DIETER’S HOMEMADE BEEF STOCK
DIETER’S HOMEMADE BEEF STOCK 🥩🥕🧅
RICH, DARK & FULL OF FLAVOR
Come into my kitchen — today we’re making one of those basics that can completely change the way your cooking tastes: real homemade beef stock.
This isn’t something I rush.
We’re going to start with beef and/or veal bones, onions, tomato paste, leeks, carrots, celery and fresh herbs. But before any of that goes into the stockpot, we’re going to roast those bones until they develop a beautiful deep brown color.
That’s where the flavor starts.
I spread tomato paste over the bones and let the oven do its work. Once everything is properly browned, it goes into my big stockpot with the vegetables, herbs and peppercorns.
Then comes the most important ingredient:
TIME.
Let it simmer very gently for at least 5 hours. If you have the time to let it go longer, even better. We’re not looking for a hard boil — just those slow, lazy bubbles that tell me everything in that pot is gradually giving up its flavor.
After straining, I refrigerate the stock overnight. The next day, the fat has hardened on top and is easy to remove. Underneath is what we’ve been waiting for:
A rich, dark, deeply flavored homemade beef stock.
I portion mine into everything from ice-cube-size amounts to larger containers and keep them in the freezer. Then when we’re making beef stew, gravy, soup, pot roast, braised beef or a good sauce, I already have the foundation waiting for me.
This recipe makes approximately 4 quarts, so when we’re going to spend the time making it, we might as well make enough to put some away!
And remember my rule when roasting those bones:
Brown is flavor — burned is not. Keep an eye on them, especially once that tomato paste starts getting dark.
So get out your roasting pan and your biggest stockpot.
We’re making the good stuff again. 🥩❤️
— Dieter Knittel