Classic French Beef Stock
How to make clean homemade beef stock
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Beef Femur Bones Femur & Knuckle
- 5 tbps Tomato Paste
Mirepoix
- 3 large Onions Vidalia Onion-Texas Sweets
- 3 large Carrots You can add more if you like a sweeter beef stock
- 3 large Celery
Sachet
- 15 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 15 Black Peppercorns
- 7 Bay Leaves
- 8 stems Parsley There is a lot of flavor in the stems. Add leaves if you like.
Instructions
- Cleaning The Bones:First, add the beef bones to a large stockpot and cover it with water. Bring to a 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 the bones and discard the liquid. Clean the stockpot well.
- Vegetable Option: You could roast the onions, carrots, and celery in the oven until tender. It adds flavor but is not required.
- Roasting The Bones:Place the bones on a cookie sheet or roasting pan covered with aluminum foil. Helps with the roasting and clean up.Roast bones in the 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.
- Cooking The Beef Stock:Place all roasted bones, onion, carrots, celery & Sachet into a large stockpot and cover with water.Bring to a boil, turn the heat low, and cover.Cook for 36 hours, then remove the cover and allow it to reduce, but do not turn up the temperature. Slow reduction.
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 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.