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Beef bone broth made from roasted beef bones, vegetables and herbs is the most delicious stock that is perfect for stews, soups, gravy and roasts. The beef bones and vegetables are roasted and then the beef broth can be made on the stove, in the oven, or in an Instant Pot.
Table of Contents
- Why this recipe works so well:
- How to roast the bones:
- How to make beef broth on the stove top:
- You can make it in the oven too.
- My preferred method: the Instant Pot.
- Pro Tips when making beef broth:
- My favorite recipes that use my beef bone broth:
- Step by step recipe video
- Roasted Beef Bone Broth Recipe
- Pro Tips when making beef broth:
Why this recipe works so well:
- Roasting can enhance the flavor through Maillard reaction with the browning on the surface of the food.
- Using beef bones that have meat, fat, and marrow will infuse the beef stock with rich minerals, nutrients, vitamins, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and protein. That’s why I like to call my broth liquid gold!
- By making homemade roasted beef broth yourself versus buying some from the store, you can ensure the freshness of your ingredients as well as the quality.
- You can make a huge batch and then freeze quart sized batches so that you always have beef broth on hand.
If you’ve never made your own stock from beef bones, boy are you in for a treat. I never knew beef broth could taste so amazing!
The process is an investment for sure. Its easy to make, but its not a quick process (but it is much quicker if you use the Instant Pot).
Making your own roasted beef broth is a labor of love, and I guarantee its worth every minute it takes to make it.
How to roast the bones:
- You start the process with as many beef bones as you can fit in a single layer in your roasting pan. For this batch, I had about four ribs and six meaty bones.
- Rub both sides with olive oil and kosher salt.
- Roast the bones in a 425 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. Then, turn them over, add the onions, celery, carrots, and tomato paste and continue roasting for about 20 minutes.
How to make beef broth on the stove top:
You can make the beef stock on the stove. This is the way I used to do it, but it takes a long time (the longer the better).
- Transfer everything from the roasting pan to a large stock pot. Add water to the roast pan and scrape the bottom to release anything that might have stuck. Transfer all of that liquid to the pot.
- Add garlic, pepper, thyme and bay leaves to the pot. Do not cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat as low as it will go while it maintains a gentle simmer.
- Cook for a minimum of 6 hours up to a full day. When done, strain the broth and use within a few days or freeze for longer storage.
You can make it in the oven too.
If you don’t want to babysit the beef stock on the stove or have somewhere to be, you can cook it in the oven.
Just be sure that your stockpot is oven safe. Follow the same directions as you would when cooking on the stove, but instead of reducing the heat and simmering on the stove, transfer it to a 200 degree oven.
When I use the oven cooking method, I let it cook all night and will strain it in the morning.
My preferred method: the Instant Pot.
Not only will using the Instant Pot reduce your cooking time by many hours, but cooking under pressure will extract the most amount of flavor and nutrients from the bones and vegetables.
The only downside is that you will most likely have to make it in batches because the Instant Pot is not nearly as large as a stock pot.
To make beef broth in the Instant Pot, transfer the roasted bones and vegetables from the pan to the Instant Pot and add water, garlic, pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for one hour (I’ve gone as long as two hours).
Pro Tips when making beef broth:
- Beef bones: The important thing about the bones is that you get some with a bit of meat and you also want to make sure they are packed with marrow (that white stuff inside the round bone). This combination is what will make your beef broth OUTSTANDING.
- Where to buy beef bones: If you know a farmer who sells grass fed beef, you can almost always get beef bones from them. Not everyone knows how to use them so they don’t bring the bones home with their meat order. You can also usually get them from the meat counter at your local super market.
- Roasting Tips: Be sure that your roasting pan is not overly crowded. The meat and the vegetables need contact with the hot oven air in order to brown. Roast in batches, if necessary.
- Freezing: I highly recommend making a huge batch of beef broth and storing it for future use. To freeze, you must refrigerate the broth first. Then, transfer to a quart sized storage container and freeze until ready to use.
- Drink it! When you’re sick, there is nothing better. I drink my homemade beef broth out of a tall glass with a straw. That way all the fat will rise to the top and you won’t suck any up from the bottom. Smart, eh?
My favorite recipes that use my beef bone broth:
- Tender Beef Burgundy
- Beef and Egg Noodles
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Classic Beef Stroganoff
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Winter Minestrone Soup
- Perfect Pot Roast
- Swedish Meatballs
Step by step recipe video
Watch me make my roasted beef bone broth in the video in the recipe card below.
I love hearing from my readers so please leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!
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Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 pounds beef bones grass feed recommended, mixture of ribs and meaty bones with a lot of collagen, about 6-7 pounds total
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large onions chopped
- 2 celery stalks leaves included, chopped
- 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 head of garlic outer papery skin removed, bottom chopped off to expose the cloves but leaving the head in tact (as if you were roasting it)
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Roasting the bones and vegetables:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the bones in a large roasting pan (like what you'd roast a turkey in). Rub both sides of the 6 pounds beef bones with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Roast in hot oven for 30 minutes. Your kitchen will smell amazing.
- After 30 minutes, flip the bones, add the 2 large onions, 2 celery stalks, 3 large carrots, and 1 tablespoon tomato paste and continue to roast for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Use your largest stockpot. Ensure it is oven save if you’ll be doing any of the cooking in the oven.
