by Gordon Hamilton

Created on: November 14, 2008

The correct preparation of any stock, not just beef stock, requires that it be a two day process. We should also be careful to limit the number of ingredients we place in our pan as we must not lose sight of the fact that we want our stock to taste of beef. Thinking that ingredients x, y and z may "enhance" our stock and its taste is all very well but they are essentially only going to detract from the flavour we wish to acquire.

I prepare beef stock in what I can only truly describe as a "rustic" fashion, a manner in which I am sure it was prepared for countless centuries before those nasty little cubes or even roasting tins were ever conceived of. I hope you appreciate the simple yet delicious nature of this recipe.

You will need:

1 large piece of beef. Any type of beef can really be used but I personally prefer brisket.

1 large onion (peeled and roughly chopped)

1 large carrot (scraped and roughly chopped)

2 stalks of celery (roughly chopped)

Knob of butter

In a large stock pot, gently melt the butter and add the vegetables to sweat off for a few minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. As the celery and onion begin to take on a slight translucent quality add the beef and enough boiling water to both cover it and come within an inch of the lip of the pot. Bring the water back to the boil then turn down the heat to achieve a slow simmer until the meat is cooked.

When the beef is ready, use a fork and spatula to remove it from the pan, set it aside and use it as required. The stock pot should be removed from the heat, covered and left untouched until the following day.

On day two, a hard film of fat should have formed over the stock. With a large spoon, very carefully break it in to manageable pieces, remove and discard. The stock should now be passed carefully through a sieve or strainer and is ready for use in whichever beef recipe we intend to make.

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