Beef broth is such a versatile ingredient that it really is an essential kitchen staple item. It can be used in countless dishes to add flavor as well as nutrients. Roasting the beef bones, beef and veggies in the oven first leads to a broth with a deep hearty beef flavor. This beef broth can be used for soups, rice, stews, gravy, vegetable dishes and whatever else you want to add a deep savory beef flavor.
I forgot which one of us mentioned making French Onion Soup first. Although we have both made french onion soup with a decent canned or boxed beef broth, neither one of us has made the broth from scratch. We have both made chicken stock/broth over and over yet had never had a go with its beef counterpart. We both think the reason was that beef bone broth always seemed more intimidating for whatever reason.
A quote from Martha Stewart seems fitting here on our quest to become better cooks. “There is no single recipe for success. But there is one essential ingredient: Passion.”
Well, we both have a passion for cooking (probably part obsession), so since we are halfway there, we decided time to give it a try and hope for the best. Not having one of our own recipes, we turned to who else, but Martha Stewart. We used Martha’ s recipe as a guide. We would have followed exactly but had to go with what was readily available to us on this particular day. (Homemade Beef Stock Recipe | Martha Stewart)
We have to say, this was easy to make. Do not let the length of cook time scare you from making this recipe. Actual hands-on time is minimal since most of the time needed the broth is simply simmering on low heat.
Ingredients:
We bought the bones at our favorite market Detwiler’s Farm Market – More than a Grocery Store in Sarasota, FL (detwilermarket.com) but going forward, we will be sure to save our beef, pork and veal bones in a ziploc bag and store in the freezer for future use. We frequent the Detwiler’s in Palmetto, Florida.
Arrange meat, beef bones, onion, carrots, and celery in an even layer in a heavy roasting pan. Roast, turning every 20 minutes, until the vegetables and the bones are deep brown, about 1 1/2 hours.
Transfer the meat, bones, and vegetables to a large stockpot, and set aside. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan, and discard. Place the roasting pan over high heat on the stove. Add wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Boil until the wine has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour all of the liquid into the stockpot.
Add 7 quarts of cold water to the stockpot, or more if needed to cover bones. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Add the herbs wrapped in a cheesecloth to the pot.
Not sure what happened to my cheesecloth pic – LOL. Lesson learned that I should check the pictures before moving on.
Once the liquid starts to bubble up to surface, skim the foam with a slotted spoon, and discard. Simmer over the lowest possible heat for 3 hours.
You can see the foam here.
We made 7 quarts and we both agreed, it tasted awesome. Now we are off to caramelize a shit load of onions! We will post our French Onion Soup recipe soon!
Ingredients
- 8 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 pounds beef-stew meat, cubed
- 4 pounds beef bones
- 1 large onion, peel on, quartered
- 2 large carrots, cut into thirds
- 2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 3 tablespoons roasted beef base bouillon (reduced sodium)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Make an herb bouquet by wrapping parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth. Tie with kitchen twine and set aside.
- Arrange meat, beef bones, onion, carrots, and celery in an even layer in a heavy roasting pan. Roast, turning every 20 minutes, until the vegetables and the bones are deep brown, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Transfer the meat, bones, and vegetables to a large stockpot, and set aside. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan, and discard. Place the pan over high heat on the stove. Add wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits; boil until the wine has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour all of the liquid into the stockpot. Add beef base bouillon.
- Add 7 quarts of cold water to the stockpot, or more if needed to cover bones. Do not add less water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Add the reserved bouquet garni. Liquid should just bubble up to surface. Skim the foam from the surface, and discard. Simmer over the lowest possible heat for 3 hours; a skin will form on the surface of the liquid; skim off with a slotted spoon, and discard. Repeat as needed. Add water if at any time the level drops below the bones.
Notes
You can freeze for up to 4 months or you can process using standard canning practices.
