How to Make Beef Stock
This post will show you How to Make Beef Stock, and homemade stock is not only frugal and tasty, but it makes your house smell great. And when it’s cold weather and you want to make soup, pulling some containers of beef stock out of the freezer is a wonderful thing!
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This post can show you everything you need to know about How to Make Beef Stock! And making stock is a great Saturday or Sunday activity. It makes the house smell great and there’s time to coax every ounce of flavor from the ingredients by cooking the stock all day. If you’ve never made your own beef stock before, I’ll tell you in one word why it’s worth the time: FLAVOR!
There’s no comparison between soup or stew made with canned broth and one made with homemade stock. The homemade beef stock has a richness of flavor that takes the finished dish to a whole different level.
And besides the incredible flavor, a side benefit is that you make the stock mostly with ingredients that would have been thrown away, so it’s almost free. (No one seems to mind that!) I already posted about how to make chicken stock, and the process for beef stock is similar, but there’s one very important difference. Do you know what it is? Read on to find out.
What ingredients do you need for Beef Stock?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- beef scraps (with bones if you have some)
- onions
- celery
- carrots
- water
- Better Than Bouillon Beef Base (affiliate link), optional but recommended
What is the important extra step for making homemade beef stock?
To coax maximum flavor from the beef scraps and remove some of the fat, I’m a fan of the step of roasting the meat at high heat before you use it to make stock. This step browns the meat for added flavor and gets rid of some of the fat.
Can you add beef flavor base if you don’t have enough leftover beef?
Beef is more expensive than it used to be, so these days you might not have a lot of beef scraps hanging around to make a big pot of beef stock. I’m not opposed to the idea of using a little beef flavor base to add to the flavor, and I would use either Better Than Bouillon Beef Base (affiliate link) or the one shown below.
Nutritional information for Beef Stock:
This is a master recipe for beef stock without specific amounts, so I can’t calculate the nutritional exactly but this homemade beef stock is Keto, low-carb, dairy-free, and it will be gluten-free as long as you don’t add a beef flavor base that contains gluten.
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Getting started and simmering to make Beef Stock:
- I keep two large containers in the freezer, and whenever I get beef scraps I save them until I have enough to make stock.
- The second photo shows how the procedure for beef stock varies from chicken stock. It’s important to put the beef scraps on a cookie sheet and roast the meat for about 30-60 minutes at relatively high heat. This produces browning which produces flavor. For beef stock, roasting also releases fat.
- I roasted about four pounds of beef scraps to make this batch of stock, and here’s how much fat was roasted out of the meat.
- Besides roasted meat scraps (and bones if you have any) and water, the other three essential ingredients in beef stock are celery, carrots, and onions. Use the celery ends and outside pieces you would otherwise throw away.
- This is a perfect use for carrots that are a little past their prime. If you buy whole carrots, save the ends and peels for stock.
- I also use onions that are starting to get shoots. Throw away any green parts when you add the onions to the stock. (Celery, carrots, and onion scraps can also be frozen and saved to use stock.)
- Much as I might like to be a stock purist, I always add a little bit of beef base, preferably one that has meat as the first ingredient. I use 2-3 tablespoons of Beef Base like this in a huge pot of stock. If you don’t want to use it, just cook your stock a little longer so it cooks down more.
- This last photo barely shows how my stock looked when it had cooked about six hours and I was just about to remove the meat and vegetables and strain the stock.
Finishing the Beef Stock
- I use a tool called a Fat Skimmer (affiliate link) for removing meat and vegetables while letting the flavorful stock run back into the pan. It also catches sediments and coagulated proteins. If you don’t have one of those, just scoop out meat and vegetables with a large slotted spoon.
- I strain my stock through a colander, then strain it through a Yogurt Strainer (affiliate link) into a Fat Separator (affiliate link). Of course, there’s not a lot of fat because most of it was removed by the roasting. (Strain the stock with whatever equipment you have.)
