What bones do you use for Beef and Pork Stock?

Anything you have will work.

Happy smoken.

David

Ham hocks work best for pork, especially smoked ones.

For beef good marrow bones, usually leg bones that are cut make the best stock.

For making the best stocks, chicken beef or pork par boil the bones for 10-15 minutes. Rinse them, then start with fresh water. Add your spices and whatever else you like to fortify it with. This will produce a super clear stock. To take it a step further always use a whole or halved onion. The Vietnamese do both of these when preparing Pho Broth. Also prior to adding your spices, toast them or chat them in a hot pan for added flavor.

For beef, especially when I want stock for French Onion Soup, I get some nice leg bones from the butcher and roast them in the oven. I then boil the bones, celery, carrot, potatoes, herbs and whatever vegetables you want to put in. When ready, strain the stock and THROW the vegetables , you got all the flavor out of them. As a side note your only a step or two away from some good onion soup.

Simply, If I want to make beef stock, I use beef bones. I really don't care which type. Same with pork. 

I save my bones after bbq'ng or smoking something. When I have enough, I throw 'em in a pot with onion, carrot, cellery and some black pepper, and simmer for about 3hrs. Good stuff. Way better than anything you can buy.

Beef bones roasted in oven, mirepoix and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, then skim and lower heat and 8 to ten hours later strain.

If you can get neck bones and knee bones they yield the best stock. Roasting makes a dark stock. Boiling makes a cloudy stock. Simmer the stock until the bones start to fall apart.

One of the first things we learned to do in culinary school was to make stocks. We used veal bones, always used ones with a "knuckle". The hooves are fabulous if you can find them. A really good stock is very gelatinous, like jello when it's cold. For a deeper flavor roast the bones first and rub a little bit of tomato paste on the bones as this also deepens the flavor. I also like to add a few dried mushrooms for an even deeper flavor.

For the best chicken stock you've ever had use chicken feet. Necks and wings are also good, but chicken feet are better and much cheaper. I buy them for .99 a pound at the Asian market.

For your aromatics keep it simple. Use the basic mirepoix of celery, carrots and onions. I like to sautee mine first. You also want to include a bouquet garni. A simple sachet would include bay leaves, dried thyme, crushed peppercorns and parsley stems.

It is about half and half with chefs agreeing/disagreeing whether or not to blanch bones for stock. Some say that blanching keeps the stock as clear and colorless as possible while others argue that blanching removes nutrients and flavor. I am in the second camp and do not blanch my bones. Instead I prefer to skim the impurities by hand. Also, NEVER boil, only simmer the stock. Also NEVER stir the stock as you will only stir up the impurities. Here are the seven principles to making a good stock:

1. Start the stock in cold water

2. Simmer the stock gently

3. Skim the stock frequently

4. Strain the stock carefully

5. Cool the stock quickly

6. Store the stock properly

7. Degrease the stock

If you have any questions, please ask. Hope this helps.

I have a pot of roasted pork neck bone stock on the counter now. This is soup-making weather.

Beef jello!

http://vidmg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/HabaneroHead/kitchen/beef_jello.mp4

A few years ago my Kroger grocery had lamb from Athens County, Ohio. The prices were good but the best deal was bones and trimmings for $1.99/lb. I would season those and roast them, making the whole house smell like roasting lamb. That went into a stock for a white bean soup.

F
@ Dougmays, roast first for several hours @about 325°F add the water and reduce the heat to 210°F for 10 to many hours. pour that liquid off and refill the pan for a second extraction.

I can my stock in a pressure canner 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts. This batch was two days total in the oven.

A subject dear to my heart.  Homemade Stock!

A "really good stock" cannot be made in a single day.  Period.  

Acceptable, maybe, but not a good stock.  You can make good clear broth in a few hours though, but that's another subject.

To me, Stock is gelatinous and rich, usually darker in color, where a broth is clear and mild. 

Stock is made from Bones & cartilage, and broth usually made from meat.

I stick to chicken, turkey, beef, and ham, mostly.  I find no need to make pork stock, because I don't like pork soups much.

So I just save leftover pork juice from a roast, or boiled dinner,to use in next pork dish.  I do make ham-bone stock, for use in beans, or ham gravy though.  I also save BBQ ribs bones to make a reduced stock to use in baked beans.   It's awesome!

The best stock comes from knuckle, joint bones or neck bones,  (feet & hooves if you can find them, I can't).  However any bone will work.

