Bone Broth

Somethings never change. I was looking back at some pictures from a year ago and snapped this as I finished bottling up some homemade bone broth and this morning I did the exact same thing.

Cooking roasted bones (beef, turkey, pork, chicken, fish, lamb) with a little acid (apple cider vinegar or wine), water, and onion, carrot, and a stick of celery over low heat for a long time (12 hours for fish, 24 hours chicken and turkey, and 48 hours for beef, lamb, and pork bones) yields a rich-colored broth that gelatinizes. I usually cook my stock in a slow cooker, but it works well on the stove too.

Bone broth is rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. The collagen from the bones and tissues turns to gelatin, which is rich in amino acids, the building blocks of protein, and may help improve joint pain and stiffness. Bone broth is rich in glutamine, an amino acid that helps heal and reduce inflammation in the gut. All in all, it is very nutritious.

I often drink a mug of bone broth with some vegetables as a snack in the afternoon. I use it as a base for soups and stews and as a replacement for other liquids in recipes like when cooking grains.

If you have never tried making bone broth, I recommend roasting a chicken, and instead of throwing the carcass away, throw it in a pot and get a batch of bone broth started.

Here is my recipe for chicken bone broth

 

Chicken Bone Broth

1-2 Whole Chicken Carcass or 2-3 pounds backs and thighs (I usually roast them for a richer flavor, but you don’t have to)

1 whole carrot cleaned well

1 whole onion with the skin on for a darker colored broth

1 stalk celery (I usually need to cut it half to fit in the pot)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine

Enough water to fill the pot and cover the bones.

 

If using a slow cooker

  1. Place the bones and vegetables in the slow cooker, and cover with water. Set the timer to high for 20-24 hours.
  2. After 24 hours let the stock cook down. Strain it into glass jars and refrigerate. It will last in the refrigerator for several weeks with the fat layer still intact.
  3. If freezing, remove the layer of fat that forms on the top of the jar and pour the broth into a freezer-proof container.

If cooking on a stovetop

  1. Place the bones and vegetables in the slow cooker, and cover with water.
  2. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Remove any scum that forms on the top of the pot. Let the broth simmer for 24 hours.
  3. After 24 hours let the stock cook down. Strain it into glass jars and refrigerate. It will last in the refrigerator for several weeks with the fat layer still intact.
  4. If freezing, remove the layer of fat that forms on the top of the jar and pour the broth into a freezer-proof container.
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