Discover the ultimate guide on how to make beef stock the French way with our Fond Brun recipe. Elevate your culinary game with this rich, flavorful base that's a cornerstone of French cuisine.
1 Large Stock Pot We use a 5 gallon (20 liter) stock pot: https://amzn.to/3islfML (affiliate link)
strainers or sieves of a few sizes to filter the broth
cheesecloth preferably an unbleached cotton cheesecloth: https://amzn.to/3Fs2imn (affiliate link)
baking sheets for roasting the meat, bones and vegetables
Ingredients
12lbsmeat: beef, veal or a mix chuck, brisket, skirt, or bone-in short rib
12lbsbeef or veal bonespreferably knees, shoulders, shanks
28ozcarrotlarge pieces
14ozcelerylarge pieces
28ozonionlarge pieces
8tbspclarified butter
3 gallonsmineral wateror filtered water
3.5 ozfresh parsleyleaves and stems
2sprigsfresh thyme
2bay leaf
4wholecloves
3 ½ tbspfine saltkosher or sea salt
Instructions
Roast the Meat and Bones
In one or more baking sheets, spread the pieces of meat and bones in one layer.
12 lbs meat: beef, veal or a mix, 12 lbs beef or veal bones
Drizzle the meat with melted clarified butter and move the meat around in order to distribute the butter.
8 tbsp clarified butter
Roast the bones and meat in the oven at 500°F (250°C) until browned— about 20 minutes.Warning: Some find the smell of roasting bones to be unpleasant. If you are sensitive to smells, you may want to roast mostly meat with a few pieces of ‘bone in’ meat rather than adding the entire quantity of bones.
Roast the Vegetables
Cut the vegetables into large pieces. In one or more baking sheets, spread the vegetable pieces in one layer. Drizzle the vegetables with melted clarified butter and move the vegetables around in order to distribute the butter.
28 oz carrot, 14 oz celery, 28 oz onion
Roast the vegetables at 500°F (250°C) until browned—15-20 minutes.
Combine Brown Stock Ingredients
Add the roasted vegetables, meat and bones to a very large stock pot. We use a 5 gallon (20 liter) pot.
Bind the herbs up with butcher’s twine leaving a tail long enough to attach to the stock pot’s handle—we are creating a ‘bouquet garni’! Add the cloves to the pot as well.
3.5 oz fresh parsley, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 bay leaf, 4 whole cloves
Add the Water and Salt
Add cold mineral water and salt to the stock pot with the other ingredients.
3 gallons mineral water, 3 ½ tbsp fine salt
Simmer the Stock
Simmer the stock uncovered for 15 hours. Add more water as needed to make sure the final stock has only reduced by a third. During the first few hours…
Skim the Foam (Scum)
Skim the 'scum' during the simmer as it bubbles to the surface.
Chill the Finished Brown Stock
Once the stock has reduced by a third and is finished simmering, chill it completely.
Skim the Fat
Once chilled, skim the layer of fat off of the top of the stock.
Remove the Vegetables, Meat, Bones and Herbs
Remove all of the vegetables, meat, bones and herbs from the stock. Save the meat and vegetables for an excellent stew!
Strain the Beef Stock
Strain the stock in several phases, starting with a coarser sieve (with larger holes) ...
...and finishing with a cheesecloth if you can!
Ready to Use!
Use this dense, delicious classic Fond Brun to create a traditional French Onion Soup, a Demi-Glace and more.