Beef Stock
Meat:
2 ½ Pounds of Beef Soup Bones (Knuckles are preferred due to collagen content)
Produce:
10 Ounces (0.625 Pounds or 4 medium Sized) Carrots
10 Ounces (1.25 Pounds or 3 Medium Sized) Onions
20 Ounces (0.625 Pounds or 6 Stalks) Celery
1 Medium Tomato (This may not be needed if there is still plenty of Meat on the Bone)
10 cups of Water
Baking and Spices:
8 Stems of Fresh Thyme
5 Stems of Fresh Parsley
3 Bay Leaves
9 Whole Peppercorns
6 Whole Cloves
Instructions:
1. Preheat the Oven to 400°F
2. Place Soup Bones on Baking Sheet about 2 inches apart
3. Place the Baking She with the Soup Bones in the Pre Heated Oven for 30 Minutes.
4. While the Soup Bones are Baking Dice up the Carrot, Onion, and Celery
5. After the bone have been baking for 30 minutes add the diced carrots, onions, and celery to the baking sheet with the bones and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
6. While the bones and vegetables are baking puree the tomato and set aside. Take the thyme, parsley, leaves peppercorns, and cloves and place in the center of a section of cheesecloth. Then tightly wrap the seasonings tightly inside the cheesecloth and then tie a piece of butcher’s string around the wrapped seasonings in cheesecloth and leaving enough of a tail to tie to the handle of a pot. This is known as a Sachet.
7. After the vegetables and bones have baked for 30 minutes remove from the oven and use the puree tomato to baste the bones.
8. Return the bones and vegetables to the oven for another 15 minutes or until the tomato puree on the bones turns a dark brown.
9. Once again remove the bones and vegetables from the oven and place in a large pot.
10. Turn the burner on to medium and add in the water to the pot and tie the long end of the butcher’s string attached to the Sachet to the handle and submerge the herbs in the water.
11. Bring the contents to a very soft boil and reduce the heat until it is barely bubbling. You want the temperature to be just under 205°F.
12. Let this simmer for the next 8 hours. Periodically check on the pot and skim off any scum that has built up on the surface.
13. After 8 hours the liquid should be dark brown and clear. Turn off the burner and remove the Sachet, and remove the bones.
14. Prepare a second container with a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Place the container with the strainer in an ice bath to help rapidly cool the broth when you strain it.
15. Slowly pour, preferably ladle, the broth into the strainer lined with cheese cloth. You may need to periodically clean out the cheesecloth during this process.
16. Once done the broth should be very shinyy and translucent.
17. You can now choose to use the broth in the preparation of your meal or seal it tightly in an air tight container to store for a later time. The broth will typically hold for 3 to 4 days in a refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer before freezer burn weakens the flavor strength.