Beef Bone Stock

This is an all time Autumn favorite! The base to the best Vegetable Beef Soups or noodle soups!

It starts with meaty bones...

Meaty soup bones, ribs, shanks all work for this application. And,do give them the roasting treatment...it allows the nutrients that are in the bones and marrow to be absorbed into the stock.

Set them on a foil or parchment lined sheet pan; add some aromatic veggies (onion, celery, carrot, garlic cloves in their pod). Toss with oil, season liberally with Kosher or sea salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder and dry oregano.

Roast at 425 for 45 minutes. Transfer everything, drippings included, to the stockpot. Scrape the pan well...don't miss a drop of that flavor! Top with 3 quarts of water with a quarter cup of Knorr beef bouillon.

More aromatics, please!

Add some fresh vegetables to the stockpot, to fortify the flavors, along with the roasted ones. Halved onions, hunks of celery and the leafy greens, carrot chunks, leeks, scallions. And herbs, fresh parsley, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, whatever you like.

Bring to boil; reduce to simmer. Scrape off the impurities as they rise to the surface. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 2 hours. Take the bones out, let cool. Pull meat from the boens and reserve. Put the bones back in the pot and continue cooking for several hours.

Enjoy the richness!

When it's all said and done, all you have to do is give it a strain through a fine mesh strainer. For an extra clear broth, use cheesecloth to line your strainer.

Let the fat rise to the surface and spoon off. This beef tallow may be saved, for making roux for gravy, if you want. It's ready for the second act, becoming the soup of your dreams, whether that's vegetable soup, French onion, or whatever!

Pack up your beautiful bone stock in pints or quarts, ready for your next soup adventure. If you're going for a longer term storage, leave the fat in the soup, don't skim it off. It will rise to the top of the storage container and forms a natural seal that keeps it fresher past the normal 5 days refrigerated or 6 months frozen.