Well, there's thin stock, thick stock and condensed stock. I've made each, variously, depending on what I needed, and the volume of the pot. The only difference is the quantity of water.

"Scoop off the surface" means skim the fat and impurities?

So, how much room do you have to store it? If you want a lot of thin stock, tell her to keep adding water to replace that which has steamed out. If you want condensed gel, reduce it until there's barely enough liquid to cover the solids.

When the celery separates the strings from the moosh, and the meat is falling apart, there's no good left in the solids and they're ready to be strained out. That's usually about five hours for me. Since you started with trimmings, that could be 2-3 hrs., especially if it's simmering at a goodly pace.

Taste isn't a good measure. If there isn't enough salt, it could be perfect stock and still taste like dishwater. Pick a time instead, three to five hours. I don't believe in cooking beef stock to death on the bones. The more fat gets emulsified, the worse it tastes. If you get a murky dark tan stock, that's what happened. I don't care what anyone says, I think beef stock always tastes better after it's been clarified.

My friend and I added about 4 lb of neck bones, and then I left, so I will get a report from her. I'm curious to see how it turn out.

Marcolo, thanks for that explanation! My beef stock turns out almost clear (like chicken stock without the carrots and yellow onions), using pretty roasted bones, and I was wondering why I didn't get that beefy look that they show on TV. It's good stock, but I always wondered what I was missing. I'm glad to know that that's the way it's supposed to look!

My method goes from 0 to lots of water.

1. 0 water - bones in a pot inside a pressure cooker with no water. Basically pressure steaming the bones. You will get 1/2 a cup of what I call super stock.

2. Normal water - after harvesting the super stock, the same bones in a pressure cooker just enough water to cover the bones and pressure cook again. I'll get normal stock.

3. Thin thin stock - the same bones pressure cook a third time. If I use neck bones or turkey/chicken necks which have a lot of meat, the third time will give me thin stock for cooking in some recipes.

dcarch

I thought I responded last night but it's not here. My loose standard is a quart of water for every pound of meat/bones, finished product. So I'll start with about 5 cups water per pound of animal, to allow for evaporation. Concentrated more after straining, if desired.

Joy of Cooking: For a strong meat stock, allow only 2 cups of water to every cup of lean meat and bone.

Plllog, do you ever let your stock come to a rolling boil? I'm guessing not, from your description. I was taught never to do this. I think long cooking plus excessive agitation from boiling emulsifiers the fat. You know, Cooks' Illustrated recommends buying beef stock rather than making it. They describe their own attempts as greasy-tasting, dull colored and not very beefy. If you take stock like that and clarify it, it becomes a clear brown jewel full of flavor.

Like foodonastump says, you can continue reducing if you want after straining.

Marcolo, thanks for that. CI's description of homemade beef stock reminds me of my one and only effort to make beef bone broth. One taste and BLECH out it went!

Perhaps in europe we're more energy concious but it always strikes me as lovely idea, but just too long to have the gas burning when I can buy it.

islay_corbel-

This is when a solar oven comes in handy. I have one that is a large bowl that works very well instead of a long cooking time on the stove. If you have a slow-cooker you will also save time/money over making it on the stove.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Nourishing Slow-Cooker Chicken Broth in a Slow Cooker

...and why i need a larger freezer. I am always simmering stock as we use so much of it all winter. Last night was duck stock.
I only cover the contents just barely and add lots of veg. Just to a simmer and a general rule of thumb for me, learned over the years, is 30-45 min for fish stock, 1 1/2-2 hours for chicken or meats, or a pure veg stock. Just a bit of scallion, onion, shallot for shellfish, more greens matter for fish head/body stock. I find at a low simmer you get 1/3rd reduction (ish) in liquid.
Too much water needs further reducing. And can give an 'over-cooked' result.
I just save veg ends like the celery knob, leek tops, still have lots of garden carrots, parsley stems...all add lots of flavor.
And peppercorns, a few bay leaves...

It can also be a bit of a drag baby-sitting a simmering pot.
Probably why so many don't bother and just purchase canned stock. Good to have a cooling system as well and not put it in the fridge to steam and over-heat your fridge contents...

Another stock simmering from my files. Not sure what this is.
Looks meaty, probably chicken and near done as the veg looks soft. I often use my pasta pot as the strainer basket sits all the way to the bottom. (a good thing to look for in a pasta pot)...so many have a basket that is 3-4 inches off the bottom and requires way too much water.
Easier to lift out the solids, then i strain into a pyrex qrt or bowl via a fine strainer.
I can occasionally push that goodness down into the pot and stir a bit...
Actually it might be a fish body stock...but still not much water...

