Basic Beef Stock

1. Roast bones in a roasting pan in 450 oven for 15 minutes, and then turn over bones in pan.
2. While the bones are starting to roast, cut green parts of leeks from white part with leeks, wash very well under cold running water to remove dirt and sand, and then cut the green parts into 1” slices, reserve white part for another use in some other dish.
3. Wash parsley, carrots and celery under cold water, then cut into 1” pieces, and quarter the onions.
4. Sprinkle onions, carrots and celery (not leeks) on top of bones, roast another 15-20 minutes – vegetables should get slightly charred/blackened – roast more until so.
5. Fill stock pot with remaining ingredients and 2-3 gallons of water – eyeball it.
6. Remove roasting pan from oven; pour everything into stock pot on top of other ingredients. Deglaze pan with ½ cup white wine, scrap up all brown bits and add to pot.
7. Fill the rest of the way no closer than 2” from top of pot with cold water, about another gallon.
8. Bring to just a bare simmer on stove (small bubbles) and skim foam that rises on top several times during the first hour and discard the foam (just grey harmless proteins), and continue to simmer for 6-8 hours. Skim, Skim, Skim.
9. Remove solids from pot into sieve over large bowl using a spider, gently pressing on them to extract liquid, and then discard. Strain remaining broth thru sieve/chinois into the large bowl.
10. Let cool for 2 hours, then refrigerate.
11. Next day, remove solid fat on top and reserve for another use (i.e. Yorkshire pudding). Use or freeze in small quart containers.

Tip:

If you want a darker colored stock, add the vegetables to the roasting pan from the start – you’ll need to turn them frequently to prevent excessive black char.