• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • RECIPES
    • Appetizers
    • Soups & Salads
    • Breakfast
    • Main Course
    • Instant Pot
    • Sous Vide
    • Side Dishes
    • Baking & Pastry
    • Dessert
  • COLLECTIONS
  • VIDEOS
  • ABOUT US
Butter N Thyme
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
    • Appetizers
    • Soups & Salads
    • Breakfast
    • Main Course
    • Instant Pot
    • Sous Vide
    • Side Dishes
    • Baking & Pastry
    • Dessert
  • COLLECTIONS
  • VIDEOS
  • ABOUT US
search icon
Homepage link
  • RECIPES
    • Appetizers
    • Soups & Salads
    • Breakfast
    • Main Course
    • Instant Pot
    • Sous Vide
    • Side Dishes
    • Baking & Pastry
    • Dessert
  • COLLECTIONS
  • VIDEOS
  • ABOUT US
×

Home » Kitchen Basics Series » The Best Homemade Beef Stock Recipe | French Technique

The Best Homemade Beef Stock Recipe | French Technique

Published: Mar 2, 2018 · Modified: May 12, 2022 by Steven Pennington · This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe
Print Recipe Share by Email

There is nothing quite like the smell of beef stock simmering on the stove. It's a comforting aroma that can make any kitchen feel like home.

In this post, we are going to learn how to make the best beef stock possible using a French culinary technique. This recipe is based on a recipe from Auguste Escoffier, the godfather of worldwide culinary techniques. So let's get started!

beef bones roasted being added to beef stock pot

How to Make Homemade Beef Stock

First is the Beef bones. You will want a mixture of femur and knucklebones.

  • The femur bones are the long bones; most identify as normal bones.
  • And the knucklebones are joints and have a lot of connective tissue, which results in a big flavor.
cow femur bone for beef stock
Femur Bones For Beef Stock
knuckle bone
Knuckle Bones For Beef Stock

We need to clean the Beef bones of impurities. If this step isn't done well, your beef stock will have an off-putting flavor profile. No problem, this step is straightforward. Add the bones to a large stockpot, cover with water, and bring to a boil.

You'll start to see impurities start coming to the surface. You will want to remove as much as you can.

Key: To boil & skim off the impurities that rise to the top. Do this a total of 3 times, removing as much as you can.
Bring to the boil three times, boiling for 5 minutes between skimming.

skimming off the top of the beef stock

Next, remove the Beef bones from the water, discard the water, and clean out the stockpot.
Wrap a cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup and extra heat insulation. Layout Beef bones with the marrow side straight up and down.

clean beef bones
roast at 450 degrees for 30 minutes

After 30 minutes, paint on tomato paste. Only smear tomato paste on one side. If you use too much, you will not get the beef stock's correct flavor.

Place the beef bones back into the oven for additional 20 minutes
The process will caramelize the natural sugars in the tomato paste, creating a great depth of flavor.

roasted beef bones with tomato paste

Add mirepoix (Onion, Carrot Celery) to the stockpot along with the sachet.

add mirepoix to stockpot

Add all the roasted beef bones to the stockpot.

add beef bones to stockpot

Cover with water and place on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 48 hours.


The reason for cooking the beef stock for 48 hours is the extraction of flavor. Over the last 8 to 12 hours, I suggest removing the lid and allowing the stock to reduce a little bit. Congratulations, you now have great beef stock with authentic beef flavor.

