I have not found a good beef broth brand. Has anyone used Swanson Chicken stock here? Or recommend a beef or bone broth they used successfully.

If you live around the Portland or Seattle area - you might be able to find a frozen *real* beef stock made by a company called Stock Options. I've moved away and don't have access but I have found a few different brands of beef bone broth that work great in recipes calling for regular broth.

If I am remembering correctly, either America's Test Kitchen or Serious Eats gives a thumbs down to any commercial beef broth and recommends using low/no sodium chicken broth instead. I will use a small amount Better Than Bouillon beef bouillon to enhance a beef dish if necessary... it is probably the best of what is commonly available.

I have never found a commercially made stock or broth that beats the homemade stuff.

The more commonplace, mass market brands inevitably score worse in taste tests compared to smaller producers. Supermarket brands like Swanson never top these taste-offs.

Basically you get what you pay for. You also have the option of sourcing locally produced versions that have limited or zero distribution.

I know a couple of stands at my town's farmers market sell their own broths and stocks. They are not cheap; you trade off some bills in your wallet in place of a stock pot sitting on your stove.

For decades Jacques Pépin has extolled the advantages of making homemade stock. He dumps bones, veg trimmings, etc. into old milk cartons, stores them in the freezer, and cuts the cartons open when he's ready to make stock. I use gallon ziplock bags, but it's the same concept.

Best of luck.