Recipes / Stocks and basics
Personal Notebook · Cassadaga-Informed Technique · Printable
Brown Stock
Slow-simmered stock made from roasted bones and vegetables.
Ingredients
- Bones from red-meat animals, typically beef, buffalo or bison, without meat (the notebook calls these “rendering bones”)
- Yellow onions, chopped
- Carrots, chopped
- Celery, chopped
- Approximately 1 quart water per pound of bones, per notebook
Example batch ratio recorded: 5 pounds bones, 1 bunch carrots, 1 head celery, and 3 onions.
Directions
- Roast bones in an uncovered pan at 400°F for 2 hours. Do not let them blacken.
- Transfer the roasted bones to a stockpot and add approximately 1 quart water for each pound of bones.
- Add chopped carrots, celery and onions, using the recorded example ratio for a 5-pound batch.
- Simmer uncovered for 12 hours. Add water as needed; do not allow the stock to evaporate away.
- Refrigerate. The original notes say to allow the fat to form a seal over the stock for storage over several days.
Notebook history
Part of the creator's collection of stock-making techniques refined through what she learned at Cassadaga. The original notes use the phrase “Rendering Bones (No Meat).” The creator confirms she typically used bones from red-meat animals, including beef, buffalo and bison. That is why she calls it brown stock, rather than beef stock: the recipe is not restricted to one animal.
Storage clarification
A layer of fat is not a substitute for safe cooling and refrigeration. Strain if desired, cool promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate at 40°F or colder, and use refrigerated homemade stock within about 3–4 days or freeze it. Do not rely on a fat seal to extend safe storage.