Homemade Beef Bouillon (Beef Stock)

Why make beef bouillon?

A basic recipe that I can recommend including in your recipe notebook is a classic beef bouillon. First, you roast the meat, shank (marrow bone), and vegetables in the oven, for even more flavor. And then you simmer the beef stock for a few hours on low heat.

And now you may be wondering why you would go to all that trouble. You can also buy those ready-made blocks in the store, right? One will say you should avoid it because you don't know what's in it. The other is because these cubes contain a mountain of salt.

But in all honesty, I must say that for me it is mainly the taste that is decisive. Because I have not yet seen the homemade taste in a block. This is due to the gelatin that is released from the bone marrow. It gives that full rich feeling in your mouth. It's not for nothing that every good restaurant makes its own stock.

In addition, this beef stock is unsalted (unlike most cubes). This makes it also suitable for a recipe where you have to reduce stock. Broth made from a cube often becomes too salty when it boils down. You add the salt to this stock after making the recipe. And that means your dishes taste just right.

And that makes it totally worth the time (and let's face it the oven and stove do most of the work;-))

What do you need for this classic Beef Stock

For the preparation of this homemade beef bouillon you need the following ingredients (you can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog):

• Celery, carrot, and onion - Roast these veggies in the oven, because that way they'll give a lot of flavor to your stock. You could also use beets, kohlrabi, or pumpkin.

• Shank - The bones in the stock. If you can get a hold of shank use this. Because a good shank consists of meat (for extra flavor), bone, and bone marrow. And the bone marrow provides an even richer flavor.

• Beef - The roasted meat gives the broth it's defining and delicious taste.

• Bay leaf, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and pepper - The herbs and spices you add for extra flavor. Add them after roasting.

• Wine - Pour the wine into the roasting tin or pan to loosen the scraps. Then pour this into the pan. A Malbec or Sauvignon red wine is a great choice.

Step 1 - Bake the veggies, bones and meat in a casserole

Slice the celery and carrots into three pieces. Quarter the onion. Spread the veggies, meat, and shank into your casserole dish (which is suitable for the oven).

Put everything in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes at 440 °F (225 °C). Turn the veggies, bone, and meat every twenty minutes around (so five times).

Step 2 - Add the scraps to a pot with some wine

Take the baked veggies, meat, and bones out of the casserole and put them in a soup pot. Pour wine with the scraps and warm everything for five minutes on high heat.

Loosen the meat and vegetable scraps with a wooden spoon. Pour the wine, scraps included, into the soup pot.

Step 3 Add water and herbs. Simmer the stock on low heat

Add 6 cups (1500 ml) of water to the soup pot and add the spices and herbs to the stock.

Bring the broth to a boil and then turn the heat to low. Simmer the stock for at least three hours. If fat floats to the surface you can remove it with a slotted spoon.

Step 4 - Sieve your beef stock

Use a large bowl (or pot) and hang a fine sieve in it. Pour the liquid through the strainer. Now remove the sieve and discard the solids. Your beef stock is ready and you could use it right away.

However, if you want to store it, cool it quickly by placing the pot in a container of cold water for thirty minutes. Then put everything in the refrigerator.

Remove fat from a stock

During simmering your broth, some fat often already appears on top of your stock. You can easily remove this with a slotted spoon or by dipping it with a kitchen paper towel (that will suck up the fat).

After making the soup, store it in the refrigerator. After cooling down a hard fat layer will float on top and you can easily skim it off with a spoon.