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Easy beef stock

Name: Easy beef stock
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Ingredients: Beef bones; 2 unpeeled and halved onions; 3 carrots; 2 halved celery sticks; A few peppercorns; 2 bay leaves; A few fresh thyme sprigs; A few parsley stalks

Published: 24 Apr 15
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Our beef stock recipe is better than anything you can buy. It won’t contain salt (shop-bought stocks often contain too much) and it’s simple to make.

See our step-by-step guide for how to make meat stock too.

Easy
November 2005

Test kitchen approved

Takes 10 minutes to prepare, 2 hours to cook

Our beef stock recipe is better than anything you can buy. It won’t contain salt (shop-bought stocks often contain too much) and it’s simple to make.

See our step-by-step guide for how to make meat stock too.

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Ingredients

Beef bones
2 unpeeled and halved onions
3 carrots
2 halved celery sticks
A few peppercorns
2 bay leaves
A few fresh thyme sprigs
A few parsley stalks

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Method

Put the bones into a large, sturdy roasting tray with the onions. Roast in a hot oven for an hour until well browned.
Put the bones and onions into your largest saucepan and fill the pan with cold water. Add the carrots, celery sticks, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme and parsley.
Bring just to a simmer, not a raging boil – as this encourages the surface scum to boil back into the stock. Using a ladle, skim off the scum (the froth that floats on the surface) as often as you want.

Cook for about 2-3 hours. Taste it – and taste it often – until the stock has a good depth of flavour.
To strain the stock, pour the contents of the pan through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. Skim off any fat from the surface. If you have time, leave the stock to go cold, then chill overnight. The next day, lift off the solidified fat on top.