Beef Stock and Concentrated Beef Cubes
A stock you can prepare once every 1-2 months to have a tasty and healthy base for all beef soups and sauces. By cooking it until it becomes concentrated, you'll save space in your freezer!!! If you also consider that it has high calcium content, you have no reason not to make it. I need to try making it in a pressure cooker to shorten the cooking time, and if it turns out just as good and clear, I'll let you know. (*Note: I made the stock in a pressure cooker, put in less water and the taste was ok, but it wasn't clear at all; I'm sticking to the version below)
You can prepare and freeze chicken stock identically (here is the detailed recipe, only you'll need to let it simmer for 5-6 hours to become more concentrated) or pork stock (only instead of bones, use ribs and 1/2 pork foot).
Below are some examples of how you can use the stock or cubes:
- for onion soup: use about 500 ml concentrated stock diluted with water to 2 liters and a little wine if desired.
- for tripe soup: skip steps 2 and 3 and use the concentrated stock diluted with water directly.
- for country-style beef soup: at step 1, when cooking the veal, add a few concentrated beef cubes to enhance the flavor.
Ingredients
1.5 kg beef brisket
1.5 kg veal bones for soup (choose the ones with the most marrow, cartilage, and a little meat on them)
2 large carrots
2 celery stalks with a few leaves (or 150g celery root)
2 tomatoes
1 large onion
1 kohlrabi
1/2 bunch parsley
2-3 sprigs thyme
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
3-4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Yield: about 1 liter concentrated stock, equivalent to 3-4 liters beef stock or 120 concentrated beef cubes
How to prepare beef stock and concentrated beef cubes
- Arrange the brisket and bones in a single layer in a large roasting pan and roast at maximum heat for 45 minutes.
- Put the remaining ingredients in a large pot (a wide one, don't use a tall one), with the vegetables cut into large pieces. Place the meat from the oven on top.
- Add cold water (or cold chicken stock if you have some), enough to perfectly cover the meat and vegetables. Add the salt.
* adding cold water/stock over the meat will make the soup tastier - Simmer over low heat for about 6 hours. The stock must never boil vigorously, only gently bubble, otherwise it will turn cloudy! Don't stir the pot at all during this time! Don't add more water after it starts simmering! The only thing you need to do is skim the stock occasionally.
- Strain the stock using a strainer lined with double-layered cheesecloth.
- When the strained stock cools down, refrigerate until the next day. Remove all the fat that has solidified on top and discard it. Strain the stock once more through cheesecloth. You'll see that the resulting stock is very concentrated, has a dark brown color, and is viscous.
- Concentrated beef stock: portion the clear resulting stock into plastic containers/bottles and store in the freezer. When using, dilute with 3-4 parts water or to taste, depending on what dish you're making.
- Concentrated beef cubes: put the stock into ice cube bags using a funnel; let them freeze solid in the freezer. Then remove the cubes from the bags and store them in a container, still in the freezer. The cubes are very convenient when preparing sauces.
Meat and bones
Cook the meat and vegetables
Strain the broth
Gather the solidified fat
Strain the broth a second time
Beef stock in ice bags
