Brown Stock

I use bones to make brown stock. Any french or classical cookbook should have a detailed recipe for this, but the basic procedure is as follows. Brown the bones on a sheet pan in the oven (400 degrees for about an hour). Reserve oil, remove the bones to a pot of water, deglaze sheet pan and add drippings to broth. Toss mirepoix (coarsely chopped onion, carrot and celery) in the reserved oil, brown the mirepoix in the oven, and add it to the broth. Add spices as desired ("bouquet garni"), and simmer without boiling for several hours. Do not add salt. Strain and cool.

Brown stock keeps quite well frozen. I separate it into pint containers and store it for several months.

Brown stock can be used for nearly everything. I use it as the base for chili, curry, stew, gravy, and soup.

By Bruce Sherrod. Posted to the PaleoRecipe Mailing List, Aug. 2001