Homemade Lamb Stock
If you want to make lamb stock or bone broth at home, you’ve come to the right place. Lamb bones make a rich and fragrant stock or bone broth which is a great base for a variety of flavourful dishes including hearty soups, stews, and rich sauces. Leftover or fresh lamb bones, vegetables, spices, water, and a few hours of simmering are all you need to prepare this nourishing “liquid gold” in a stock pot, slow cooker, or pressure cooker (Instant Pot).
Homemade bone broth or stock, aka liquid gold, is the foundation of many hearty meals as they add deep flavor and bonus nutrients. Use this lamb version as a substitute for beef stock or beef bone broth, and for your favorite game dishes.
Lamb stock is stronger in taste than beef or chicken stock. It suits hearty and fragrant lamb, beef, and game dishes and makes an excellent base for rich sauces and nourishing soups such as lamb stews, soups, risotto, gravy, and pasta sauces. My Hungarian lamb goulash, Moroccan lamb shanks, lamb stroganoff, and lamb ragu are great examples.
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Homemade Lamb Stock
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs lamb bones
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 stalk of celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried rosemary or 1 fresh sprig
- 2 tsp dried thyme or 3 fresh sprigs
- 5 black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 8 cups filtered water
Instructions
Lamb stock or bone broth on the stove
- If you are using leftover lamb bones, you don't have to roast them and can add them straight to a large stock pot.
- If you are using fresh bones, preheat the oven to 425F/200C. Rub them with olive oil and place the lamb bones onto a baking sheet or roasting tray. Roast for 45 minutes until browned, turn them halfway. Add the roasted lamb bones and juices to a large stock pot.1 1/2 lbs lamb bones, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Wash and roughly chop the carrot, onion, and celery and add them to a large pot. You don't need to peel the onion as it gives the broth extra color.1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 stalk of celery
- Add the herbs, garlic cloves, a bay leaf, peppercorns, and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar.2 cloves garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 2 tsp dried thyme, 5 black peppercorns, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Top up the stock pot with 8 cups of filtered water. Check the water level and add more water if the bones and vegetables are not fully covered.8 cups filtered water
- Bring everything to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer the stock and skim off any foam on the surface during this time. Cook the mixture for 3 hours to make lamb stock and at least 10 hours to make lamb bone broth. Adding extra water if needed.
- Strain the lamb stock through a sieve into a freezer and heat-proof containers. Skim off the fat at the top. Once fully cooled, store in the fridge or freezer.
Lamb stock or bone broth in the slow cooker
- Follow the instructions above and add all ingredients to your slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 12 hours to make bone broth and 8 hours to make stock.
Lamb stock or bone broth in the pressure cooker (Instant Pot)
- Follow the instructions above and add all ingredients to your pressure cooker.
- Choose high pressure function and cook on high for 4 hrs to make lamb bone broth. Choose the broth function to make stock.
Notes
- Stock: 8 hours stove, 8 hours slow cooker, 45 min. pressure cooker
- Bone broth: Min. 10 hrs stove, 12 hours slow cooker, 4 hours pressure cooker.
Nutrition
Lamb stock vs. bone broth
Stock needs to simmer for 3 hours while lamb bone broth requires a minimum of 10-12 hours to extract the collagen in the bones.
To make lamb bone broth, simply cook the ingredients for a minimum of 10 hours on the stove, 12 hours in the slow cooker, or 4 hours on high pressure in the pressure cooker (Instant Pot). The resulting bone broth is richer in color and has a thicker almost jelly-like consistency once cooled.
Ingredients and substitutions
Lamb bones
You can use leftover bones from a dish you’ve already prepared or simply purchase fresh bones from your local butcher. I recommend rinsing the bones with water and drying them with paper towels if you’re purchasing them. Lamb shoulder, shank, and leg bones work particularly well.
Vegetables
Onion, carrot, celery, and cloves of garlic all add great flavors to your stock. Celeriac, leek, spring onions, and parsley stems work well too. Opt for organic vegetables if possible. Simply wash and roughly chop the vegetables. There is no need to remove any peels or ends and you even just use scraps from all of these vegetables.
Herbs
Rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves go particularly work well for this recipe. Use fresh herbs if possible.
Spices
I tend to keep it simple and only add black peppercorns. All my stock is salt-free as I prefer to season the final dish rather than the stock but the whole peppercorns add create depth of flavor during stock making.
Apple cider vinegar
A splash of apple cider vinegar ensures maximum extraction of the minerals from the bones. Don’t skip this step.
