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Jar with homemade beef stock on a white background. Some herbs laying in front.

Homemade Beef Bouillon (Beef Stock)

Andréa
This is a classic recipe for making your own Beef Bouillon from French cuisine. It's a recipe that takes time, but it's totally worth it. The full taste, the rich feeling in your mouth, and the wonderful smell. There's nothing like a pot of homemade beef stock.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Course Basic Recipes, Soup
Cuisine European Cuisine
Servings 10 persons
Calories 133 kcal

Equipment

  • A conventional oven is used. When using a convection oven (with air fan) decrease the temperature with 30 °F / 20 °C
  • soup pot
  • Cast iron skillet
  • Roaster with pan

Ingredients
 

  • 3 stalks celery
  • 3 carrots cut into 3 pieces
  • 1 onion peeled, quartered
  • ½ pound shank
  • ½ pound beef
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 5 sprigs parsley
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 5 sprigs dried thyme

Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic

Instructions
 

In the oven

  • Place the vegetables, the shank, and the meat (not the herbs) in a roasting pan or skillet and put it in the oven at 440 °F (225 °C).
    3 stalks celery, 3 carrots, 1 onion , ½ pound shank, ½ pound beef
  • Turn vegetables, bones, and meat every 20 minutes and do so a total of five times. Bake everything for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
  • Then scoop the vegetables, shank, and meat into a large stockpot.
  • In the roasting pan pour the wine and cook it for 5 minutes over high heat.
    2 cups red wine
  • Loosen the scrapings in the pan with a wooden spoon.
  • Pour the contents of the pan into the soup pot.

Simmer the stock

  • Add 6 cups of water. Pour in some extra water, if needed, to make sure everything is covered.
    6 cups water
  • Add the spices and herbs to the broth.
    2 bay leaves, 5 sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs rosemary, 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, 5 sprigs dried thyme
  • Let the broth simmer for three hours. (When far rises to the top you can get it off with a slotted spoon)
  • Pour the soup through a fine sieve and the broth is ready.

Cooling down

  • If you don't use your beef stock right away, put the pot in cold water so it cools down quickly.
  • After that store it in the refrigerator (or freeze the broth).

NOTES

1. - Shank
Use a shank with meat and bone marrow, because it gives the most flavor. The marrow will give that full and rich flavor to the beef stock.
 
2. - Substitutes
  • Vegetables - instead of carrot, celery, and onion you can add (or substitute it with) tomato, pumpkin, kohlrabi, or beets. The nice thing about a (beef) stock is that you can use leftovers for flavor.
 
3. - Skimming fat
Skim the fat with a slotted spoon when simmering. Or you can use a kitchen paper towel and soak the fat. When the stock has cooled, the fat floats to the surface and hardens a little. That way you can easily remove it with a spoon.
 
4. Storage - 
The stock is ready to use. If you're not going to process it immediately, make sure that the stock is cooled down quickly to prevent the forming of bacteria. You can do that easily by putting the pan in cold water for thirty minutes.
  • Refrigerator - Store the pot, covered, in the refrigerator. This way it will last up to two days.
  • Freezer - Freeze the stock in an airtight container in the freezer. TIP if you want to be able to use smaller quantities (for example use it as a seasoning in a sauce), freeze the stock in an ice cube mold. You then can add the cubes quickly and dose them to your recipes. Let the stock thaw before using it in the refrigerator.
  • Reheating - Heat the stock over low heat while stirring occasionally until it is warm. Many recipes do not require heating the stock and can be added cold.
 
5. Nutritional values
The calories are an approximation for the broth (all of it). But since you remove all the ingredients and you'll only want the flavors, you see that the calorie count is not high.

Nutrition

Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3185IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Iron: 1mg
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