Homemade Bone Broth #Recipe

I’m not usually much for fads, but this bone broth rage is something I can really get behind. When I first heard about bone broth I wondered how bone broth is different from the homemade broth I usually make…the truth is, its NOT. It’s just good, old fashioned, slow simmered, loooooong cooked broth. Any Grandma can tell you that broth is good for you, chicken soup is good for more than your soul. This broth recipe has beef and chicken bones so you get all the chicken soup benefits.

I picked up a bag of frozen beef bones for .99 cents a pound from a nearby market, they also had chicken feet for $1.49 per pound. You may have to ask the meat manager or butcher at your grocery store to order the bones if they don’t normally have bones for sale.

A large batch of neutral master broth made with beef bones, chicken feet and water is very versatile. Making a neutral flavored broth allows you to use it in many different recipes. Simmer pearl barley in the broth until its just tender and add carrots, garlic and mushroom for a hearty soup.  For a tasty sipping broth, heat the broth with some crushed ginger, a little chili and a squeeze of lime. Add bok choy and soy sauce and you have another tasty soup. There is no salt in the recipe so add salt as needed.

I’ve given some options to add apple cider vinegar and vegetables to the broth if you like your broth to have a more vegetal  flavor. Some people believe adding vinegar or other acid to the simmering broth helps to release more nutrients from the bones, I don’t know it that’s true but a small amount of vinegar doesn’t change the flavor much so I add it just in case its true.

Broth can spoil quickly so it is important to cool it fast and store it properly. If you just put the hot broth straight into the refrigerator it will stay hot for a long time, allowing bacteria to grow. Cooling it a room temperature is also very dangerous and can cause food borne illness.  I like to chill the broth, after straining, in an ice water bath to bring the temperature down quickly. I also put a reusable ice pack sealed in a zip top bag into the broth to cool it even faster but some folks may not be comfortable with that.

Bone Broth #Recipe

Demetra Overton

Use a tall 8-10 quart stock pot to make your slow simmered broth. You will also need a ladle to skim the broth during cooking. You will need a colander to strain your stock and optional cheesecloth to remove any fine particles You can use a variety of bones for your broth. I use a combination of beef bones and chicken feet. The chicken feet give the broth great gelatin that adds body and richness to the stock. If you can't find chicken feet, use chicken wings and backs.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 hours hrs

Total Time 10 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings 2 -3 quarts

Ingredients

  

• BASIC RECIPE
• 5 pounds beef bones
• 2 pounds chicken feet or a combination of wings and back bones
• Water
• Ice for the water bath to cool the broth
• OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 2 carrots cut into chunks
• 1 onion cut into chunks
• 2 celery stalks cut into chunks

Instructions

 

• Place the beef bones on a sheet pan and roast them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the bones from the sheet pan and place into the stock pot. (The bones may give off some fat, don't add the fat to the broth.)
• Add the chicken feet (or other parts) to the stock pot and cover everything with water.
• Let the water come up to a boil then reduce the heat so the water is just simmering.
• Some fat and foam will rise to the top, skim this off with a ladle. You should skim the surface of the stock occasionally during cooking but it will be most foamy during the first hour or two of cooking.
• If you're using vegetables and vinegar add them after the first hour of cooking. If you add the vegetable too soon you may end up skimming them out when skimming the foam and fat.
• Simmer on low heat for 8-10 hours. You may need to add a little water to keep the bones covered.
• You can also put this all in a crock pot for 10 hours.
• Strain the broth through a colander (lined with cheesecloth if you like) into another pot and chill it in a large container or sink filled with lots of ice and some water (ice water bath) to cool quickly. Stir the broth occasionally during cooling. Add more ice as it begins to melt.
• Cool in the ice bath about 20 minutes
• Pour the stock into storage containers
• Label the containers with the date.
• Store in the refrigerator for a week or freeze for a month.
• If there is any fat in the broth it will rise to the top and solidify after refrigeration. You can easily remove the fat at this point.
• Reheat and add desired flavorings such as lime juice, ginger, chili, garlic, lemon grass