Bone broth is a nutrient dense super food. It is high in collagen and many other vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. Homemade bone broth is easy to make and can be canned, frozen, dehydrated, or freeze dried.
Making your own bone broth allows you to adjust the flavors to your liking, add different types of nutrients by adding different animal bones and varying animal body parts, and create a variety of broth for you and your loved ones.
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INGREDIENTS IN HOMEMADE BONE BROTH
The ingredients in bone broth can vary drastically. Most of the time I use what I have on hand.
For example, if I brought home a rotisserie chicken after a grocery trip for a quick dinner, I take the meat off the bones, after we have eaten our dinner, and save the bones in resealable plastic bag to use for making bone broth.
I also save the bones from stake bones, or I specifically buy ox tail, ham hock, or anything that comes on a bone. Chicken feet are especially said to be very high in collagen. So those would be on my grocery list next time I go to the store.
When you are ready to make bone broth, you can either mix the different animal bones together, or create different types of broth with the different animal bones you have.
Here are some ingredients that you can use.
Bone Broth Ingredients
- Chicken feet
- Chicken carcass, including things such as breast bones, leg bones, joints, wings, neck bones, and such.
- Ox tail
- Ham hock
- Rib bones
- Lamb bones
- Any animal bones
- Animal Cartilage and tendons, especially high in collagen.
- Vegetables such as onions (including the skin), carrots, celery, and anything that can provide nutrients without providing an off-putting taste.
- Herbs such as thyme, rosemary, parsley, basilโฆ
- And of course, seasoning such as salt, black pepper, hot pepper (if you want a spicy kick)โฆ
- And last but not least apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice.
Some Ingredients to Avoid
Garlic and sage.
Garlic can taste great in a broth as long as it is not simmered for hours upon hours.
However, when you use garlic in bone broth, which requires a long time of simmering, you can end up with a slightly strange flavored broth. It is not extremely awful, but it is definitely unpleasant.
Sage on its own when added to broth is great.
However, if you are planning to can your broth, it is best advised, to not add sage as it can give a bitter flavor to your canned goods as some people have experienced.
How adding Vinegar Can Give You a Better Broth
Adding vinegar to your bone broth helps in braking down the collagen, and drawing out the minerals. Hence, giving you a richer, healthier, and more gelatinous broth.
UTENSILS NEEDED TO MAKE BONE BROTH
You can use varying methods for making bone broth. Each method has its own utensil.
Here are some utensils that you could use.
- Slow cooker
- Large Stockpot
- Instant pot
- Pressure cooker
- Fine Strainer
- Glass jars to store your broth in
- Ladle
My experience in making bone broth comes from using a slow cooker, or a stockpot.
I have never personally used a pressure cooker or an instant pot. So I cannot tell you how to use them to make bone broth. However, I can share with you my experience in making it in a slow cooker, and a stockpot.
How to Make Bone Broth in a Slow Cooker
- You can choose to slightly roast your animal bones of choice over a medium heat, in a large pan over the stove. This step will give you an extra depth of flavor, however, it is not necessary.
However, if you are using raw bones, I highly advise that you would do this step. This will remove the need of slightly pre boiling the bones to remove any off-putting taste and smell. - If you are using raw bones and choose to not roast them, you will need to preboil them for just a few minutes, dump the water you boiled them in, rinse them, and then place them into your slow cooker.
- Add in a whole onion, a bay leaf, some salt and seasoning. You can also add in some celery and carrots if you choose to. Cover the bones with a couple inches of water, Add a couple splashes of apple cider vinegar, place the lid on, and turn your slow cooker on. Allow the broth to slowly cook overnight for 6 to 12 hours. Some even suggest to cook it for 48 hours. I think thatโs a bit excessive, but to each their own.
How to Make Bone Broth in a Stockpot Over the Stove
The process for making bone broth in a stockpot over the stove is pretty much the same as making it in a slow cooker.
You donโt need an extra pan if you are planning on roasting your bones. You can simply roast them in the same pot.
When cooking the broth over the stove top, make sure to lower the heat to either medium low or to the lowest point you can get it to.
