredients

  • 3 lbs various meaty beef bones marrow bones, neck bones, oxtails, knuckles
  • 1 onion quartered
  • 1 large carrot roughly chopped
  • 1 celery stalk roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp whole peppercorns
  • 12 cups water
Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°. Roast bones for 40 minutes in a baking dish. Add onion, carrot, garlic and celery to baking dish and roast for 20 more minutes. Add tomato paste and mix with veggies. Roast for 10 more minutes.
Place roasted bones and veggies in a large stock pot. Discard fat from baking dish and deglaze dish with apple cider vinegar. Add vinegar to pot. Add in bay leaf and peppercorns. Pour in 12 cups of water.
Turn stovetop on to medium low and bring to a bare simmer. Simmer for 8-12 hours uncovered. Do not let it boil. Skim off skum that rises to the surface but do not stir. This will cloud the stock.
Strain through fine mesh sieve into a large shallow dish. Place dish in an ice bath. This will cool the stock faster. Once the stock has cooled some, pour into jars or container. Place in the fridge overnight. Once completely cooled, discard the congealed fat on top. Your stock should be be like jello now. Stock will keep in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Sav | Lagom Eats
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Comments
  • Stephen Moore Stephen Moore on Mar 13, 2024

    Excellent! The key is to make sure the bones/meat and veggies are well browned. I also add some thyme and a couple of cloves to the stock. Also, instead of discarding the fat, I save it for making a roux for sauce Espagnole.

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