- After I strain the stock, I put it back in a clean pan and cook it down until it’s a deep brown color and has a lot of flavor. I just keep tasting it until it’s as strong as I want.
- I like to use containers that hold two cups or one cup so it’s easy to use the stock in recipes, and these containers made by ZipLoc hold two cups.
- Beef stock freezes well and it lasts a long time in the freezer.
Want to see all my recipes that use beef stock?
If you enter Beef Stock into the search bar on Kalyn’s Kitchen you’ll get more than 70 results of all the soups, stews, chilis, and casseroles where I’ve used beef stock!
How to Make Beef Stock
This post can show you How to Make Beef Stock, and turning scraps of beef and vegetables into homemade stock is a great weekend activity, and it will make your house smell great!
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds beef scraps (with bones if you have some)
- 1 - 2 onions
- 4 stalks celery
- 2 - 3 large carrots
- enough water to completely cover the beef and vegetables in a large pot
- Better than Bouillon Beef Base (see notes)
Instructions
- I keep a large container in the freezer, and whenever I get beef scraps I freeze them until I have enough to make stock.
- When you're ready to make stock, put the beef scraps on a cookie sheet and roast the meat for about 30-60 minutes at fairly high heat. This produces browning which produces flavor. For beef stock, roasting also releases fat.
- Add the roasted beef scraps to a large stock pot.
- Peel onions and cut into quarters.
- Cut each stalk of celery into a few pieces. Include the celery leaves if you have some.
- No need to peel carrots, just cut each one into about three pieces.
- Put vegetables into the stock pot with the beef scraps. Fill the pot with enough water to completely cover the meat and vegetables.
- Add two or three tablespoons of beef flavor base if using.
- Simmer the mixture on low for 4-6 hours, adding more water as needed.
- I like to use a tool called a Fat Skimmer (affiliate link) for removing meat and vegetables while letting the flavorful stock run back into the pan. It also catches sediments and coagulated proteins. If you don't have that just scoop out meat and vegetables with a large slotted spoon.
- I strain my stock through a colander, then strain it through a Yogurt Strainer (affiliate link) into a Fat Separator (affiliate link). As you can see, there’s not a lot of fat because most of it was removed by the roasting. (Use whatever tools you have to strain the stock and remove bits and pieces of meat and fat.)
- After I strain the stock, I put it back into a clean pan and cook down until it’s a deep brown color and has a lot of flavor. I just keep tasting it until it’s as strong as I want.
- I freeze the stock in one cup and two cup containers so it is easy to use in recipes.
Notes
I am a huge fan of Better than Bouillon Beef Base (and their other flavor base products as well) but there are a lot of good brands.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Beef stock made using this process will be low in carbs, low-glycemic, and suitable for the original South Beach Diet.
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Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for homemade beef stock was first posted in 2007, after a traumatic week where I had to replace the main water line at my little house in Salt Lake! Since then I have made beef stock hundreds of times, and the recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.
27 Comments on “How to Make Beef Stock”
Thanks, Kayln
salt?? bay leaf?? did not see any seasonings mentioned other than the veggies
I like to season the dish I am using it in, but you can certainly add anything you'd like. If you use the beef soup base, that definitely adds some salt.
I make this with scraps I've saved, so I just throw the meat away. Most of the flavor has gone into the stock, but you could use it if you wanted.
What do you do with the leftover meat? Do you toss it or use it?
Thank you
Sarah, I haven't made stock in the slow cooker, but I've been thinking of trying it!
I did a search for beef stock recipe and yours came up. I'm so glad it did! Your instructions are thorough and easy to understand.
I make my chicken stock in the slow cooker this way http://muminbloom.blogspot.com/2010/02/recipe-homemade-chicken-broth-slow.html
Thank you for sharing this with us ๐
Gordon, you're so welcome. I confess, I'm not always the most frugal of cooks, but I do love to save things that can be turned into something tasty and keep me from buying broth in cans (which I try to avoid using as much as I can!)
