Peel and cut onion and carrots in fourths. Cut celery ribs as well.
Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat, add some canola oil. Add beef bones and sear on both sides until golden brown.
Toss in peppercorns and garlic (so they are right on the bottom of the pot and not on the bones) and let them sear for a couple of minutes. You will notice both will give out a pleasant aroma.
Add vegetables, herbs, salt, and water. Bring mixture to boil, lower heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for about 4 hours.
Pour the stock through a fine strainer and let the beef and vegetables sit in the strainer, over the pot, for 10-15 minutes so that all the liquid comes out.
If there is enough meat on bones, you may separate it and save it for the soup or discard with the bones. Discard the vegetables and everything else in the strainer.
Storing beef stock:
Store homemade beef stock in the refrigerator, in glass jars with a lid. In the refrigerator, homemade stock will last 2-3 days. I always recommend using the stock within a day or two or freeze it.
Freezing:
Freeze stock in zip-top freezer bags and plastic air-tight containers for larger amounts or, muffins pans and ice cube strays for smaller portions. Smaller portions can be used in sauces and other recipes that call for just a little bit of stock and broth.
Make sure to cool the stock first to room temperature. Divide among the freezer bags or transfer into one or two large freezer-friendly containers.
Make sure to fill them no more than 3/4 of the way full to allow room for expanding as it freezes. Seal, label, and place in the freezer. Plastic bags can be laid on a large cutting board to freeze and then stacked when frozen. That will save room in the freezer.
Muffin pans and ice cube trays – ladle cooled stock into the muffin pan cups or ice cube trays. Carefully place in the freezer and freeze for about 3 hours until completely frozen. Once it’s frozen, transfer the cubes into freezer zip-top bags, seal, label and freeze. (You can portion the cubes into several smaller freezer bags as well.)