In an effort to save more money I have decided to make my own beef and chicken stock. After having tasted the first two meals using these stocks I have decided to share the process. Homemade stock is so good! Other than the time it takes to make (meaning you need to be home for about 8-10 hours) it is easy to throw together. Today I will share the beef stock recipe, tomorrow the chicken stock. The idea for this was inspired by a dear friend who very kindly asked if I had made my own yet. Thank you! The best part of this all is how affordable, frugal this is to make. Granted I had bought a quarter of a cow so I already have my beef bones. Original recipe found at allrecipes.com
Prep time is 10 hours. Makes 10 cups of broth.Ingredients:
6 Pounds of grass fed beef or organic beef bones
1 large onion any color or type
3 large carrots, organic
4 stalks of celery, organic
1 large organic tomato
1 large, cubed potato do not peel
10 whole black peppercorns
Large bunch of fresh organic parsley
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of salt
4 teaspoons of dried thyme
6 whole cloves of garlic ( you don't have to peel)
10-12 cups of water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place bones, chopped carrots, celery and onion in a shallow roasting pan. Place in oven and cook for 30 min to an hour depending on the size of your bones. They are done when they are browned on both sides. My bones had a lot of meat on them as you can see. I did not turn my bones as suggested in the original recipe.
Next in a large saucepan on the stove top place your now roasted beef bones and veggies, do not discard what is left in your roasting pan place 1/2 cup of water in it and rinse into large stock pot on your stove top. ( The original recipe had said to drain off the fat, grass fed beef left me with hardly any fat worthy of mention, so I did not drain it, I used it for a more flavorful stock). Now add the remaining ingredients from the list into the stockpot. Water, tomatoes, potatoes, spices. Place lid on stock pot and turn to low heat. Let simmer on stove top for 8 hours. (longer adds more depth to the stock. You might need to add 1 or 2 cups of water half way through). After 8 hours let cool for 30 minutes, remove the meat and vegetables from stock, then place the liquid in refrigerator overnight.
The next morning remove the fat that has solidified on the top of the stock. Then place a cheesecloth over a large bowl. ( Either secure the cheesecloth somehow or use your husband or a friend to help you here.) Secure cheesecloth. Then pour the stock through the cheesecloth. You now have your stock! Enjoy in the entree of your choice.
When I was little your Nana made beef stock all of the time she never wasted anything because she had gone through World War II in England. That is also why she always used chicken breasts with the bone to give the soup more flavor. She made alot of soup with lamb neck bones because it was cheap although it is a nightmare getting the bones out. Good job Jessica.
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