This is a staple in our house. We use it every morning as the base for our Vegetable Breakfast Soup and for any recipe that needs broth or stock. For bone broth, there are many recipes out there, with many different techniques; you can bake the bones first, you can sauté the bones for flavor, you can add all sorts of different veggies and herbs. But I’m all about simple. We have an amazing butcher shop near our house, and I am able to buy pastured beef bones, organic chicken backs, even pastured sheep and organic pork bones. I combine these with vegetable trimmings and herbs. When I’m prepping food, any trimmings (celery ends, bits of carrot or onion), I keep in a bag in the freezer, then when I’m making bone broth I can toss them in.
RECIPE: *please note that these are all approximate, use what works for you!
2 lb Bones (I generally use chicken backs)
1 lb Vegetables (1 Onion, 2 cloves Garlic, Carrot pieces, Celery tops, Kale stems?, Asparagus ends?)
2 Tbsp Dried Herbes de Provence
1 Bay Leaf
1 gallon Water
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
The amount of water you add will depend on the size of your pot, and how strong you want your broth. Use what you have and in the ratios that sound good to you. I do not add salt to my broth, but you can. As for herbs, I use “herb de Provence” a mix of thyme, rosemary, basil, parsley, and oregano. Or, I will toss in whatever fresh herbs are growing in my garden. An onion, skins still on, and a couple cloves of garlic do add a lot of extra good flavor.
Place all ingredients into a pot. Bring to a boil. If you want to, you can skim off any foamy scum that accumulates on the surface at this point. I skip this step since I haven’t noticed that it changes the flavor all that much, and I can never get the foamy stuff without also taking away the herbs.
Turn down the heat to the lowest possible setting and simmer for 24 hours. Then turn off the heat and let the broth cool for an hour or so. Strain into jars and store in the fridge. As the broth cools the fat will separate and gather at the top of the jar. Once it is cool enough you can scoop it out, leaving a virtually fat-free broth behind. The broth will keep for about a week.
Or once completely cooled it can be frozen. If you are using glass jars, and are planning to freeze your broth, leave about an inch of room at the top of your jar. Be sure to cool the broth, then chill overnight in the fridge before you put your jar in the freezer. Also, remember to loosen the lid on your jar. I put my jars into plastic bags, just in case a jar breaks – the broth expands as it freezes, and can crack a glass jar, following these precautions helps, but won’t guarantee that your jars won’t break.
I recently decided to get an InstaPot electric pressure cooker (I love it, it’s awesome!) and I am now making my Bone Broth in my pressure cooker. I can only make a half recipe at a time, but it is so much more convenient, quicker, and doesn’t make the whole house smell like soup. I add half the amount of each ingredient, seal the cooker, set it for 2 hours, walk away, and when I come back my broth is ready to strain and jar. I love conveniences!
