Stock Vs. Broth

• Although sometimes used interchangeably, stock and broth are two different products. Stock is produced from boiling beef bones with chopped vegetables, an acid such as tomato juice or wine, and very little seasoning. Broth is produced from simmering the actual meat with vegetables and a higher level of seasoning, without the acidic ingredient. Beef stock contains more of the essential flavor of the beef than beef broth, which contains more flavor from the seasonings and other ingredients. For this reason, brown rice cooked in beef stock rather than broth may require the addition of more salt or seasonings. In Asian dishes like fried rice, soy sauce can help serve this purpose.

Cooking Instructions

• For every 3 cups of cooked brown rice you need, measure 1 cup of uncooked rice and 2 cups of beef stock. Bring the stock to a boil and add the rice. After it returns to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer it from 22 to 27 minutes for short-grain brown rice, or up to 30 minutes for long-grain brown rice, or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Cook the rice before adding it to soups and stews, and add it toward the end of the cooking period, just before serving, to avoid thickening the soup or stew too much.

Seasonings and Salt

• Since beef stock is not heavily seasoned or salty, the brown rice cooked in beef stock may come out bland. To prevent this, add up to 2 teaspoons of salt per cup of uncooked rice to the stock when you add the rice. The salt helps bring out the beefy flavor of the stock. Other herbs and seasonings that complement beef stock include thyme, basil, parsley, black pepper and chili powder. Add dried herbs and seasonings to taste toward the end of cooking, or sprinkle fresh herbs on top right before serving.

Making Beef Stock

• Although most major grocery stores carry canned beef stock in the soup aisle, it's easy to make it from scratch using leftover beef bones. Add any beef bones to a stock pot. Leftover meat pieces on the bones, if present, won't harm the stock but aren't necessary either. Add clean chopped vegetables or vegetable scraps such as carrots or carrot peels, celery or celery roots, and onions or peelings. Add salt to help extract the flavor from the bones and a bouquet garni created from a tied bundle of herb sprigs like rosemary, sage and parsley. Boil the mixture for a few minutes, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for six to eight hours, skimming the scum off the top and adding more water to cover the bones as needed.