Beef Stock - A Little Spoon

Salting beef stock bones before roasting

Get the Recipe: Beef Stock

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Yield4 servings

Prep10

Cook7

Total7 10

Ingredients

1½ lbs marrow bones or neckbones
1½ lbs oxtail
3-3½ lbs beef back ribs
1 medium sweet onion, quartered
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup canola oil
12 cups water
2-3 medium carrots
3 celery stalks
2 bay leaves
½ a head of garlic
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme

Equipment

¼ sheet baking tray
silicone baking mat (optional)
aluminum foil
dutch oven or stock pot (minimum 7qt)
fat separator (optional)
knife
cutting board
disposable tea bag or kitchen twine (optional)
Fine Mesh Strainer
tongs

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Instructions

First, begin preheating the oven to 400°F (204°C). Next, cut the top and bottom off of the onion and quarter it. Set half of the quartered onion and the sliced top and bottom aside for later. Place the other pieces of the onion along with the beef bones you have selected for your stock onto a baking sheet. Coat with oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to fully coat the bones and aromatics.
Now, cut the top off half a head of garlic and place it on a sheet of aluminum foil. Pour oil over the garlic cloves and wrap the whole thing in the foil. Place the foiled head of garlic onto the tray with the seasoned beef bones and then bake for 45-60 minutes.
Once baked, add everything into a stock pot and fill until all of the bones are covered with water (about 12c or 2.8L). Turn the burner on to medium. While the water heats up, collect as much beef fat as you can from your baking sheet. To do this, tilt the tray over a bowl and let it all run down the sheet. Once you are left with just drips, set the bowl aside (see notes about keeping/using beef fat) and deglaze the pan.
To deglaze your baking sheet. Boil and pour ¼ cup (60ml) or less of water onto the sheet where most of the browned bits have stuck. With a spoon (preferably wooden or silicone) gently scrape at the soaking fond until it dissolves into a warm brown pan sauce. Pour that into the stock pot as well.
At this point you can also add in your vegetables (onion top/bottom included), herbs, and spices. Make sure to clean the vegetable and chop off carrot tops and any brown edges on the celery. Once you see little bubbles form on the surface of the stock, turn down the heat to medium-low and let it gently boil. (see notes).
Cook for 6-8 hours or until the marrow in the bones looks pitted and the cartilage in the oxtails becomes translucent. If you see any scum forming while the stock cooks, skim it off.
When done, strain the liquid out, separating the juice from anymore fat. Store this fat with the rest of the beef tallow if you want to keep it.

Notes

Stock can be stored up to 4 days in the refrigerator or for up to 6 months in the freezer.
If you want a consommé (clear stock) you will want to keep the stock to a simmer (1-2 bubbles a minute) for 12 hours. Any harsh agitation, like boiling, will cause the liquid to cloud. Most of the things I use beef stock for, don't need the stock to be clear so I take the L on opacity and save time with a gentle boil.
The leftover fat can be frozen in silicone molds to use for cooking veggies and other yummy things. Fat will keep for 6 months in the freezer as well.
If you use Morton kosher salt instead of Diamond Crystal kosher salt for the roasting part, instead of 2 teaspoons (5g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use 1¼ teaspoon (5g) Morton Salt. Morton Salt crystals are more compact than Diamond Crystal salt crystals, so measuring by volume may cause you to over-salt if you aren't careful.
If you have a disposable tea bag, put all of your herbs and spices inside and drop it into the stock pot. It’ll be much easier to fish out later.
If you want a really concentrated stock, use this French technique:
- Simmer for 12 hours
- Chill until the fat has solidified to the top of the stock and remove it
- Gently boil the stock again for 2-3 hours and reduce it by half into a demi-glace.

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