Beef stock

A classic beef stock made with bone-in beef shin, vegetables, herbs and spices. By gently simmering the meat and browning the onions first, you create a fragrant stock with a full beef flavour, suitable as a base for soups, sauces and stews.

Yield: approximately 2–2½ litres
Preparation: approximately 25 minutes
Cooling: depending on the method used
Cooking: approximately 4½–5 hours
Total time: approximately 5 hours, excluding complete cooling

Ingredients

• 1–1.2 kg bone-in beef shin
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 1 leek
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 bay leaves
• 5–6 sprigs thyme
• approximately 10 parsley stalks
• 10 black peppercorns
• 2 cloves
• 3–3.5 litres cold water
• salt, to taste when used later

Preparation

1. Cut the vegetables
   Peel the onions and cut them in half lengthways. Peel the carrots and cut them into large pieces. Cut the white and light green parts of the leek into rings approximately 2 cm thick and rinse thoroughly. Cut the celery into large pieces.
2. Bundle the herbs
   Tie the bay leaves, thyme and parsley stalks together with kitchen string to make a herb bundle.
3. Wrap the spices
   Put the peppercorns and cloves in a spice bag or tea infuser.

Method

1. Start the meat in cold water
   Place the beef shin in a large stockpot and add 3–3.5 litres cold water so that the meat is well covered. Heat slowly over a medium heat without a lid.
2. Skim the stock
   Carefully skim off the foam and impurities that rise to the surface. Continue until hardly any new foam appears. From the moment the water becomes properly warm, allow approximately 15–20 minutes. Then reduce the heat so that the stock stays just below boiling point and moves only very gently.
3. Simmer the meat
   Leave the meat to simmer gently for approximately 3 hours with the lid slightly ajar. Do not let the stock boil vigorously and stir as little as possible.
4. Brown the onions
   Towards the end of this first simmering period, heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Place the onions cut-side down in the pan and let them brown deeply for approximately 8–10 minutes. Do not let them burn.
5. Add the aromatics
   Add the browned onions, carrot, leek, celery, herb bundle and the peppercorns and cloves. Leave the stock to simmer very gently for another 1½–2 hours. Keep the liquid just below boiling point and stir as little as possible.
6. Strain the stock
   Remove the meat and large vegetables from the pan. Pour the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pan or bowl without pressing the contents of the pan. For an even clearer result, strain it again if desired through a sieve lined with a clean cloth or muslin.
7. Cool the stock quickly
   Immediately divide the hot stock between smaller, shallow heatproof containers. If necessary, place them in cold or iced water and gently stir the stock occasionally to release the heat more quickly. Then cover the stock and place it in the refrigerator to cool completely.
8. Remove excess fat
   Once completely cooled, skim off the solidified layer of fat from the stock if desired. Do not season the stock with salt as standard at this stage; add salt only when the stock is used in a dish.