The difference between beef stock and chicken stock is an hour in a hot oven before anything gets wet. Roasting the bones and the vegetables to a deep brown creates the colour and most of the flavour; skip it and six hours of simmering gives you something pale and disappointing. Knuckle and marrow bones bring the gelatin that makes it set.
The ratio5 lb bones roasted at 450°F for 45 min, then cold water and 6 hours at a bare simmer.
By Vince Gonzalez · Published July 2026 · Sourcing verified 5 Jul 2026
Prep30 min
Cook6 hours
Makes3 quarts
CuisineFrench
Cost$$$
Gluten-freeDairy-free
The Ingredients — and where to get them
Cook for3quarts
Beef bones
Five pounds, mixed — knuckle and marrow for gelatin, meaty bones for flavour.
Enough to cover by an inch. No more, or you're just making work.
6 quarts
Local / market
The Rundown
Greedometer●●●●●Squeaky clean
About as virtuous as dinner gets. · plan ahead — needs marinating, soaking, or resting time
EffortA project
Cook it with
Instant PotSlow cookerOne-pot
The Method
Roast the bones dark450°F, forty-five minutes, turned once. You want deep brown, not tan. This is the whole flavour.
Add vegetables and paste lateMirepoix into the roasting tin for the last twenty minutes, tomato paste brushed on for the last ten. Any earlier and both burn.
Deglaze the roasting tinBones into the pot, then the tin over a burner with a cup of water, scraping every brown bit up. That goes in too and it is not optional.
Cover with cold water and rise slowlySame rule as chicken stock — cold start, slow rise, skim the first grey scum.
Six hours at a bare simmerThe occasional lazy bubble, never a boil. Top up with hot water if the bones become exposed.
Strain, chill, lift the fatLadle through a fine sieve, cool fast, refrigerate. The fat sets into a removable lid and good stock sets to a firm wobble.
Make it yoursReduce it by three quarters for a glace that keeps in the fridge for weeks. Add star anise, ginger and charred onion in the last hour and it becomes a pho base.
Can you make How to Make Beef Stock in an air fryer? — Yes, with an insert
Not on its own — an air fryer can’t hold a pool of liquid. You can simmer it in an oven-safe dish or a silicone insert made to fit the basket, but the broth won’t reduce or brown the way it does on the stove, and that insert comes out scorching, so use oven mitts. For real depth, a pot on the stove wins.
Can you freeze How to Make Beef Stock? — Yes
Yes — it freezes well. Cool it fully, portion into airtight containers, and it keeps a few months; thaw in the fridge and reheat gently.
Can you make How to Make Beef Stock ahead of time? — Yes
Yes — it holds well and often tastes better the next day. Make it ahead and reheat gently before serving.
Is How to Make Beef Stock gluten-free? — Yes
Yes — nothing in this recipe as written contains gluten. As always, glance at the labels on any packaged items (broth, sauces, chocolate), since brands vary.
Is How to Make Beef Stock vegan? — No
No — it contains meat, so it isn’t vegetarian or vegan.
Community Notes
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