Beef stock is made everywhere there’s beef—it’s a fine use for scraps and not-too-meaty bones—but it’s associated most closely with France, where, along with other stocks, it is considered the fond, the foundation or basis for many important sauces and dishes. While canned chicken stock is an often-acceptable substitute for fresh, canned beef stock is nearly useless, and bouillon cubes completely so. Though I don’t make beef stock even a tenth as often as I do chicken stock, I’m never sorry when I do; it’s incomparably flavorful.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1 gallon
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse the beef bones well under cold running water, then transfer to a large stockpot and add the remaining ingredients. Add about 1 gallon water or enough to cover by a couple of inches.
Step 2
Bring just about to a boil, then partially cover and adjust the heat so the mixture sends up a few bubbles at a time. Cook, skimming off any foam that accumulates at the top, until the meat falls from the bones and the bones separate from one another, 2 to 3 hours.
Step 3
Strain, pressing on the vegetables and meat to extract as much juice as possible. Taste and add salt if necessary. Refrigerate, then skim any hardened fat from the surface. Refrigerate for 4 to 5 days (longer if you boil it every third day, which will keep it from spoiling) or freeze.
Beef Stock, Asian Style
Step 4
Omit the thyme, parsley, and cloves. Add 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, 3 scallions, trimmed and chopped, and 7 nickel-sized pieces of fresh ginger to the stock.
