Make Ahead

Meat Stock

by:
March 17, 2010
4.3
3 Ratings
Meat Stock
  • Cook time 5 hours
  • Serves 6 cups
Author Notes

This recipe creates a deeply flavorful brown stock that can be used as a base for soups and stews or reduced down and enriched with butter and/or wine for a deliciously rich sauce. —gluttonforlife

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2.5 pounds beef marrow bones
  • 1 large onion, quartered
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 leek, cleaned and sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 2.5 pounds organic beef stew meat, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 sprigs thyme
  • 3 sprigs Italian parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the bones with cold water and pat dry. Place the vegetables in a single layer in a large roasting pan and add the bones on top. Roast, turning the bones a few times, until well browned; about 1 hour.
  2. Transfer the bones and vegetables to a large soup pot, discarding fat from the roasting pan. Deglaze the pan with a couple of cups of water over high heat, scraping up all the brown bits. Add this to the bones, along with the cubed meat, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and parsley. Pour in cold water to cover the bones and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Do not stir. Add peppercorns, and continue to simmer, uncovered, for about 4 hours, skimming from time to time.
  3. Strain stock and discard solids. Cool and then refrigerate overnight. The following day, remove and discard fat that has risen to the top, and discard any debris that has sunk to the bottom. Salt before using or, if planning to reduce, wait to add salt until later. Can be stored in the refrigerator for several days, or divided into smaller quantities and frozen for future use, up to 6 months.
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7 Reviews

HandRocksLadle
HandRocksLadle December 14, 2010
This is definitely a rich stock -- but perfect for my French Onion Soup. {The other half is in the freezer and will be used for Pho.} And, on a cold winter day, what's better than a nice stock simmering on the stove all day??
 
gluttonforlife
gluttonforlife March 18, 2010
I don't think this really is an everyday stock--it's quite rich. I'm sure you could make a nice variation using meaty neck bones and a few marrow bones, leaving out the cubed meat. Do note that the peppercorns are added after the stock has boiled and been turned down to a simmer--wonder if that makes a difference in the taste?
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld March 17, 2010
Those are some good looking marrow bones
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames March 17, 2010
Been wondering if this could be made with meaty neck bones + a few marrow bones . . . the cost of the bones and meat alone for these 6 cups of stock would be over $20 here. For someone who uses 12-15 quarts of stock per month, at least, for home cooking, with a spending limit on groceries, this recipe could not be used for everyday.
 
gluttonforlife
gluttonforlife March 17, 2010
I don't find this to be at all bitter from the pepper, but maybe that's a question of individual palate. I actually let this reduce down to about 3 cups to use as a finishing sauce for my risotto recipe and it is indeed wonderfully rich. Love the tip about letting the stock "confit"!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames March 17, 2010
It probably is a matter of taste, though I did some research when I saw how many recipes posted for the contest had peppercorns in them . . . and read an article indicating that I'm not alone. Apparently Amaryll Schwertner of Boulettes Larder in San Francisco (a nice eatery in the Ferry Building, which also has a little shop with all kinds of high quality pantry items), in an interview about stocks in the SF Chronicle food section some time ago, says she never uses peppercorns in her ($13 per quart) stock, for just that reason . . . . ;o) She does put them in at the very end, though.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames March 17, 2010
Really like this! Except for the peppercorns, which I would not add, because I find that no matter what kind you use, they give the stock a bitter taste . . . . .This stock must be extremely rich and concentrated if you end up with only 6 cups of stock having used 5 pounds of bones and meat. Did you know that if you leave the fat on the top while the stock is refrigerated, it holds better, i.e., it tastes better after a day or two than if you had not? That's because the fat protects the stock from the air in the headspace of the container, preventing the reactions that cause the stock to deteriorate. ;o)