How To Make Stock
How To Make Stock
In the paleo community, there can be an almost elixir-like praise given to ‘bone broth’, or as the rest of us call it….stock! Learn how to make stock – it’s easy, cheap, healthy and so versatile!
Like many things that have been lost in this age of convenience, a little research shows the old ways were usually the best after all – home made stock being a classic case in point.
Making your own stock is so easy, plus it is particularly good for us as it contains lots of the nutritionally-dense elements of a joint of meat that we don’t usually eat. As the bones are cooked on a low heat they break down and release collagen and a whole load of vitamins and minerals which are beneficial to health in all kinds of ways – far too many to list here.
Once cooked, stock is really easy to store – in this example I have stored my stock in a soup tub and have frozen individual portions to use when I need only a little.
Ingredients
- Bones or carcass (in this example I’m using beef bones).
- Onions
- Garlic
- Water
- Herbs of your choice
- Stock cube (optional)
- Salt and pepper
How to make stock…
Take the bones or carcass and remove as much meat as you can. Don’t go into surgeon mode – a little meat left on the bones is a good thing.
Fry the bones off for a few minutes on a high heat in a stock pot – this creates a caramelisation effect which adds to the flavour. At this point I usually throw in some chopped onion and garlic, followed by a teaspoon of salt (a stock pot is large) and a teaspoon of pepper to add a little taste and seasoning.
Continue to fry for a minute longer, then fill the pot with water and bring to the boil. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce to a simmer. I like to add a single stock cube to help get the colour and flavour we recognise started.
In my experience the longer you can let the bones simmer, the better the quality stock you will have. Typically I keep mine going for around 5 hours, adding herbs such as rosemary/thyme/sage (depending on the stock I’m making) towards the end.
Let the stock cool down gradually, strain through a colander and store your stock – as simple as that!
The stock can form a base for all kinds of dishes – soups, stews, risottos, broths and can be used as a gravy, braising liquor or even used to cook vegetables in.
I am using the stock I made from the bones in this article to cook a beef and vegetable casserole…
So there you have it – how to make stock!