I love the idea of saving the beef scraps in this way. Normally, when I am preparing to make stock, I have to go and buy the bones for doing so. Thanks for a great tip!
You can definitely make the stock in a crock pot. I would roast the meat first, then put everything in a crockpot on high for 4-6 hours. Then strain the broth and taste, and you'll probably want to simmer on high for 30 minutes or so to reduce it.
I'm wondering if it's possible after I bring it to a boil, could I put everything in a crock pot?
My stove is propane and right now propane is very expensive to let the stove run that long.
Thank Kalyn. I have to comment on this. This is the third time I have bought either a half a beef or a whole beef. This time we used the same farmer but a different packing house. They do things a bit differently than each other. Anyway, when I added that comment above, it was before I took the soup bones out of the freezer. The last packing house gave me bones that were mostly bones, almost no meat to speak of, I considered those dog bones. This time I opened the packages and was shocked at how much meat was on them! I have my stock simmering now. But I have to say I am so mad at myself. I told the packing house to only give me a few packages of the soup bones and get rid of the rest, because I thought they were going to be all bone like from the other place. Man, all that meat I just ditched! UGH. You live and learn!
Amanda, beef bones with some meat on them will make wonderful stock. Just roast them same as the scraps.
I’m curious, we just bought a side of beef and got beef soup bones with it. Can I use these instead of the beef scraps? How well will that work and what adjustments, if any, do I need to make?
Trihardist, thank you! I love the flavor of this homemade stock.
This is the best instruction I’ve found for homemade beef stock. Linking to it for my health-savvy triathletes ๐
Eddie, just keep cooking and I guarantee, eventually you will not have too much water. In fact if I’m low on freezer space, I cook my stock down until it’s really concentrated and then add more water when I use it.
Hi sorry about the water probem, But I am makeing your beef stock and I think I put too much water in the pot. What schould I do ? Just cook it longer or dump out some of the stock.
PS. I have some extra water if you need it ๐
You’ve made it look so easy! I have a ton of beef bones in my freezer (I live on a cattle ranch) and I know what I’m planning for sunday ๐ Mine don’t have near as much meat so I hope they work as well as yours.
I’m glad your water is back on. Isn’t there something so elemental about making stocks? We make chicken and fish stocks regularly and of course when we poach meat, that’s stock for free! You’re right about the taste, incredible flavour are not the only words I’d use, genuine flavour that is the hallmark of a good cook.
Hi Kalyn, I had enough boiling chunks of beef bones and oxtails hehe ๐ I’d usually throw in some cloves, cinnamon and fennel seeds for some extra flavor. Thanks for sharing this, sounds easy and delicious ๐
Sorry to say that there is still no water after my brother (owner of a sewer and drain company) and brother-in-law (contractor who remodeled my house) have spent the whole day here trying to thaw the pipe. They seem to think they have helped a little but the water is still not running.
Thanks everyone for the nice comments about the stock instructions. CC, I forgot about bones, since I rarely have any. I just edited to add that.
Good lord, no bones? Then where will you get that incomparable gelatine-y velvet from? Save your bones, too.
I’ve been thinking about you and your water problem for days. I’ve been through that; a leak in the pipe, not a freeze. Man, that can mess you up. Good Luck!
Kalyn, it’s true that there is nothing more satisfying than spending all day making a wonderful stock, and seeing those containers piled up in the freezer….except, maybe, having running water. I am sending my warmest wishes your way, in hopes they thaw your pipes!
Sorry to hear, that you have no water!
I have also made beef stock from scratch! The entry is in German, but the pics are perhaps interesting. I didn’t use beef base. I cleared the stock with minced meat and egg whites to get more flavour.
So many methods to get the same. Thank for sharing.
Sorry about your water trials! I’ve made chicken stock before, but never beef so this was quite enlightening as the method is different. Looks so good, and what a great way to use things which would often be tossed.
OK, tonight there will be running water in that house. Has to happen.
I’ve printed the beef stock out, that has to happen also!