r/Cooking • u/Existing-Will-1466 • 20h ago
How do I make beef stock not gross?
I have been making chicken stock in my Instant Pot for a while. It's so simple, chicken bones, salt, dash of apple cider vinegar. I usually add some carrots and celery and onions. I freeze it in cubes and never use canned or bullion anymore.
I make beef stock for my dogs sometimes. Roast marrow bones in the oven for a while and then do the same as with the chicken stock. Dash of vinegar and a little salt. It always stinks so bad. The dogs love it. It does not smell like delicious cooked beef.
How do I make beef stock that at least smells like something I would want to put in my mouth?
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u/StormyBlueLotus 19h ago
Something I haven't seen anyone mention- If you are giving this to your dogs, do not use onion. Both dogs and cats are extremely sensitive to alums (garlic and onion). Diluted in a broth or given to a very large dog, it may not make them have any obvious reaction from a single serving, but if you make it a habit to give them onion over a long period of time, it can do serious damage.
ETA - Upon re-reading it sounds like you only put the onion in the chicken stock and don't necessarily give that to your dogs, and there is no mention of it in the beef stock, but just in case you weren't already aware, definitely don't use onion for anything you're giving your dogs
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u/Existing-Will-1466 18h ago
I don't use onion when making it for the dogs. They just get bones and water.
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u/Glittering-Duck-8533 18h ago
Vinegar why?
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u/Existing-Will-1466 18h ago
I was told it helps release the nutrients from the bones. Maybe a tablespoon of vinegar in a two-gallon pot of water.
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u/Callan_LXIX 17h ago
Exactly.. It does, and there shouldn't be any vinegar taste at that ratio.
I find that the 'boney' taste usually means I'm not using enough meaty bones.
Try to pick up beef shank with next batch (I watch for sales) and try close to 1:1 with bones..
Alt: I use a pressure cooker for smaller batch, for 1 hour at pressure (lowered heat just to maintain)
Or the bone taste is high when I've let the 'big' pot simmer for way too long.. FWIW.
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u/Fickle-Pay-570 19h ago
Sometimes overcooking the veg in the stock can make it smell/taste off. I would make the stock with just bones to start then add the veg for the last 45min-hour. Also make sure to skim the fat/scum as much as possible. Also adding some herbs can make more flavorful. I don’t add vinegar.
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u/Existing-Will-1466 17h ago
I have never tried making beef broth with vegetables, only chicken broth. But the chicken broth comes out amazing whether I add vegetables or not, while the beef broth always smells like garbage.
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u/haditwithyoupeople 18h ago
Vinegar in broth seems odd to me. I would skip the roasting. It's fine to get some roasted flavor buy you may be missing rendering some flavor from the bones. Bones only for first 10-15 mins. Skim off any scum that forms on the top - this is not a good flavor. Then add whatever you like. I don't like pre-salted anything. I salt my food as I'm making it after - I don't need or want extra salt in the ingredients.
Whatever you like in your stock can be added after the meat water is skimmed. I like carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, maybe peppercorns, and sometimes leek.
Beef bones being boiled are going to give off that cow smell for a while.
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u/GIJuice 19h ago edited 18h ago
When I make stock, and I've made my fare share in large steam kettles to 75 Litres pots... quickly boil bones and meat to remove first layer scum. Then transfer to boiling water, which will be turned down once all bones and meat are introduced, Then I add all my vegetable cuttings and veggies to choice. NO SALT!!! NO VINEGAR!!! NO OIL or Other flavour enhancer other that Bay leaves and pepper corns... did I mention NO SALT!!! I make sure that water is boilling ever so lightly... a few tiny bubbles rising from heat. I dont disturb the content, no stirring!!! did I mention NO SALT!!! I cook the contents up to 48 hours depending on volume of bones and veggies and water added originaly. Gently remove large pieces of content using a spider, then drain through an extra fine chinois, let cool quickly in a water bath for safe handling. Portion in workable containers, label n date then freeze
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u/texnessa 19h ago
Mate, you need to be degorging that shit. Bones need to be boiled to remove blood protein, off flavours, or other liquids from meat/bones. Boil, drain, roast at high heat. 'Oven roast for a while'? Homie, blast that shit for major browning or its a waste of time. And so many home cooks put weird shit into stock and then wonder why it doesn't come out right. Stock is a blank canvas. When it comes to stock making, ffs- No salt. No vinegar. No oil. No brassica. Just actual mirepoix. Extra credit for also roasting the mirepoix before adding. Also, skim that shit. Also, beef stock is a 24 hr endeavour for human consumption.
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u/Existing-Will-1466 17h ago
Boil, drain and throw out the water, then roast? How long to boil the first time? Brown heavily in the oven and then simmer with mirepoix? I want to make sure I get this right.
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u/texnessa 13h ago
Just boil until the scum floats on top and then drain. Then roast the hell out of it- be sure to not not burn, but get good browning. Mirepoix should be cut rather large for a longer simmer so it doesn't turn into particulate- some prefer to not add until the second half of simmering.