Allow your broth to simmer on low heat for 6 to 12 hours as you would in a slow cooker.
You can start this process early in the morning so that you do not have to stay up at night watching your broth simmer.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE BONE BROTH
As I mentioned earlier, making bone broth can take from between 6 to 12 hours if you are using a a slow cooker or a stockpot. Some people even go to the extent of letting it simmer for 48 hours.
If you are using a pressure cooker or an instant pot, it can take between 3 to 4 hours.
WHAT TYPE OF BONE BROTH IS HEALTHIEST
The health benefits of your bone broth can vary depending on which animal bones you use, what part of the body they are, and what vegetables and seasoning you place in your homemade broth.
In short, they are all healthy. I am not a doctor, nor a biologist, but common sense says they are all healthy.
However, different types of animals can give you different types of nutrients.
Some doctors and scientist claim that chicken bones provide nutrients that are beneficial for joints and bones, while beef bones provide nutrients that are beneficial for hair, skin, nails, and gut.
In the end, you can create whatever broth you want, and every bone broth you create will vary in nutrients depending on whatโs in it.
IS IT BETTER TO BUY BONE BROTH OR TO MAKE IT
Having any bone broth in my opinion, is better than not having any. If you do not have the time to make bone broth, buying it is better than not having it.
You can always choose to buy the organic bone broth if they do offer it at your local grocery stores, or even online.
However, with all that said, homemade bone broth will give you the control over what you are putting in it.
You can choose whether you want grass fed beef, free range chicken, organic vegetables, or anything that you want.
In making your own homemade broth, you can choose whether you want to mix different animal bones together for a multi collagen result, and multi nutritional values, or whether you want to make separate types of bone broth.
My personal opinion, is making your own bone broth is probably healthier, but if you canโt make it, buy it.
SOME MORE NOURISHING RECIPES FOR YOU TO TRY!
The Fluffiest Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes
How To Make Lactose Free Yogurt
How To Make Napa Cabbage Kimchi
How to Make Bone Broth
Equipment
- Slow cooker, pressure cooker, instant pot, or a stock pot (they all work great)
- Fine large sieve
- Ladle
- Glass jars to store your broth in
Ingredientsย ย
- Any type of animal bones that you have on hand such as chicken, beef, lamb, or pork. Make sure to include parts that contain high collagen such feet, neck bones, back bones, cartilage, and ligaments.
- 1 whole onion including skin
- Seasoning such as salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano, sage, bay leaf, or anything you like.
- Celery and carrots are also optional.
- 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Instructionsย
Using a slow cooker.
- You can choose to slightly roast your animal bones of choice over medium heat, in a large pan over the stove. This step will give you an extra depth of flavor, however, it is not necessary. However, if you are using raw bones, I highly advise that you would do this step. This will remove the need of slightly pre boiling the bones to remove any off-putting taste and smell.
- If you are using raw bones and choose to not roast them, you will need to preboil them for just a few minutes, dump the water you boiled them in, rinse them, and then place them into your slow cooker.
- Add in a whole onion, a bay leaf, some salt and seasoning. You can also add in some celery and carrots if you choose to. Cover the bones with a couple inches of water, add a couple splashes of apple cider vinegar, place the lid on, and turn your slow cooker on. Allow the broth to slowly cook overnight for 6 to 12 hours. Some even suggest to cook it for 48 hours. I think that's a bit excessive, but to each their own.
Using a Stockpot
- The process for making bone broth in a stockpot over the stove is pretty much the same as making it in a slow cooker. You donโt need an extra pan if you are planning on roasting your bones. You can simply roast them in the same pot.
- When cooking the broth over the stove top, make sure to lower the heat to either medium low or to the lowest point you can get it to. Allow your broth to simmer on low heat for 6 to 12 hours as you would in a slow cooker. You can start this process early in the morning so that you do not have to stay up at night watching your broth simmer.
- Once your bone broth is done, you can allow it to cool slightly, strain it using a fine sieve either directly into your jars, or into a large pot or bowl where you can easily ladle it into your jars.
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