Stove top instructions:
- Transfer all of the roasted meat and vegetables from the roasting pan to a very large stockpot. Using a total of 5 quarts of water, add 1-2 quarts at a time to the empty roasting pan, scrape sides, swirl it around, and then pour it into the stockpot to make the broth. Repeat until you have added a total of about 5 quarts of water to the pot, but make sure you get every bit of flavor possible out of that roasting pan.
- Add the 1 head of garlic, freshly ground pepper, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, and 2 bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil (uncovered), and then reduce heat so that broth is percolating at a gentle simmer. Cook at this temperature for a minimum of 6 hours up to a full day. You can also transfer pot to a preheated 200°F oven (this is what I do to let it cook overnight).
Oven instructions:
- Transfer all of the roasted meat and vegetables from the roasting pan to a very large oven safe stockpot. Using a total of 5 quarts of water, add 1-2 quarts at a time to the empty roasting pan, scrape sides, swirl it around, and then pour it into the stockpot to make the broth. Repeat until you have added a total of about 5 quarts of water to the pot, but make sure you get every bit of flavor possible out of that roasting pan.
- Add the head of garlic, pepper, thyme and bay leaves to the pot. Transfer pot to a preheated 200°F oven and cook, uncovered, for 6 hours up to over night.
Instant Pot instructions:
- Due to the size of the Instant Pot, plan on cooking in two separate batches.
- Add half of the roasted meat and vegetables to the Instant Pot (refrigerate remaining until ready to use). Add half of the garlic, pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Fill to the top level with water. Seal lid and cook on high pressure 1-2 hours (1 hour works, longer is better if you have the time).
- Repeat with remaining ingredients to make second half.
Straining and storing:
- Strain stock and discard solids. Drink, use in a recipe, or refrigerate until the broth is chilled If using within the next few days, keep refrigerated. Otherwise, freeze if using at a later time.
Notes
Pro Tips when making beef broth:
- Beef bones: The important thing about the bones is that you get some with a bit of meat and you also want to make sure they are packed with marrow (that white stuff inside the round bone). This combination is what will make your beef broth OUTSTANDING.
- Where to buy beef bones: If you know a farmer who sells grass fed beef, you can almost always get beef bones from them. Not everyone knows how to use them so they don’t bring the bones home with their meat order. You can also usually get them from the meat counter at your local super market.
- Roasting Tips: Be sure that your roasting pan is not overly crowded. The meat and the vegetables need contact with the hot oven air in order to brown. Roast in batches, if necessary.
- Freezing: I highly recommend making a huge batch of beef broth and storing it for future use. To freeze, you must refrigerate the broth first. Then, transfer to a quart sized storage container and freeze until ready to use.
- Drink it! When you’re sick, there is nothing better. I drink my homemade beef broth out of a tall glass with a straw. That way all the fat will rise to the top and you won’t suck any up from the bottom. Smart, eh?
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was originally published in January 2015 and has been updated with more information and cooking tips. Don’t worry – I haven’t touched the recipe. I wouldn’t dare! I’ve been making it this way for years.
If I make half the recipe you give the option but would I still use 6 qts of water? It doesn’t halve the instructions just the ingredients
I plan on freezing once cooled in fridge do I remove the fat layer on top or transfer some into each bag?
That’s totally a matter of preference. I used to discard it but now I leave it in because I like the fat! If I drink the beef broth instead of using it in a soup, I will skim off the fat or drink it with a straw to avoid the fat layer though.
Have you ever kept the veggie scraps and used a high powered blender to puree and add them back into the broth?
I haven’t. We have about 25 backyard chickens so I always give them the veggies!
Do you have recipe for roasted chicken bone broth? Beef was delicious!
Not for roasted chicken broth, but I like to make mine in the Instant Pot. https://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/pressure-cooker-instant-pot-chicken-broth/
My electric turkey roaster works great for this!
The bone marrow I dug out of some of the bones. We use that right? In the broth. Kari
Yes, I keep the bones in tact with the marrow when roasting and then making the stock.
I am still getting ready to make this. question here seems not to be answered about the bone marrow:
she asked if it is okay to remove it and put it in the broth.
You indicate that you keep it intact while roasting and “then making the stock”.
The answer implies you keep the marrow in while roasting and in the stock?
So do you remove the marrow and add it to the stock? at what stage ? in the end?
second, why all the meat? I usually do not use bones with so much meat when only going for a broth and not a meal?
I never removed the marrow. I keep it in the bones for the roasting and then the broth making. Then, when everything is done, I give the bones with any remaining marrow to my chickens (they eat all our scraps). The bones I used in the photos came with all of that meat when I bought a quarter cow from a rancher. When I make bone broth now, I get a bag from our local butcher and they have hardly any meat on them, if any at all. Both ways work!
Could this simmer on low in a crockpot? and for how long? 16 hours?
You bet! 16 hours (or overnight) would work great.
I’m making this for the first time. I started in a very deep roasting pan. Could I add the water to this pan instead of transferring to a stock pot for making the broth in the oven?
Sorry for the late reply, but yes that would work great!
Good solid recipe. I added star anise to the InstaPot (in my case) because it goes so well with beef.
What a wonderful recipe. I used oxtails, beef shanks, and left over ribs from the standing rib roast I had frozen after Christmas. The broth came out velvety smooth and exploding with flavor.
As far as discarding the solids…I am saving the beef meat I was able to salvage from the cooked bones for adding to beef stew and chili later on. Also, I’m making garlic paste out of the super soft and flavorful garlic head.
I did the same thing since the beef chunks add a nice addition to bean chili. The broth is almost too intense.