I generally use about one pound of trimmings and bones to a quart of water. Simmer, never boil. I never add salt. you can't take it out once it's in there. If it's chicken stock, I generally simmer until the bones look chalk white.

Gotta admit, though, it's awfully hard to beat Trader Joe's chicken broth. Most of the time I use it instead of homemade stock.

Report. Started with about 8 qt water, 2.5 lb beef trimmings, 4 lb bones. Ended with a bit less than 1 qt liquid and a 1" fat cap, in a large mason jar. My friend didn't skim it much so the stock is cloudy, but it tastes very nice. We will probably use a little of it as a base for a pasta sauce, some more for a soup. I suggested freezing it in ice cubes, but she doesn't have ice cube trays (she's one of those icemaker people) and doesn't feel the need for cubes of instant flavor (she uses miso paste for that purpose), so we'll use up the stock for dinner tonight.

When I get back to Portland, I feel a need to make demi-glace.

I have a superstition.

After cooking the bones in a pressure cooker a long time, the top part of bones (epiphysis) becomes very soft, and can be eaten. It tastes like marrow.

I belief that part of the bone has a lot of essential nutrients.

dcarch

I'll have to try with the slow gooker. Thanks for the tip, Grainlady.

I'm surprised CI doesn't like their own stock. I made it (or at least one of their recipes) years ago and it was fantastic. The only problem, it was exceedingly cost prohibitive, calling for something like six pounds of beef shanks.

Somewhere along the line I'll have to try it again with cheaper options. I can get bones very cheaply by the bag full, just need to find a cheap, flavorful cut of meat. I'd have not thought to use tenderloin trimmings as tenderloin really doesn't have much flavor, but I'll keep that in mind since apparently it worked.

For the most part I've fallen back on using boxed chicken and beef stocks. I don't know if Swanson Certified Organic Chicken and Rachel Ray Beef are CI's current top choices but they both were at one point anyway, and I'm happy with them. Duck, lamb, and pork, I'll make on an as-needed basis.

For demiglace I often keep a tub of More than Gourmet concentrate on hand. It's ok, but not as good as that which a tiny local Italian restaurant will give away if you ask nicely. The owner there gives cooking demonstrations and I've often though about going to one just so I can ask him to give me his recipe/method. $100 though. But at least it includes wine...

Maybe you can get Trailrunner to come by and talk about how her chef son freezes the fond.

I always make stock in big batches. Freeze giblets, trimmings, etc., and do it all at once. The hardest thing is beef bones. My butcher has started charging for them big time, though there's another butcher not too far away who gives a break on "dog bones", though not on "soup bones". :) A batch of thick stock usually yields about 13 quarts.

Re the cut of beef, I don't think it makes a big difference in stock, but I also don't want my stock to announce itself, but rather be a building block upon which to create flavors. The nutrients are key, for me. My stock has flavor, though it's delicate, and it's never, ever seasoned.

Plllog - I think we may be looking for different things out of our stocks. I don't get too upset when my chicken stock tastes weak because it's still good for the "add chicken stock (or white wine or water)" type application, but I want my beef stock to yell "beef" and my lamb stock to yell "lamb", etc., not "hot water flavored with a few veggies and herbs, and a hint of some animal, not sure which." For that, boxed is sufficient, easy, and economical in my kitchen.

FOAS, yes, different, but what you said is not what I'm talking about. My stock is about getting the protein and other nutrients from the meat and bones into liquid (gel) form. The chicken stock tastes like chicken, the beef stock tastes like beef. And whatever is left, of either the meat/bones or the veg, is what my mother calls "texture". It's just what's left after the "good" is all cooked out of it. I gave up on making turkey stock because it's way too strong a turkey taste and needed to be diluted way too much. This is also why veal stock is used so much by chefs. It doesn't have as strong a flavor as beef stock.

For your desire for the beef stock to announce itself, however, I do get why you want a beefier bit of beef. My beef stock does have a little meat in it, but it's more about the bones and marrow.

Do see if you can learn Trailrunner's son's trick though. I tried to find it for you yesterday, but couldn't. He freezes the caramelization and adds to it, and I think doing that would give you that big burst of beefiness that you want.

And here is a New York Times article on the subject, with the conclusion that your end result should be poured into a glass and sipped. Which I often do, actually, it is yummy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bones Broth Bliss