Easy Beef Stock
By Kelly Myers, from the Kelly Myers collection
| Total Time | 8 hours |
| Yield | 4 qt. |
Introduction
I call this recipe easy for two reasons. First, it doesn’t require owning a stockpot. This stock just fits in an 8-quart pasta pot. Second, I have skipped roasting the bones at high heat, the usual first step to beef stock that can fill a kitchen with greasy splatter. I found that adding mushrooms, garlic, and leeks to the stock made up for any flavor missed by not caramelizing the bones.
Ingredients
| 1 | small boneless beef shank (about 2 pounds) | |
| 3 | lb. beef or veal leg and knuckle bones (see Note) | |
| 3 | medium yellow onions, skins on, root hairs removed, and halved | |
| 3 | medium carrots, peeled and cut in 4-inch lengths | |
| 2 | stalks celery, scrubbed, trimmed, and cut in 4-inch lengths | |
| 2 | leeks, cut in half crosswise, split lengthwise, and rinsed | |
| 3 | cloves garlic, peeled | |
| 2 to 3 | cups button mushrooms, rinsed | |
| 1 | cup dry red wine | |
| 1 | bay leaf | |
| 4 | canned tomatoes | |
| 6 | parsley stems | |
| 2 | sprigs fresh thyme |
Steps
- Place beef shank and bones in a stockpot and cover with cold water by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off foam and turn down to low, so that the stock just barely simmers. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 6 hours, occasionally pushing down any vegetables sitting on top.
- Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and allow stock to cool to room temperature in a shallow container before refrigerating. If you must refrigerate stock before it has cooled, leave it uncovered. Covering warm liquids slows cooling, and creates conditions for bacterial growth.
- Store stock in the refrigerator for up to one week. At that point, stock can be boiled for 3 minutes, chilled, and stored for another 3 days. Skim hardened fat off the surface before using the stock.
Notes
When buying knuckle bones, keep in mind the fact that veal has a more neutral, subtle flavor than beef.
Read more about making stock in Kelly Myers’ column about meat stocks.
This content is from the Kelly Myers collection.