Our Favorite Beef Stock
We love this flavorful beef stock recipe! Since we use a pressure cooker, it’s easy and requires much less time than stovetop stock. In just over 4 hours, you are guaranteed a rich, beefy broth that tastes better than anything you can buy at the store. Store-bought beef stock often disappoints me. It lacks flavor and is usually too salty. That’s why I love making my own in the Instant Pot! Traditional stovetop beef stock takes at least 6 hours, and for a truly rich beef broth, you’re looking at 8+ hours. A pressure cooker dramatically speeds things up, and you get a delicious beef bone broth packed with collagen and minerals. If you’re short on time, try our stovetop chicken stock or this quick 1-hour chicken broth. Or, if you prefer the pressure cooker, check out our Instant Pot bone broth made with chicken bones. Key Ingredients Beef Bones: You need good-quality, meaty beef bones for the best homemade beef stock. I go to my local butcher shop and use whatever they have that day. Beef knuckles, oxtail, neck bones, shanks, and ribs are all great options, especially if they have a bit of meat left on them. Bones with bits of connective tissue help with gelatin production (or the texture of the broth), and bones with meat help with flavor. Tomato Paste: We are all about that rich, beefy flavor. Thanks to the umami in tomatoes, tomato paste helps us achieve it. We roast our beef bones, rubbed in tomato paste, for 30 minutes before making the stock. Onion, Garlic, and Olive Oil: Since we want our broth rich and beefy, we don’t use carrots or celery in this recipe. This keeps our ingredient list down. The olive oil roasts the onions and garlic, sweetening them before making our stock. Thyme, Bay Leaves, Peppercorns, and Salt: We keep our seasonings classic for this homemade stock. Pickapepper or Worcestershire sauce: We use Pickapepper in our homemade BBQ sauce and love it. The two sauces bump up the umami-rich flavor of our stock, so use what you have. Pickapepper is a little thinner and a bit sweeter than the more savory Worcestershire, but in this recipe, they are interchangeable. Water: Since we use a pressure cooker, you do not want to fill past the “Fill Line.” For a 6-quart pressure cooker, you need about 8 cups of water. Since there is less evaporation in a pressure cooker than when simmering on the stove, you will have about 8 cups of stock when it’s done. Beef Bones: You need good-quality, meaty beef bones for the best homemade beef stock. I go to my local butcher shop and use whatever they have that day. Beef knuckles, oxtail, neck bones, shanks, and ribs are all great options, especially if they have a bit of meat left on them. Bones with bits of connective tissue help with gelatin production (or the texture of the broth), and bones with meat help with flavor. Tomato Paste: We are all about that rich, beefy flavor. Thanks to the umami in tomatoes, tomato paste helps us achieve it. We roast our beef bones, rubbed in tomato paste, for 30 minutes before making the stock. Onion, Garlic, and Olive Oil: Since we want our broth rich and beefy, we don’t use carrots or celery in this recipe. This keeps our ingredient list down. The olive oil roasts the onions and garlic, sweetening them before making our stock. Thyme, Bay Leaves, Peppercorns, and Salt: We keep our seasonings classic for this homemade stock. Pickapepper or Worcestershire sauce: We use Pickapepper in our homemade BBQ sauce and love it. The two sauces bump up the umami-rich flavor of our stock, so use what you have. Pickapepper is a little thinner and a bit sweeter than the more savory Worcestershire, but in this recipe, they are interchangeable. Water: Since we use a pressure cooker, you do not want to fill past the “Fill Line.” For a 6-quart pressure cooker, you need about 8 cups of water. Since there is less evaporation in a pressure cooker than when simmering on the stove, you will have about 8 cups of stock when it’s done. How to Make Beef Stock First, we need to roast our beef bones. Roasting makes our bone broth richer and more flavorful. Tumble the bones into a baking dish, then roast for 10 minutes. Remove the bones from the oven, and when they are cool enough to handle, rub them down with tomato paste, adding even more of a rich flavor. Toss in onions and garlic, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast everything for another 30 minutes. Now transfer everything from the roasting pan to your pressure cooker (ours is an Instant Pot). Pour a little of your measured water into the roasting pan and deglaze it by scraping all the stuck bits from the bottom and sides. Pour this liquid into the pressure cooker along with the remaining measured water. Finally, add thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, and Pickapepper sauce (or use Worcestershire). Seal the lid and cook on high pressure (or the stock setting) for four hours. Allow the pressure cooker to naturally release the pressure, and then strain. Once you have homemade beef stock, you can use it or save it for another day (storing tips are below the recipe). It’s delicious enough to sip on, or you can use it in your favorite recipes. Some of my favorite recipes to make with this beef stock are below: I love making French onion soup, and this beef stock makes it unbelievably good. It’s perfect for stews! I love our classic beef stew (made with red wine) or this Guinness beef stew. It’s also incredible for gravies. Here’s my favorite everyday gravy recipe. I love making French onion soup, and this beef stock makes it unbelievably good. It’s perfect for stews! I love our classic beef stew (made with red wine) or this Guinness beef stew. It’s also incredible for gravies. Here’s my favorite everyday gravy recipe. Our Favorite Beef Stock PREP 15 mins COOK 4 hr 40 mins TOTAL 4 hr 55 mins PREP 15 mins COOK 4 hr 40 mins TOTAL 4 hr 55 mins Since we use a pressure cooker for this beef stock recipe, the method is straightforward and requires much less time than stock made on the stove. When shopping for beef bones, look for good-quality, meaty beef bones. Beef knuckles, oxtail, neck bones, shanks, and ribs are all great options, especially if they have a bit of meat left on them. Since this broth cooks at high pressure for 4 hours, it is also considered a beef bone broth. Equipment: We use a 6-quart Instant Pot for this recipe Makes 8 cups You Will Need 1 ¾ to 2 pounds meaty beef bones 2 ½ tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, sliced into 8 wedges 5 cloves garlic, smashed 5 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 5 whole peppercorns 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 2 quarts (1893 ml or 8 cups) water 1/2 teaspoon Pickapepper sauce or Worcestershire sauce Directions 1Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Place beef bones into a large baking dish or pan. 2Roast the bones for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, cool for a few minutes, and then rub them all over with the tomato paste. 