I’ve decided to add a new feature to Raising A Family On A Budget called Tasty Tuesday.  On Tasty Tuesday, I will be sharing a recipe that I have recently made for my family.  This week’s recipe is a basic, but something I have never made before…Beef Stock.

As I mentioned in the fall, we purchase our beef by the side from a local farm about 20 minutes from our home.  The cattle are grass fed and raised following completely organic measures.  We love buying our beef this way, but there is just one problem…No room in the freezer for anything else!

I am completely out of chicken and want to pick up a few packages to have on hand for the remainder of the month, but there is no room in the freezer because of all of the beef.  My fix…take the large box of soup bones & make beef stock!

I have a lot of soup bones, but you can scale this recipe to meet the needs of your family and the amount of stock you want to make.

:: Beef Stock

15 lbs of beef shank bones
4 large carrots, large chop
4 small onions, large chop
5 ribs of celery, large chop
5 cloves of garlic, cut in half
1/2 cup of red wine (whatever you have on hand will work or use water)
9 qts water (36 cups)
1 Tbsp kosher salt
25 peppercorns
6 bay leaves
1 Tbsp dried thyme, crushed
2 Tbsp dried parsley, crushed

Place your soup bones in a shallow pan and roast in a 450 degree oven for 40 minutes, turning once, to brown the meat/bones.

Prepare all of your additional vegetables, herbs, and spices in a large bowl.

When the bones are done roasting, put them in a large stock pot (at least a 10 qt pot).  Deglaze the roasting pan with the red wine, making sure to scrape up all of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Pour the wine and drippings into the stock pot.

Add all of your vegetables, herbs and spices.

Fill the pot with 9 qts of water and put on high heat until it comes to a boil.  Turn the heat to low, and simmer covered for 3 1/2 hours.

Remove the soup bones, and if desired, cut off the meat for later use.

Strain the broth to remove the vegetables and other bits.  Use either a fine sieve or a colander lined with a double layer of cheese cloth.

To clarify the stock, mix together 1 egg white and 1/2 a cup of water.  Pour into hot stock & stir.  Bring to a boil.  As soon as a boil is reached, remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before straining through a double layer of cheese cloth.

Store the stock in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 9mos.

Makes about 8 qts of stock & 4-6 cups of meat depending on the amount of meat on your bones. And, don’t let those bones go to waste…doggies love them!