How To Make Beef Stock

Buying store-bought may be easier but nothing quite does it like homemade.

Soup stock is not only a base for soups. Any dish that calls for cooking liquid—such as beef casserole, stir-fried vegetables, steamed fish, etc—will be tastier with stock rather than just plain water. Even your everyday rice will be more flavorful if you substitute water with stock. And if you don’t have any drippings for the meat or poultry dish you cooked, just add a few tablespoons of flour to a cup of stock for easy gravy!

1 Wash the meat bones, then place in a roasting pan and brown in the oven for 1 hour at 400 degrees F.

2 In a stockpot, combine the bones and drippings, and pour in 10 to 12 liters cold water. Crank up the fire and let it boil for 15 minutes. Scoop out any scum.

3 In a saute pan, saute 5 large carrots (diced) in about 3 tablespoons cooking oil for 5 minutes. Add 5 celery stalks (diced) and 2 large onions (diced); saute until the vegetables turn brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add 1 cup tomato paste. Stir.

4 Add 1 cup red wine. (Move the pan away from the stove when pouring alcohol so it won't flame up.) Cook for 3 minutes or until alcohol has been cooked off.

5 Add the sauteed vegetables to the stock; let it continue to simmer for 3 to 4 hours.

6 Tie up one cheesecloth sachet containing 1 piece bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns, 6 to 8 parsley stems, 3 whole cloves, then dunk in the stockpot. Reduce heat and let it simmer. Let stock cool down and scoop the meat bones out of the stock. Take out the sachet. Using a couple of layers of cheesecloth, strain the stock. Gently squeeze the vegetables and other ingredients caught in the cheesecloth and extract the juices.