The more cartilage, the better though.

I like to crack, not break, my bones (if I can), to release the inside flavor too.  May take hammer for big bones, and just pliers for small bones like chicken or turkey.  Don't break them, just crack them.   Do not crack venison bones!  Or, go ahead a try it once.  LOL

Roasting your bones to a dark color, will give a richer stock, and more intense flavor and color.

I usually roast @ 375*-400* until out side stuff is crispy and dark brown.   Then start the stock simmering.  Pour all dripping into pot too.

Depending on the bone size, I simmer them from 1 to 4 days.  A single bubble every 30 seconds, is hot enough.  You can do this on the stove top (more attention) or in the oven @ 200*-210*.  Whether on stove top or oven, you should use a tight lid, to avoid reducing before you are ready to.   In the oven you can get away with a thinner pot, where as, on the stove top, you should use a heavy pot, to maintain even temp heat.

I agree with several people that has posted replies here.

Celery, carrots and onions  are a MUST!  Leave them in large chunks,  Leave the skins on the onions  too, unless bad onions, then peel, until no bad spots appear.

I also add lots of garlic cloves whole, unless I plan on using it for a garlic intolerant person.   I don't add to much other flavors, because you don't know what dish you may be using this in.

However, I don't always "toss the veggies out" after cooking.  If I'm a little hungry, I eat them right after straining & still hot. Good stuff, even if cooked to mush!  LOL

No matter which kind of stock you make, it should firm up to thick shaky Jello consistency after cooling 24 hours. 

The fat will rise to top, and can be scraped off and saved, or discarded as desired.

If you want to save the fat, scrape it off the top and warm it in a pan until ALL water has evaporated.  Let cool in  the pan a bit, then strain into a container, and leave uncovered on counter over night, before capping and putting into fridge.  That process will insure that ALL water has been removed from fat, and it will last longer in fridge. 

I use this method with all my bacon grease.

I leave the grease and drippings in skillet after coking overnight, then next day I re-warm for a bit, to make sure moisture is gone.  Then strain into my container while warm, and leave it uncovered, until next day, before capping and placing back into fridge.  I'm using bacon grease 2-3 years old that is still good, without freezing.

I do keep it in the fridge though.

Disclaimer:   I am not a chef, nor do I play one on TV.

But I do play one at my house.

So far I have my wife & family fooled.  LOL

I use ham stock in bean soup or baked beans, making ham gravy, scalloped potatoes and the like.  I don't keep much on hand.  Just enough so that I always have some already de-fatted stock in freezer ready to use.

This was a very interesting post/thread.  I have to try to make my own stock as the boxed stuff just does not get it.

Homemade is always better than store bought.

But if you end up with a weak tasting stock, don't be afraid of adding some store bought stock paste to fortify it a bit.  Sometimes we all need that helping hand.  LOL

Hint for Chicken broth or stock:

Ever wonder why your chicken stock doesn't taste lie store bought no matter how long cooked or how much veggies is added?

Just add a little Turmeric powder to it.  WOW!  Just like Campbell's!  LOL  It not only adds the yellow color, but it adds that missing flavor.

Use sparingly.  Don't get Turmeric on counter, fingers or clothes though.  Stains real bad.

A side note: 

If you don't have any pork stock for gravy or sauce, just mix some beef base with chicken base in water, and it will taste pretty much like pork.

It's just an emergency measure though, but it works for me.

I'm not sure why anyone would want their homemade stock to taste anything like Campbell's but to each his own. I do agree with the adding of tumeric. There are many health benefits to this wonderful spice with anti-inflammatory being one of them. 

I'm not promoting Campbell's taste as the high end, soup flavor to mimic Squirrel.  LOL

Good grief, I just said nothing beats homemade.  And it was just a "hint" too.  Not a rule, or must have.  <grin>

I just used that reference, because it's a flavor everyone is familiar with. 

Turmeric is the missing flavor and color, that the commercial stock base contains, as well as Campbell's soups. 

But with homemade, you don't have all the other added crap that none of us can pronounce.   Right? 

Yep, we're on the same page now my friend.

Turmeric adds a familiar flavor, as well as the yellow color to chicken stock, that most people are familiar with in store bought. 

BEWARE!  Too much of it will make a really deep yellow!  Much more than you want.

It only takes a little bit to both color, as well as flavor.

I'm definitely trying some of these other ideas next time I make stock. Thanks everyone.