Name: Quick Beef Broth
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef; 2 quarts beef broth; 8 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

Why This Recipe Works

Restaurant chefs adhere to time-consuming, involved routines for making beef stock. Bones and meat are oven-roasted, water is added, and the stock simmers for hours, uncovered, while the chef skims off the impurities. Finally, the stock is strained, cooled, and defatted. This method is fine for professional cooks who have time to tend to a simmering pot all day, but most home cooks don’t need such a complicated regimen. Our method requires fewer ingredients, less work, and less time than the classic method.

Before You Begin

We prefer the flavor of 85 percent lean ground beef, but 90 percent lean beef can be used. Our winning beef broth is Better Than Bouillon Beef Base.

Instructions

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add beef to pot, breaking into rough 1-inch chunks. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned and fond develops on pan bottom, 6 to 8 minutes. Add broth and gelatin and bring to simmer, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into large container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.