Watch How-To Video

Recipes To Try

Instant Pot Beef with Cream Of Mushroom Soup

What Is Denver Steak

Sous Vide Tri Tip - Max Tenderness

Best Beef For Jerky | Texas Jerky Recipe

Sous Vide Burgers | Control The Doneness

best homemade beef stock in tall glass

Classic French Beef Stock

Steven Pennington
How to make clean homemade beef stock
No ratings yet
Print Recipe
Prep Time 50 mins
Cook Time 2 d
Total Time 2 d 50 mins
Course Classic Stock
Cuisine French

Ingredients
 

  • 1 large Large Bag of Beef Bones Femur & Knuckle
  • 1 can Tomato paste

Mirepoix

  • 3 large Onions Vidalia Onion-Texas Sweets
  • 4 large Carrots
  • 4 large Celery

Sachet

  • 15 sprigs Fresh Thyme
  • 15 Black Peppercorns
  • 7 Bay Leafs

Instructions
 

  • First, add beef bones to a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to the boil. You will start seeing impurities come to the top. Boil for 5 minutes and scoop out everything that floats to the top. Repeat 3 times cooking for 5 minutes each time.
  • Remove beef bones and discard liquid. Clean stockpot really well.
  • Option: You could roast the onions, carrots, and celery in the oven until tender. Adds flavor, but not needed.
  • Place beef bones on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil. Helps with the roasting and clean up.
  • Roast bones in oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Next paint on tomato paste to the tops "only" of the beef bones and place back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes.
  • Place all roasted beef bones, onion, carrots, celery & Sachet into a large stockpot and cover with water.
  • Bring to boil and turn down heat to low and cover.
  • Cook for 36 hours then remove the cover and allow to reduce, but do not turn up the temperature. Slow reduction.
  • Enjoy

Notes

French beef stock, or fond de veau, is an important component of French cuisine. It is typically made from beef or veal bones and aromatics, and it is used to flavor and deglaze dishes.
There are a few things to keep in mind when making beef stock. First, you want to simmer the stock for a long time so that the flavors can develop. This means that you'll need to start with good quality beef bones - they should be fresh, not frozen.
French beef stock is an intensely flavorful and aromatic base for countless delicious dishes. Made by simmering beef bones and vegetables in water, it's rich in minerals and slowed-cooked flavor.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Classic French Beef Stock
Serving Size
 
1 cup
Amount per Serving
Calories
21
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
1.2
g
2
%
Saturated Fat
 
0.1
g
1
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
0.3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
0.8
g
Cholesterol
 
21
mg
7
%
Sodium
 
31
mg
1
%
Potassium
 
120
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
 
3
g
1
%
Fiber
 
0.8
g
3
%
Sugar
 
1.4
g
2
%
Protein
 
0.3
g
1
%
Vitamin A
 
210
IU
4
%
Calcium
 
10.5
mg
1
%
Iron
 
0.2
mg
1
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword French Beef Stock, Homemade Beef Stock
Pinterest - Pin For Later Pin it! Mention @ButterNThyme or tag #butternthyme!
« Classic Potatoes Au Gratin
Espagnole Sauce | French Mother Sauce »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome To Butter N Thyme

Chef Steven Pennington

Glad you found us, I'm Chef Pennington!
Passionate Chef on a mission to help anyone wanting to learn to cook to their top potential.

Trending Posts

  • 45 Types Of Mushrooms | A-to-Z | Defined | Photos
  • What is Sirloin Flap Steak
  • 45 Types of Strawberries 🍓 | A to Z | Defined | Photos
  • How Many Ounces In A Gallon? Conversion Charts
  • Reverse Sear: How to Cook a Steak Perfectly Every Time
  • Adzuki Beans | Use | Benefits | Nutrition
  • 21 Egg Substitutes | A-To-Z| Uses | Amounts
  • Types of Cookies | How Bakers Create the Perfect Cookie
youtube subscribe to our channel

How-To

  • How to Cook Scallops: Pan Seared
  • Best Bacon Wrapped Scallops Recipe
  • Southern Fried Oysters | Works Because It's Simple
  • Sous Vide Ribs Recipe | 48 Hour Magic
  • Sous Vide Burgers | Control The Doneness
  • Sous Vide Salmon
  • Velouté Sauce | What Is It & How To Make
  • Espagnole Sauce | French Mother Sauce

Footer

youtube subscribe

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Home

Social

Recipes

Contact

Videos

↑ back to top

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 Butter N Thyme