BEEF STOCK

In culinary school I had a class in soups and stocks. I really enjoyed this class, I learned about making my stocks much stronger and deeper in color. We would go to the meat cutting class and grab up a hundred pounds of beef bones (or veal) and bring them back to our kitchen.

Once there we would fire up the oven to 400 degrees. In a huge roasting pan place the bones. Allow them to roast until they are brown. Take them out and brush tomato paste on all sides and return to oven. Once the paste is dried on and somewhat darkened, you are done roasting.
Take the bones out and put into a large stock pot. Back in the roaster drain off most of the grease and saving it aside. Add cold water to the bones to cover them by a few inches. Put the roaster on the stove top and add what is called a mirepoix which consists of a fine dice of carrots, celery, onions, and leeks. The veggies will instantly start cooking in the very hot pan and grease.

Once the stock is boiling, skim off anything floating on surface.
Add the browned mirepoix to the stock. If you like, you can make what is called a bouquet garni. This is a cheesecloth sack filled with parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaves and tie it off to the pot handle and drop sack into stock. The cheesecloth keep everything from getting loose and makes it easier to fish out later.
I would boil this all day and check it occasionally.

When the color and flavor is right for you, ladle the stock into a strainer.
Once cooled, you will find an orange layer of hard fat. If the stock is cold enough, you can actually lift the fat off. This is a quick way to clarify your stock. If you want a gravy, retreive the solid fat and simmer it with flour until a peanut butter like look and consistency is acheived. Spoon this into the hot stock to thicken it up. This stock makes a great soup, stew, or gravy.

This may seem like a daunting task, but if you make it in volume, you can freeze it in portions and have it on hand at all times. Once or twice a year will keep you well stocked.