Traditional Bone Broth

Broth is one of those foods that have been around for centuries and due to our overly busy schedules we have let fall by the wayside, imagining hours of straining and stirring. Nothing could be further from the truth. Stock making can be an easy and enjoyable part of natural and seasonal living, if you remember a few key tips.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 1 Variable

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Bones Raw from healthy animals
  • 4 cups cold water enough to just cover bones in pot
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar apple cider, red or white wine, rice or balsamic. Lemon juice may be substituted.
  • 1 pound vegetables (optional) peelings and scraps like ends, tops and skins or entire vegetable celery, carrots, onions, garlic and parsley are the most traditionally used, but any will do (if added towards the end of cooking, mineral content will be higher)

Instructions

  • Add bones, cold water (filtered is best) and vinegar to pot and let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Bring pot to boil, then reduce heat to simmer, Check the broth every 20 to 30 minutes during the first couple of hours of simmering and remove and discard any froth or foam that has risen to the top.
  • IMPORTANT: keep the simmer temperature at 200F or below. Higher temperatures will inhibit the release of the gelatin from the bones. Chicken Bones can be simmered 6-48 hours, Beef 12-72 hours.
  • Add the vegetables anytime, up to the last 1/2 hour of cooking. A basic formula is 50% onions, 25% celery and 25% carrots.
  • If your oven can be set to a low temperature that maintains the stock at 200F or lower just put your stock into the oven overnight. You can also use a crock pot.
  • Remove from heat and strain through colander or sieve lined with a cheese cloth for clear broth. Discard bones and if any meat was used, reserve for soup or salad.
  • For a variation on flavor you can roast the bones before making your stock. Spread bones on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. You can also cover with tomatoes. Roast the bones at 400F until very well caramelized. Put bones into stockpot and heat the baking sheet on the stove. Add some liquid to the pan and cook over medium heat until you can scrape all the roasted bits from the pan. Pour all into the stockpot and proceed from #1.

Notes

An easy way to cook broth is to use a crockpot on low setting. After putting the ingredients into the pot and turning it on, you can just walk away. If you forget to skim the impurities off, it’s okay, it just tastes better if you do. If you wish to remove the fat for use in gravy, use a gravy separator while the broth is warm, or skim the fat off the top once refrigerated. Cold broth will gel when sufficient gelatin is present. Broth may be frozen for months or kept in the refrigerator for about 5 days.