I’ll just go ahead and say it.
Bone broth used to scare me.
Sounds silly, I know, but I had been reading Nourishing Traditions, my favorite cookbook, for a long time before I was brave enough to start incorporating it into our family kitchen. Why?
I don’t know. I guess bone broth intimidated me. I was a novice in the kitchen – if you could call me that. I knew about all of the wonderful health benefits of bone broth, I knew why bouillon cubes were bad for you, but for some reason, it just overwhelmed me to think about trying to make it consistently.
But the difference it made in my health (and my children’s health) was definitely worth noticing.
You might be wondering – why would anyone want to make their own bone broth when there are bouillon cubes and even organic boxed broth at most grocery stores?
Well, I bought solely the organic boxed broth for years and it is a nice step above the bouillon cubes, which unfortunately, are toxic to your body and whose use should be minimized if not avoided. I still do keep boxes of organic bone broth on hand for when I need an extra quick, easy healthy batch of bone broth.
But I wanted to put up an easy tutorial in case anyone else might be intimidated by the process of making bone broth. If you’re a pro, just skip this post! If you don’t want to really make it yourself, I recommend this brand of bone broth, ready-made just for you!
I want to make it as simple as possible, to start with. Once I made bone broth a few times, I realized it was no big deal – so if you’ve been wondering about bone broth and wondering if it’s something you can easily introduce, I’d love to encourage you – it’s a simple process and you can definitely do it. 🙂
Let’s get started.
Contents
Bone Broth
Ingredients
- bones – these can be left over, picked from a roasted chicken, turkey, or duck (you can even save them up in the freezer and use several sets all at once), or you can purchase beef soup bones in most grocery stores.
- 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, to draw the minerals from the bones
- 3-4 quarts filtered cold water (it does not have to be exact, I usually just fill up the pot I am using to almost full)
- optional:
- one onion, can be whole or sliced
- several stalks of celery
- several whole carrots
- several garlic cloves
- several sprigs of parsley for more minerals
- sea salt
Equipment
- stock pot OR a slow cooker (slow cooker is my preferred method – so easy!)
- knife
- measuring spoon if needed
- fine mesh strainer
- large funnel (optional, but helpful for straining into mason jars!)
- mason jars for storing
Instructions
My favorite thing about making broth, now that I am familiar with it, is how simple it really is.
- Place the bones, water, apple cider vinegar, and optional vegetables in your pot. Let it sit for about an hour, cold, to allow the vinegar to draw out the bones.
- Heat up the pot or slow cooker on low, and allow to simmer for around 12 hours or overnight.
- When done, pour the stock through a strainer and allow it to funnel into your storage containers/mason jars. Allow to cool before refrigerating or freezing.
- That’s really it!
Notes
- If you’re in a rush, just omit the vegetables and you will still end up with a nice flavorful broth.
- If you have the time and the vegetables on hand, they will impart extra nutrition and minerals.
- My slow cooker is my favorite way to make bone broth, but people have also had success with the instant pot.
- A good quality bone broth will gel from the gelatin in the bones. You want this to happen! SO… if it solidifies a bit in the fridge, know you’re filling your body and your family’s body with body-healing gelatin. If it doesn’t solidify, you are still good. The broth can still be used just as normal.
- Use as a base for soups and stews.
- Drink warm in a mug like coffee or tea. Add some salt for flavor. 🙂
- Use instead of water when making rice and other grains.
- Again, if you just want to skip all this, I recommend this pre-made shelf-stable bone broth. However, I encourage you to try and see if you like making it yourself!
Suggested Posts
Some other posts you might be intersted in:
Our First Week on the GAPS Intro Diet
The Free Ingredient that Comes with Your Meat
Nourishing Chicken and Broccoli
Pin – How to Make Bone Broth
In health,
Danielle
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