Beef stock is a versatile and flavorful ingredient that adds depth and richness to a variety of dishes. From soups and stews to sauces and gravies, beef stock is a staple in many kitchens. While store-bought beef stock is convenient, making your own at home has its own set of benefits. And what’s even better? Making beef stock in a crock-pot.
A crock-pot, also known as a slow cooker, is a handy kitchen appliance that allows you to cook food at a low and constant temperature for an extended period of time. This gentle cooking process is perfect for making beef stock, as it allows all the flavors to slowly infuse and develop, resulting in a flavorful and nutritious stock. Here are some of the benefits of making beef stock in a crock-pot:
1. Time-saving: Making beef stock is a time-consuming process, as it requires simmering the bones and vegetables for hours to extract all the flavors and nutrients. With a crock-pot, you can set it and forget it, allowing you to go about your day while your stock is being made. This saves you the hassle of constantly checking on the stock and standing over a hot stove for hours.
2. Better flavor: Slow cooking in a crock-pot allows for the flavors to develop and intensify, resulting in a richer and more flavorful beef stock. The low and slow heat helps to break down the collagen in the bones, giving the stock a gelatinous texture and a depth of flavor that cannot be achieved with store-bought stocks.
3. Nutritious: Making beef stock at home using high-quality bones and vegetables ensures that your stock is packed with nutrients and minerals. The slow cooking process also helps to extract more nutrients from the bones, making your homemade beef stock a nutritious and healing ingredient.
4. Cost-effective: Commercially-made beef stocks can be quite pricey, especially if you use them frequently in your cooking. Making your own beef stock at home in a crock-pot is much more cost-effective, as you can use the leftover bones and vegetable scraps from other meals.
Talk to your butcher, most grocery stores have frozen beef bones, if not fresh.
Crock-Pot Beef Stock
Equipment
- 1 Crock-pot This recipe is for a 12 quart crock-pot
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds Beef bones, marrow bones, stock bones
- 4 Ribes celery cut in large chucks
- 4 Carrots cut in large chucks
- 1 Large onion cut in large chucks
- 5 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 Parsnip optional
- 4 tbsp Tomato paste
- 3 Bay leaves
- 1 tsp Whole peppercorns
- Filtered water
Instructions
- Turn your oven to its highest heat setting 525° to 550°
- Toss your bones with 2 Tbsp of the tomato paste and place on a sheet tray
- Toss your vegetables with the remaining 2 Tbsp of tomato paste and add to the sheet tray, or if your oven is small it is ok to roast the separately
- Roast the bones and vegetables for 15 minutes
- Add the bones and vegetables to your crock pot, along with the bay leaves and peppercorns, and top with the water
- Set your crock-pot to low and let cook for 14 to 16 hours.
- Strain threw a colander and then strain again threw cheese cloth.
- The stock will keep well for 4-5 days or may be frozen.