Of all the stocks, not that there's that many, beef stock is the most flavorful. I think this is because of the marrow in the bones that tend to give it a rich beefy flavour. Unlike chicken where you can just use the necks or a carcass or just bones, beef stock is better when you use bones that have marrow. When you go to the butcher, make sure you tell them you want stock bones and tell them to cut them in half so that the marrow is exposed. This recipe makes about 2 litres
You'll need:
2kgs of stock bones
1/2 kg lean meat scraps
1 leek coarsely chopped
1 large onion cut into quarters
2 large carrots cut into chunks
3 celery stalks cut into chunks
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 smashed head of garlic
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
4 litres of water
Place your vegetables, garlic head, meat and bones on a baking tray and sprinkle some salt and olive oil over them. Put the loaded tray in a preheated oven at about 200 for 40 to 45 minutes making sure to turn the veg and bones halfway through.
Once they are nice and golden, place everything from the tray into a stock pot and add the herbs and water. Place your stock pot on a high heat until the water begins to bubble then reduce the heat to low and cover the stock pot with a lid. Let this simmer for about 3 hours and do not be tempted to stir the pot. (There's nothing wrong with stirring the pot, its just that if you want a clear stock, avoid mixing the fat with the liquid. If you don't stir the pot, the oil stays at the top and you can skim off the excess fat.)
Once the stock is done, you can wait for it to cool slightly and skim the excess fat off the top. To make it even more clear, you can strain the stock through a fine sieve and a muslin cloth. You can store the stock in Ziploc bags for large quantities or freeze them in an ice cube tray then transfer into a Ziploc bag if you intend to use small amounts.