A good beef stock is an essential “pantry” item that everyone should have on hand. A homemade beef stock is even better. It freezes well, and the flavors that will be brought to your dishes… well, if you make it once, you’ll find that you don’t want the stuff from a can anymore.
You can make the stock as a first step to several other dishes, essentially do two things at once. Instead of using trimmings and bones from past meals, you can go the other direction, use a chuck roast, whole in the stock. Then you can use that meat in a delicious chili, a hearty stew or a cold-winter soup that will warm you to your toes.