Beef Stock

Ever since I've started using stocks in my cooking, things just taste better. :) I wonder why I didn't do this sooner? I had yet to make my own stock from scratch, and was purchasing it at the grocery store. I mostly use organic vegetable broth, but sometimes I use organic chicken broth. When we recently picked up our cow from the butcher, I asked them to throw in the bones for making my own stock. A few days ago, I finally got around to giving it a try.

The bones, cartilage, marrow and vegetables that go into making stock are full of minerals such as magnesium, calcium and potassium. Remember how your grandmother used to tell you to drink broth when you were sick? Well, she was right. It's packed full of things to keep you healthy. Plus, it adds so much more flavor to your food. :)

I didn't quite follow the directions in NT. I asked a few friends what their method for making stock was, and took the easiest route. I used the knuckle bones, neck bones, and shank from our cow. I put them all in my crock pot covered with water, and added 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar. I put the setting on high and let it boil for several hours. Then I turned the setting to low so it would simmer the rest of the time. It simmered for about 24 hours or so. After 24 hours, I skimmed out the meat. By this time it was super tender. I used it to make beef stir fry. I added a little more water to the crock pot, along with the vegetables (big chunks of carrots, celery, and onions with the skin and all) and seasonings (about ten peppercorns and 1-2 TB of dried thyme). I turned the setting back to high so it would come to a boil again, then turned it down and let it simmer another 12+ hours.

Once all the cooking was done, I strained out the liquid from the bones and veggies. This was a messy process.

the left over bones and veggies


strained stock with particles still in it

I ran the liquid through a coffee strainer to get the rest of the tiny particles out. I definitely see a need for a huge mesh strainer! That would have saved me a lot of time. I put the strained liquid in a bowl, and stuck it in the fridge so that the fat would accumulate at the top and I could spoon it off.

ready to be refrigerated

Once it was cooled, I skimmed off the fat and threw it away. Then I poured the stock into glass mason jars so I could freeze it. If you do this, make sure to leave enough room in the jar for expanding once it's frozen or your jars will break.


NT says the broth should have turned into a gelatinous form once it was cooled. Mine did not. I'm not sure if it's bc I didn't let it cool long enough, or if it's bc I added water to the crock pot. I also think that next time I will add more spices to give it a bolder flavor. You can follow this same process for making stock and use a whole chicken instead, to produce chicken stock.