Amazing Beef Stock Recipe (2024)

Good beef stock should be velvety smooth and coat your tongue with rich, umami beef flavors. This beef stock recipe is made with beef soup bones, basic veggies, herbs and aromatics. This post will show you how to make rich, dark beef stock from scratch, and it’s a game-changer for soups and stews and makes the most luxurious sauces and gravies.

The difference between homemade broth and stock versus canned is vast. Most store-bought stocks are made from bouillons or concentrate and contain a lot of sodium and other chemical flavorings.

Homemade stocks have a better flavor with a silky mouthfeel.

I regularly make homemade vegetable, beef bone broth, chicken stock from rotisserie chicken using scraps and leftover items that would normally go to waste.

You’ll love this beef stock recipe because it’s all-natural with an outstanding flavor. Since it’s homemade, you can control the sodium content for a low-salt beef stock.

Beef stock vs. beef broth. What’s the difference?

Before we get into the recipe, let’s answer this burning question…

The difference between beef stock and broth is twofold:

• The first significant difference is the ingredients used to make them.
  • Stock is made from bones (beef, veal, chicken, pork, or fish) (and any meat clinging to them) along with vegetables and aromatics.
  • Conversely, broth is made from meat or vegetables (no bones).
• The second and most noticeable difference is the consistency of the finished product.
  • Broths tend to be more watery and light, whereas stocks are deeper and richer with a more concentrated flavor.
  • You can see the difference between broth and stock by refrigerating them. Stock will gel when chilled, becoming a quivering mass that wiggles and shakes when nudged.
  • Broth remains a pourable liquid even when refrigerated.

Many people use garlic in their beef stock. Still, I prefer to stick with a straight mirepoix of onions, carrots and celery as garlic can become bitter, whereas the vegetables get sweeter when roasted and caramelized.

Best bones for beef stock

You can use any beef bones to make a stock, but for that tongue-coating mouthfeel, you should include a few bones with cartilage or connective tissue to give that gelatinous quality to your stock.

I’ve found that beef neck bones are perfect for that, but Julia Child also recommends using veal knuckles or calves feet, as they contain the most gelatin. You can also use leftover bones from short ribs.

Where do I get bones for stock?

You can always find them at the supermarket or butcher shop — they will usually have remnants that they’re happy to sell at a meager price or even give away.

However, you don’t have to make a special trip to the butcher to collect beef bones for your stock… Instead, accumulate a variety of bones from roasts, steaks, ribs and other meal remnants and store them in a zip-top freezer bag until you have enough for stock. This is the ultimate in waste, not want, not cooking.

Why should you use roasted beef bones for stock

Theoretically, you can make beef stock by simmering the bones with vegetables and aromatics without roasting them first; however, searing or roasting meat and vegetables browns and caramelizes them, adding another layer of flavor. It results from the Maillard reaction and will give the beef stock a deeper, heartier taste.

What should I roast the beef bones in?

Most people roast the bones on a sheet pan in a hot oven, but I prefer using a large dutch oven because it can go from the oven to the stovetop (where you’ll make the stock). It also allows you to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and flavor your stock.

If you don’t have a dutch oven large enough to hold the bones, then a rimmed baking sheet is the next best thing, and I’ve got detailed instructions for both methods in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

How to make beef stock from scratch

1. Drizzle the beef bones with olive oil and some kosher salt and toss well. Arrange on a baking sheet or in the Dutch oven and roast for 40-45 minutes.
2. Coat the celery, carrots and onions with the remaining olive oil and salt and add to the beef bones. Continue to roast for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the bones and vegetables are caramelized. Stir and rearrange them every half hour or so.
3. Transfer the beef bones and vegetables to a separate bowl or pan and spoon most of the grease from the Dutch oven, leaving about one tablespoon of fat drippings.
4. Heat the pot over medium-high heat and add the tomato paste. Using a wooden spoon, stir the tomato paste until it starts to get aromatic and take on a darker color.
5. Add a cup of water to the pot and use the wooden spoon to stir and scrape up the browned bits (fond) from the bottom.
6. Return the bones and vegetables to the dutch oven and add the remaining 9 cups of water, bay leaves, parsley and thyme. Cover tightly with the lid and heat to a low simmer over medium heat. Turn the heat down, so the beef stock barely bubbles and simmer for 4-5 hours.

Once the beef stock has simmered, it must be strained for a rich, smooth consistency.

How to strain and store the stock

1. Remove the beef bones from the stock with a pair of kitchen tongs.
2. Line a large fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth. Place the sieve over a large bowl or pot large enough to hold the liquid and pour the beef stock through it.
3. Press on the vegetables with a wooden spoon to extract the liquid.
4. Refrigerate the beef stock for several hours or overnight. The fat will rise and congeal on top of the stock.
5. Scrape away excess fat with a spoon and discard.
6. Transfer the beef stock to an airtight container. I like to use 2 or 4 cup canning jars, but you can also use plastic storage containers.
7. Store the homemade beef stock in the refrigerator or freeze it for later.

FAQ’s

Why did my beef stock turn to gelatin in the refrigerator?

The knuckles, joints, and connective tissue contain collagen, which seeps into the stock as it simmers and cooks. Upon cooling, the collagen firms the stock into quivering gelatin.

This makes your beef (or any) stock taste rich and leaves a smooth coating on your tongue, and it’s what you look for in a good stock recipe.

Ways to use beef stock:

• Try these braised beef stews:
  • Beef Birria
  • Beef Carbonnade
  • Classic Cincinnati Chili
  • Dutch Oven Beef Stew
  • Homestyle Pot Roast
  • Beef Ragu
• Beef Barley is a classic soup made from beef stock, as is a traditional French onion soup.
• Use real beef stock to make a rich, flavorful gravy for an eye of round roast beef, meatloaf, and poutine.
• Make a bordelaise sauce with your homemade stock and add beef marrow for more unctuousness.

More homemade stocks and broths you’ll love:

• Instant Pot Bone Broth
• Chicken Stock from Rotisserie Chicken
• Homemade Vegetable Broth
• Homemade Lobster Stock
• Easy Homemade Turkey Stock

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