Basic Beef Stock
Rich, hearty beef stock.
Ingredients
- 6 pounds beef soup bones
- 1 large onion
- 3 large carrots cut into 1-inch chunks
- 12 ½ cups water divided
- 1 large tomato
- 1 medium potato unpeeled, cut into chunks
- 2 stalks celery including some leaves, cut into thirds
- ½ cup chopped parsnip
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Trim root end off onion, then slice or quarter onion, peel and all. Place onion and carrots into a large, shallow roasting pan with beef bones.
- Roast, uncovered, in the preheated oven, turning bones occasionally, until bones are well browned, about 30 minutes.
- Drain off fat. Transfer browned bones, onion, and carrots to a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan and rinse; pour this liquid into the soup pot.
- Add tomato, potato, celery, parsnip, whole parsley sprigs, salt, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns to the pot. Pour in remaining 12 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 hours. Strain stock. Discard meat, vegetables, and seasonings.
Notes
Recipe Tip
Clarify stock for clear soup: To remove solid flecks too small to be strained out with cheesecloth, combine 1/4 cup cold water, 1 egg white, and 1 crushed eggshell in a bowl. Add to the strained stock and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain again through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.