3Scatter the onion wedges and smashed garlic around the bones and drizzle them with olive oil. Roast the bones, onion, and garlic for 30 minutes. 4Transfer the roasted bones, onion, and garlic to a 6-quart pressure cooker (we use an Instant Pot). 5Pour a little of the measured water into the baking dish to deglaze. Use a wooden spoon to scrape anything stuck to the bottom and sides of the pan, and then pour it into the pressure cooker. 6Pour in the remaining water (8 cups total), and then add the thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, and Pickapepper (or Worcestershire sauce). 7Cook on high pressure (or use the soup/stock setting) for 4 hours. Allow the cooker to naturally depressurize, which will take around 30 minutes. 8Use a fine mesh strainer and strain the stock. Allow to cool and refrigerate for up to five days or freeze for up to three months. 1Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Place beef bones into a large baking dish or pan. 2Roast the bones for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, cool for a few minutes, and then rub them all over with the tomato paste. 3Scatter the onion wedges and smashed garlic around the bones and drizzle them with olive oil. Roast the bones, onion, and garlic for 30 minutes. 4Transfer the roasted bones, onion, and garlic to a 6-quart pressure cooker (we use an Instant Pot). 5Pour a little of the measured water into the baking dish to deglaze. Use a wooden spoon to scrape anything stuck to the bottom and sides of the pan, and then pour it into the pressure cooker. 6Pour in the remaining water (8 cups total), and then add the thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, and Pickapepper (or Worcestershire sauce). 7Cook on high pressure (or use the soup/stock setting) for 4 hours. Allow the cooker to naturally depressurize, which will take around 30 minutes. 8Use a fine mesh strainer and strain the stock. Allow to cool and refrigerate for up to five days or freeze for up to three months. Adam and Joanne's Tips Storing: After making the stock, let it cool and refrigerate for up to five days or freeze for up to three months. When refrigerating the stock, leave the layer of fat that rises to the top as it cools. This layer of fat helps to keep the stock fresh. When you reheat, keep as much of this fat as you like. You can also cook with it. Freezing stock: To freeze the stock, store it in freezer-safe bags or freezer-safe canning jars. If you use jars, leave space (at least 1 inch) at the top to allow for expansion when the liquid freezes. You can also freeze stock in large ice cube trays. When they are frozen, transfer the stock cubes to a freezer-safe bag. Why do you roast the bones before adding the tomato paste? Roasting the bones for 10 minutes before adding the tomato paste gives the bones a longer roasting time while reducing the roasting time for tomato paste. With all the sugar in the tomato paste, it can burn. Pickapepper and Worcestershire sauce are umami-rich. Pickapepper is a little thinner and a bit sweeter than the more savory Worcestershire, but in this recipe, they are interchangeable. Stovetop stock: You can still make delicious beef stock on the stovetop. Roast the bones as directed, then simmer them gently with the other ingredients for 6-8 hours or longer if you have the time. Keep the simmer low and slow to prevent too much evaporation. The stovetop method may yield less stock than a pressure cooker, but the flavor will be just as fantastic. For an extra-rich broth, consider increasing the amount of beef bones and water (4-5 pounds bones, 10-12 cups water). No matter how you make it, homemade beef stock is always superior to store-bought! The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Storing: After making the stock, let it cool and refrigerate for up to five days or freeze for up to three months. When refrigerating the stock, leave the layer of fat that rises to the top as it cools. This layer of fat helps to keep the stock fresh. When you reheat, keep as much of this fat as you like. You can also cook with it. Freezing stock: To freeze the stock, store it in freezer-safe bags or freezer-safe canning jars. If you use jars, leave space (at least 1 inch) at the top to allow for expansion when the liquid freezes. You can also freeze stock in large ice cube trays. When they are frozen, transfer the stock cubes to a freezer-safe bag. Why do you roast the bones before adding the tomato paste? Roasting the bones for 10 minutes before adding the tomato paste gives the bones a longer roasting time while reducing the roasting time for tomato paste. With all the sugar in the tomato paste, it can burn. Pickapepper and Worcestershire sauce are umami-rich. Pickapepper is a little thinner and a bit sweeter than the more savory Worcestershire, but in this recipe, they are interchangeable. Stovetop stock: You can still make delicious beef stock on the stovetop. Roast the bones as directed, then simmer them gently with the other ingredients for 6-8 hours or longer if you have the time. Keep the simmer low and slow to prevent too much evaporation. The stovetop method may yield less stock than a pressure cooker, but the flavor will be just as fantastic. For an extra-rich broth, consider increasing the amount of beef bones and water (4-5 pounds bones, 10-12 cups water). No matter how you make it, homemade beef stock is always superior to store-bought! The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 cup / Calories 46 / Total Fat 2g / Saturated Fat 0.3g / Cholesterol 0mg / Sodium 475.2mg / Carbohydrate 2.9g / Dietary Fiber 0g / Total Sugars 1.3g / Protein 4.7g AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us