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Beef Stock · Roasted Bone

Roasted Beef Bone Stock

Roasting the bones and vegetables until deep brown before they simmer gives this stock a rich color and full beefy flavor. It is the base for French onion soup, stews and gravies.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
6 hr 55 min
Total
7 hr 10 min
Serves
12 · about 3 quarts
Level
Medium

Ingredients

For the stock

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup water, to deglaze the pan
  • 16 cups cold water, about 4 quarts

Simmered, then strained out

  • 5 lb beef soup bones, a mix of marrow bones and meaty bones such as shank or oxtail
  • 2 medium onions, quartered, skins left on
  • 3 medium carrots, cut into large chunks
  • 3 celery ribs, cut into large chunks
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns

Cook to 145°F inside (check with a thermometer).

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle.
  2. Toss the bones with the oil in a roasting pan and spread them in one layer. Roast until they start to brown.
  3. Smear the tomato paste over the bones with a spoon and scatter the onions, carrots and celery around them. Roast until the bones and vegetables are deep brown.
  4. Move the bones and vegetables to a large stockpot with tongs. Pour the 1 cup water into the hot pan and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon, then add it to the pot.
  5. Add the cold water, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, skimming off the foam as it rises.
  6. Lower the heat until only a few bubbles break the surface and simmer uncovered for 5 to 6 hours, skimming now and then and adding water if the bones poke out. Any meat on the bones passes 145°F (63°C) early on; the long simmer is for flavor and body.
  7. Ladle the stock through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl and throw away the solids.
  8. Set the bowl in a sink of ice water and stir now and then until lukewarm, then cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking.

Tip: Ask the meat counter for soup bones. Knuckle and neck bones give the most body, and a meaty shank adds flavor.

Tip: Refrigerate the stock overnight and lift off the fat that sets on top before you use it.

Tip: There is no salt on purpose; season the soup or sauce you make with it.

Storage: Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Make ahead: Freeze the stock in 1- or 2-cup containers so you can thaw just what a recipe needs.