Soups
Basic Brown Stock
| Level: Intermediate |
Total Time: 45 min |
Yield: 5 quarts |
Basic brown stock is a great place to begin for any level cook (professional or home). This stock is a great foundation for a lot of soups or sauces. If making a stock is not your thing or you just don’t have the time, I like to go with Better Than Bouillon brand. This recipe is adapted from Professional Cooking by Wayne Gisslen.
Basic Brown Stock
Print RecipeServings: 5 quarts
Cost: $40
Calories: 40kcal
Brown stock (or beef stock) is the base to begin many sauces and soups. If you are brave enough to take on this slow cooked stock, you will be left with an amazing tasting product that is super versatile and will make your recipes even more delicious!
Equipment
- 1 large stock pot able to hold 7 - 10 quarts of water
- Cheesecloth enough for a small sachet bag
Ingredients
- 8 pounds Beef bones cut into 2″ to 4″ pieces, veal bones can also be used
- 5 quarts Cold water
- 8 oz Tomato paste 1 small can
Mirepoix Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Yellow onion about 1 large onion
- 6 oz Celery stalks about 3 or 4 stalks, cut into large chunks
- 6 oz Carrot peeled (about 4 or 5 carrots), cut into large chunks
Sachet Ingredients
- 2 Whole bay leaves
- 2 Whole cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon Whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon Dried thyme
- 3 Whole parsley stems
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Place bones on a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the bones from the oven and brush with tomato paste.
- Place bones back in oven and continue to cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the bones are well browned but not burnt.
- Remove bones from the oven and place them in a large stockpot. Add cold water just to cover the bones.
- Rough chop the onions, celery, and carrots and place on baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until the vegetables start to brown.
- Make a sachet with the last 5 ingredients using cheesecloth. Place the mirepoix (vegetables) and sachet ingredients into the stock pot, adding water if needed to cover.
- Pour out and discard fat from the bottom of the sheet pan. Deglaze the sheet pan by pouring in some water and using a spatula to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. pour into the stock pot.
- Over high heat, bring the stock pot to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours on very low (just holding a simmer) adding more water to the pot to keep bones barely submerged.
- Remove and discard any scum from the top using a spoon or small strainer.
- Fill the sink with water and ice to create an ice bath for the stockpot in order to cool it down as quickly as possible. Place the pot in the ice bath to lower the temperature quickly. Keep adding ice to sink as needed.
- When mostly cooled, but still liquid, pour the stockpot contents into a colander over a large bowl to strain out the vegetables and bones.
- Refrigerate the remaining stock. As it cools, the stock will become gelatinous and any fat will become solid and rise to the top of the stock and can be spooned off and discarded. The remaining stock should be used within several days, or can be rewarmed and frozen into cubes or freezer-safe bowls.
Notes
- Beef or veal bones may be used. I used beef bones because they were half the price of veal bones.
- I found beef bones from my local butcher. I have also seen soup bones at the mainstream grocery stores from time to time but be careful, these bones do not make a super flavorful stock.
- Pro Tip: Ask your local butcher if they have deals on any bones or knuckles that have been sitting around they might be willing to take less.
- Some cooks prefer pre-boiling the bones (a.k.a blanching) to rid them of impurities like blood that will cloud the stock. While it is important to have a clear stock, I find that good quality bones do not need to be blanched.
- It is absolutely crucial to not skip the cooling step. I have learned first hand what happens when you skip this step. A refrigerator is not cold enough to cool the stock fast enough. Stock 40° F - 140° F is a breeding ground for bacteria!
- You can continue to simmer the stock to reduce the water content by up to 50% if you want a more concentrated stock flavor.
- Do not salt the stock. Since stocks are the base of many soups and sauces salting a stock may cause it to have too much salted flavor.