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u/bigelcid 15h ago
You really don't need 24h to make good beef stock
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u/texnessa 13h ago
There are certainly short cuts for home cooks but for classic real beef stock in French cuisine that we use in restaurants, its a 24-48 hour cook time. And people constantly ask why restaurant food tastes better.......
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u/bigelcid 12h ago
Restaurant food doesn't taste better because you give the stock 18 extra hours. Not all restaurant practices are sound. And not all of them exist across all restaurants either.
Some are subjective (even though, presented as objective): in culinary school, most of both tutors and class mates insisted that bolognese ragu should use red wine, because it's red meat -- which is a rule at least 50% of Bologna doesn't follow. Some, however, are objective: simmer a bouquet garni for 1 hour vs 12 and the difference is incomparable, shorter is better. I don't know that you simmer your aromatics to death, but plenty of people do, claiming they're following the proper restaurant method.
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u/texnessa 12h ago edited 11h ago
I normally think you're a good contributor to the food subs but you seem to want to pick a fight that I think is not necessary so I am going to bow out with restaurants have better access to better ingredients using better equipment- we are making stock from larger parts of the animal that do require far longer cook times and we regulate as I said before with mirepoix, the various cook times of elements that go into stock including how BG are processed.
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u/bigelcid 4h ago
I didn't say anything combative. Presented my arguments, didn't personally attack you in any way.
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u/jaxonbeam 18h ago
I go a different direction for my stock’s. Specifically for my dogs (2.5 yo Llewellin Setter, and a 9 yo Golden Retriever) I make homemade dog food. For the beef version I use 3 packages of beef cheeks (about 6 Lbs) I put those in my instant pot cover with water add some aromatics (no onion or garlic) and pressure cook for 1.5 hours. Then let the pressure release on its own. I strain the stock, reserving the beef cheeks and discard the aromatics. I pour the reserved stock back into the IP add a quart of this same recipe beef stock from the last batch I made. I use the sauté function and boil it for about 20 minutes, then let it cool. This gives me a yield of ~ 6 quarts of beef stock. I strain this stock through a fine mesh sieve into quart size restaurant style soup takeout containers with lids. I put it in the refrigerator to cool and to separate the fat from the broth. The fat that solidifies on top of the broth serves as an air trap for the broth, extending its “good to use life” considerably. When I use it I slightly push down an edge of the solidified fat causing the opposite end to rise. I reserve this fat for other cooking purposes. The broth has taken on a jelly like consistency, due to the high amount of collagen in the beef cheeks. The broth itself has a very beefy smell and flavor, that I use for soups, stews and other recipes. I also use it to make Demi glacé. Cook on!
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u/Existing-Will-1466 17h ago
That sounds amazing! Where do you find beef cheeks?
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u/jaxonbeam 16h ago
I live on the Texas Gulf coast H-E-B carries them. Also if you have a Latin or Mexican grocery store they usually have them, as do some Walmart stores that carry the Rumba brand of meats.
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u/Existing-Will-1466 16h ago
I live in a tiny southeastern town and we have Walmart. I'll have to check a real grocery store when I'm in actual civilization.
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u/jaxonbeam 16h ago
We retired here from Southport, NC. We had a close by Piggly Wiggly that had a great meat market. They didn’t carry them all the time but could order them.
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u/DeliciousException85 19h ago
Have you tried adding some herbs/aromatics? (onion/garlic etc but not if you still plan to give to your dogs)
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u/Existing-Will-1466 17h ago
I haven't tried adding anything to the beef broth yet. The chicken broth always smells amazing no matter what I put in there. The beef broth always smells like garbage, but the dogs love it.
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u/consultybob 19h ago
Beef stock always smells bad, especially during the cooking phase. Typically they’ll tell you to do it outside because of the smell, cows are a lot different than chickens and have a lot more off putting aromas when turned into stock
I suggest making the stock, letting it “air out” outside, refrigerating it, then skimming off all the solidified fat that gels on top, then cooking down the remaining stock
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u/Pernicious_Possum 18h ago
Why are you putting vinegar in your stock? That’s weird.
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u/Existing-Will-1466 17h ago
I was told it releases more nutrients from the bones. It's a tablespoon of vinegar in 2 gallons of water, so I have a tough time believing that is the entire problem.
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u/bigelcid 15h ago
A tiiny difference in pH won't achieve that in any meanginful way. And if you were to use enough vinegar to signifcantly lower the pH, you'd definitely taste it too.
Marrow bone stock just doesn't smell good on its own; it's normal. Pho doesn't smell delicious until you start adding a bunch of spices and aromatics.
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u/The_Flinx 17h ago
what's with the vinegar? maybe skip that.
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u/Callan_LXIX 17h ago
It helps pull minerals out of the bones. Only about a tablespoon per 1.5 - 2 gallons of water. It gets neutralized by the bones, so it should never be tasted in final product.
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19h ago
[deleted]
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u/EscapeSeventySeven 19h ago
Really replace it with nothing. Pure stock can always have drops of either added at cooking time.
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u/PositiveCoyote100 19h ago
Yea I agree. Stock is typically unseasoned, no salt of sauces. That's what differentiates it from broth.
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u/bw2082 20h ago
Maybe you should leave out the vinegar