Beef or Lamb Stock (Irish)

A homemade beef stock is easy to make with roasted beef bones and trimmings, along with vegetables, water, and herbs. Although it takes several hours for the stock to simmer to perfection, the hands-on preparation time is under 30 minutes, meaning, without much effort, you will have a rich beef stock to use for a variety of recipes. Homemade beef stock or broth is a good reason to keep the meat trimmings from roasts and steaks. Use a variety of beef bones, such as neck bones, shanks, ribs, etc., along with some beef itself. For this recipe, you'll need a roasting pan and a stockpot large enough to accommodate the bones and vegetables, and a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth for straining the final stock.

4-5 lbs beef or lamb bones with bits of meat attached (2-2.5 kg)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
2-3 large sprigs parsley
2-3 large sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C/210°C fan, Gas Mark 8).

Spread the bones out in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes, then add the onion and carrots and continue roasting for 20 minutes more.

Transfer the bones to a large pot and add the celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, cloves, garlic, and tomato paste. Deglaze roasting pan on the stovetop over high heat with a little water, then add contents of pan to pot. Add 6 qt (6 L) of water to the pot, or as much as you need to cover the ingredients completely. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the stock has reduced by half, 4-6 hours. Skim any foam that forms on the surface.

Strain the stock, discarding the solids. Rinse out the pot, then return the stock to it and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes longer. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate or freeze in several containers. If desired, refrigerate for about 3 hours, until fat rises to the top and solidifies, then remove the fat before freezing.

Makes about 3 qt (3 L).