Deep Dark Homemade Beef Stock from Scratch

Cooking tomatoes with browned meaty beef bones gives this Clear and Dark Homemade Beef Stock Recipe from Scratch its rich amber shade. Eight hours on a low burner extracts gelatin, creating a salt-free base that solidifies in the refrigerator. The process yields 1.25 to 1.5 quarts (1.25 to 1.5 liters).

Bone Roasting

Meaty beef bones provide the essential base. Meatless bones leave the stock bland. Avoid fatty brisket bones because they lack enough meat and yield excess fat. Back and neck bones work well. You can add one marrow bone or knuckle for extra fat.

Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C) or 200°C fan-forced. Arrange 5 lb (2.5 kg) of bones evenly across two bare baking trays. Cook them for one hour until they turn dark brown. Turn them over at the 30 minute mark.

Pan Deglazing

Carefully drain the excess fat from the pans. Transfer the bones into a large 7 quarts (7 liters) or larger pot.

Set one empty tray over a medium burner. Add 3/4 cup of water. The hot water dissolves the baked-on drippings as it simmers. Scrape the tray to loosen the bits. Pour the dark liquid into the main pot. Repeat this process with the other tray.

The aromatics and water

Add one unpeeled halved carrot, half a peeled onion, one stalk of celery, and two quartered tomatoes. The tomatoes add sweetness and darken the color. Pour in one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to help extract nutrients from the bones. Half a tablespoon of coriander seeds adds an underlying layer of savory complexity along with half a tablespoon of black peppercorns, two fresh bay leaves, two sprigs of thyme, and an optional 12 sprigs of parsley.

Press the roasted pieces and aromatics down snugly inside the pot. This step limits the volume of liquid necessary to submerge everything. Pour in a maximum of 5.75 quarts (5.75 liters) of cold tap water until the fluid rests just above the solid ingredients.

Stock Simmering

Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil. Drop the burner down to a low setting. Keep an eye on the pot to make sure the liquid barely simmers. Vigorous boiling with bones makes the final product cloudy. You only want to see a single tiny bubble pop at the surface occasionally. Skim any surface scum off the top.

Leave the pot with no lid. Cook on a low setting for eight hours until the liquid reduces to 4 quarts (4 liters). You can also choose an alternative cooking method:

• Simmer over low heat for three hours on medium-low with the lid cracked.
• Start with a rapid boil on the stove, put the lid on, and bake the pot for eight to 10 hours at 250°F (120°C) to yield 0.5 quarts (500 ml) to 1.5 quarts (1.5 liters).
• Use a slow cooker on low for eight to 10 hours to yield 1.5 quarts (1.5 liters).

Straining & Finishing

Scoop the majority of the bones out of the pot first. You will have an easier time pouring the liquid without the large pieces in the way.

Set a fine sieve over a clean bowl to strain the stock and vegetables. Leave the sieve to drain for several minutes.

Putting a hot pot directly into the fridge dangerously heats up the appliance. To prevent bacterial growth, take the pot off the heat and submerge it halfway down into a sink holding cold liquid. Cool the stock for one hour and 15 minutes until it completely sheds its heat. The basin gets warm while the pot sits in the sink, so replace the bath liquid every 20 minutes.

Check how much liquid is in the pot. You want to see between 1.3 and 1.7 quarts (1.3 to 1.7 liters). Turn the heat on again to reduce the stock on the stove if you have much more than this. A failure to reduce the volume leaves the flavor weak.

Leave the stock in the refrigerator overnight. The fat rises to the top and hardens into a white cap. Skim this solid layer away the next day. You will finish with 1.25 to 1.5 quarts (1.25 to 1.5 liters) of clear liquid.

Storing and serving the stock

Connective tissue provides the natural gelatin that causes the chilled stock to turn into a thick jelly. If you need to measure specific amounts, heat the solid block on the stove over medium-high for under a minute to melt it back into a pourable liquid. Alternatively, you can drop the cold stock directly into your dishes while it remains in its jellied state.

Homemade stock lacks the added salt found in commercial versions. Swap this beef stock into your recipes at a 1:1 ratio. Stir 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a 1 cup (250 ml) portion to match the salinity of store-bought low-sodium stock.

The stock keeps in the refrigerator for up to seven days. It can freeze for up to three months. You can simplify future use by freezing the liquid in pre-measured one-cup or two-cup portions.

You can pan-fry the cooked meat left on the bones with butter and garlic or mix it with barbecue sauce.