Beef Bone Stock
GAPS* Stage:
Stage 1+
Recipe adapted from Monica Corrado’s book, The Complete Cooking Techniques for the GAPS™ Diet
About the Recipe
When you want to make some beef soup, pull out this recipe and head to the farmers market to pick up some beef bones. This recipe yields the right proportions of stock & meat for creating a GAPS* soup!
This recipe is also perfect for those that want more stock, and little meat leftover! When you are going through stock like crazy, this recipe is really great!
Ingredients
Beef bones (such as the bones from Wild Fire Farms)
Filtered water (exact amount calculated in Step 1)
¼-½ tsp mineral salt per liter/quart water
(optional) ¼-½ tsp peppercorns per liter/quart water
(optional) Other flavorful ingredients such as garlic, onion, carrot, herbs, etc. (see them all HERE)
Click HERE to visit the Wild Fire Farms website
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
You'll need a scale for this. Measure the total weight (in pounds) of the beef bones. For each pound measured you're going to add 1/2 quart (500mL) of water to the pot. This is a meat-to-water ratio of 1 : ½
For instance, the weight of the beef bones in the photo is 1406 grams, equating to 3.1 pounds. This means I need to add 1.55 quarts (1.55L). For simplicity I added 1.5 quarts (6 cups / 1.5 liters).
Step 2
Place the bones and water into the stovetop pot and bring to a boil. Skim the scum out of the pot once boiling and then reduce the temperature so it will be brought down to a simmer.
Step 3
(optional) Place the salt, peppercorns & other flavorful ingredients into the pot.
To calculate the quantity of salt required: For every 1 quart/liter of water you added to the pot, you're going to add ¼-½ tsp of salt. From the above example, I added 1.5 quarts/liters to my pot. So I added 3/8-3/4 tsp to the pot.
The exact same calculation applies to peppercorns.
Step 4
Place the cover onto the pot and simmer for 6 hours.
Step 5
Remove the bones from the pot and let them cool down for 15 minutes (or more). Strip the meat off the bones once it's cool enough to touch.
The meat can be used to create a soup, served with a meal or fed to the dog!
Collecting & Reserving Stock in Mason Jars:
Step 6
Wait until the stock is no longer steaming, then strain the stock through a strainer into glass mason jars.
NOTE: Fill the jar up to the neck of the mason jar if you plan to refrigerate the stock. Fill the jar lower than the shoulder if you plan to freeze the stock (about 2 inches below the top of the jar), as this will allow room for the stock to expand when it freezes.
Step 7
Allow the jarred stock to cool down until it is room-temp. Cap the jars and place the date on them. Either store the jars as per the storage instructions, use it to cook a soup, or enjoy the stock warm within a mug.
NOTE: Once the stock is refrigerated, it should look gelatinous when removed from the fridge. But while it is cooling down, it will not show signs of gelling until it has been refrigerated.
What to do with the hard fat at the top of the jars?
If you don’t want to eat the fat, an alternative is to use it to make a body cream, a salve or a lip balm. First you need to render the tallow, meaning you need to remove the impurities and reduce the beefy smell. Best rendering method is HERE. Then you follow the recipes noted below:
Click HERE for instructions to make body cream.
Click HERE for instructions to make a herb infused salve.
Click HERE for instructions to make a lip balm.
There is also a recipe in Dr. Natasha’s blue GAPS* book for tallow skin cream (2020, p.247).
Storage Instructions
The jars can be refrigerated for several weeks. A solid layer of tightly fitted fat at the top will help to preserve the stock longer, as it seals off air from degrading the liquid stock. Alternatively, the jars can be frozen for several months (provided there is sufficient room for the stock to expand at the top, otherwise the jars could burst and break).