🍲 Beef stock

Ingredients

• 4 lb beef soup bones (shank, neck or knuckle), shank, neck or knuckle bones
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 2 carrots, in chunks
• 2 stalk celery, in chunks
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 leaf bay leaves
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 16 cup water, cold

Time

Hands-on time is when you’re busy; the rest is rising, simmering, chilling or cooling, when you can do something else.

How long it keeps

• Refrigerator: 1 to 2 days (the University of Minnesota’s figure for meat broth; NDSU allows 3 to 4).
• Freezer: 2 to 3 months (University of Minnesota).

Nutrition

Steps

You’ll need: roasting pan, large stockpot (8 quarts), fine strainer, shallow containers.

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Roast the bones in a single layer 30 minutes. Add the onion, carrots and celery, smear the tomato paste over the bones, and roast 15 minutes more, until well browned.
2. Move everything to the pot. Pour a cup of the water into the hot pan, scrape up the browned bits, and add it to the pot with the rest of the water and the herbs.
3. Bring it just to a boil, skim, and simmer uncovered at the barest bubble 5 to 6 hours, adding water to keep the bones covered.
4. Strain, cool quickly in shallow containers, and refrigerate within 2 hours. Lift off the fat once it hardens.