TWO-FOR-ONE BEEF STOCK

TWO-FOR-ONE BEEF STOCK

Ingredients:
6 pounds beef soup bones or meaty beef ribs
1 large onion, quartered
3 large carrots, cut into 2" pieces
2 ribs celery, including some leaves, chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
½ cup red wine or water
4 sprigs parsley
2 cloves garlic
8 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 pounds beef chuck roast

Directions:
PREHEAT the oven to 450°F. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat the foil
with cooking spray.
Spread the beef bones evenly in the prepared pan, and scatter the onion, carrots,
celery, and parsnip over the bones. Roast, uncovered and turning once, until the bones
are well browned, about 30 minutes.
Drain any accumulated fat off the baking sheet and place the bones and vegetables in
an 8- to 10-quart stockpot. (The stock can also be made in a slow cooker—see “Tips
for Making Broth or Stock in a Slow Cooker”—if you wish to leave the stock
unattended.) Pour the wine or water into the baking sheet and gently scrape up the
browned bits using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Pour the liquid and the bits
into the stockpot.
Add the parsley, garlic, peppercorns, salt, thyme, bay leaf, and the roast. Add water to
cover.
Bring the liquid to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the stock is
intensely flavored, 5 hours. Remove the chuck roast and set aside for another use. Line
a colander or sieve with a triple layer of dampened cheesecloth. Pour the stock
through to strain out the solids. Cool the stock quickly by setting it in an ice bath. (I set
it in a large bowl of snow in the winter.)
Refrigerate or freeze the stock in resealable plastic bags.
soup tips
COOLING STOCK SAFELY
Homemade stock is always my first choice, and making it requires little more than assembling several ingredients in
a big pot filled with water—and waiting. But there are some safety considerations when it comes to cooling the
finished stock. Bringing the temperature down quickly is key, since stock offers up an excellent opportunity for
bacteria to grow if left out to cool over a long period of time. The facts are these: When the stock’s temperature is
between 45° and 145°F, it’s in the “danger zone,” but only if it’s allowed to stay in that zone for a substantial period
of time. Bacteria divide every 20 minutes, and if the stock is left, say, on the counter for just 2 hours, it can be
unsafe to eat. To cool quickly, place the bowl or pot, uncovered, into an ice-water bath (ideally this is a sink full of
ice water), then stir the stock often. Once it’s cooled to lukewarm, the stock can be refrigerated, tightly covered, for
up to 5 days or poured into ice cube trays or resealable plastic bags and frozen up to 12 months.
TIPS FOR MAKING BROTH OR STOCK IN A SLOW COOKER
— First of all, you need to have a very large (8- to 10-quart) slow cooker.
— Don’t fill the pot more than two-thirds full. Liquid in a slow cooker doesn’t evaporate as quickly as in a stockpot,
and if the slow cooker is too full, the liquid will splatter all over the place. It is helpful to weight down the lid.
Some cookers come with a band that stretches across the top of the lid.
— After filling the pot, set the cooker on high until the liquid is simmering. That usually will take 2 hours. After that,
you can set the cooker to cook on low.
HOW TO FREEZE STOCKS AND BROTHS