by Justin Thyme

Created on: January 09, 2009

The first thing we have to consider prior to making any form of stock is what we intend to use it for. It may be that we are simply preparing it to use up what would otherwise be wasted items and intend freezing it for some future, unspecified use - that is of course an excellent idea. If, however, we wish stock for a specific dish, we have to ensure we prepare an appropriate type. It would, for example, be wholly inappropriate to prepare a rich beef stock for making a vegetable broth!

I will for the purposes of this article assume that we wish to prepare beef stock.

We have bought, prepared and roasted to perfection a beautiful piece of beef for Sunday lunch, naturally on the bone, with a sizeable rind of fat still attached, to ensure maximum flavour and juiciness. Prior to serving our beef, we cut off the rind of fat and carve the meat from the bone. The fat and the bone now become the principal ingredients of our stock.

Take a large stock pot and put the bone and - very importantly - the fat in to it. The choice of vegetables here is down to personal taste but for beef stock I would use one large parsnip, two stalks of celery and one large carrot. Chop the vegetables very roughly in to large pieces and add them to the pot as well. The final ingredient is enough boiling water to come to within about one inch of the lip of the pot. Please note the total absence of seasoning in this preparation. That is something which will be added to the dish we ultimately make with the stock - not something we should be adding at this stage.

Bring the stock back to a boil and reduce the heat so that it is gently simmering. Leave it to do so for at least two hours - preferably three or four - and then simply turn off the heat, ensure the pan is covered and leave it overnight to completely cool.

When we remove the lid from our pan the next morning, it is not a particularly attractive or appetising sight which will greet us. The fat in the stock will have congealed in to a solid on top. This is what we wanted to happen.

Very carefully, break the fat with a spoon or knife in to large pieces, scoop it out and discard it. Next, remove the bone and vegetable pieces with a slotted spoon and discard them also. It only remains thereafter to strain the stock through some very fine cloth such as muslin, or even a clean tea towel, in to a large bowl. This removes any small remaining impurities such as pieces of vegetable or bone.

We are then left with deliciously pure and healthy beef stock, ready to use in the soup, stew or casserole of our choice, or alternatively freeze in batches until required.

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