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Ah, bone broth. Yes, this is another how to make bone broth post. Hey, it is important information! And maybe you are still on the hunt for a fool proof method. Or maybe you are learning to make broth for the first time from me. In which case, ignore those first two sentences.
While I can’t promise a fool proof method, I can promise you that bone broth is simple to make. It takes some work to screw up permanently. You can certainly get fancy and complicated with your bone broth, but I keep it simple. I’m just after a frugal and nourishing broth to turn into soups, vegetable dishes, or even just a healing mug to accompany a meal.
Why Make Bone Broth
Bone broth is a bit of a “buzz word” in the real food community. From Nourishing Traditions to The Paleo Approach, it shows up as the ultimate healing food. There is even an entire book devoted to the subject!
Bone broth is just what it sounds like: broth (well, technically it’s stock) made from bones. From chicken carcasses to beef marrow bones to fish skeletons, any type of bone can be made into broth.
With the help of an acid and a long cooking time, minerals are drawn out of the bones, as well as any cartilage, vegetables, etc. that are also in the pot. Gelatin and marrow will also find their way into your broth. If you are lucky, this will make it gel in the refrigerator. Meat jello always makes me smile!
These minerals are of course helpful to our bodies; calcium, magnesium, and potassium just to name a few are critical for our health. Like builds like: broth made from bones and connective tissue will be fantastic for your bones and connective tissues as well. Gelatin is another super beneficial component of bone broth. A source of protein, it also aids in digestion and the healing of the gut lining.
Many have praised bone broth as a superfood that is essential for healing leaky gut, and it really is! There is a reason that chicken soup is considered a healing food for both colds and stomach bugs: it is traditionally prepared with a nourishing broth, containing immune-boosting and gut healing compounds.
And it tastes good, too.
Learn more about the many benefits of bone broth here.
How to Make Bone Broth
As I said, making bone broth is simple. And it is incredibly frugal! Bone broth is essentially free to make; the only ingredients are bones leftover from meal preparation and water. Really you are just paying for the electricity to run your slow cooker! Furthermore, bone-in cuts of meat are often drastically cheaper than boneless meats. Save money on your meat bill buy purchasing whole chickens, bone-in thighs, or beef soup bones and save the scraps for broth!
The bones can even be reused to make more broth! I like to break open the bones a little more each time so that I know I am getting every bit of nutrition out of them that I can. Use them until the bones turn to mush. I usually make about three batches.
When making broth, you have many options. You can simply throw your bones and some water into a crock pot and let it go. You can add salt, pepper, and vegetable scraps to impart more flavor and nutrients. This is particularly a good option if you can’t compost your scraps. While not necessary, adding an acid will help draw out minerals from the bones. Most people use apple cider vinegar, but I have found that white wine delivers fabulous results.
The more bones that you use to make your broth, the better. If you use fewer bones in relation to water, the broth will be very thin and likely won’t gel. I do one of two things: If I produce a lot of bones on a batch cooking day, that is usually enough. I fill up my crock pot and am good to go. If I have only used one chicken or one package of beef bones, I will put what is left in a gallon sized freezer bag. When this bag is full, I let it thaw and it perfectly fills up my slow cooker.
So now, without further ado, here’s a nice recipe for how to make bone broth:
Ingredients
- Bones, joints, cartilage, and other scraps
- Filtered water
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or white wine
Instructions
- Place bones in a slow cooker. Add salt or vegetable scraps if desired.
- Cover with water and add the acid of your choosing.
- Turn your slow cooker on low and cook for 24-48 hours.
- Strain out your bone broth and use in soups, cooking vegetables or legumes, or drink straight with salt.
- Start a new batch of broth with your bones.
Don’t want to make broth? While it is much more frugal to make your own, you certainly don’t have to. Did you know that you can actually buy it online? You can get high quality, healing bone broth shipped to your door here.
Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable.
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Hi! Do you only use the broth that you get from your first round to do a bone broth concentrate?
Broth from the first round will probably do the best, but I’ve made the concentrate from additional rounds as well.