Nourishing Homemade Bone Broth

Bone Broth is made from skeleton bones at Halloween. Well, OK , maybe its made from beef and poultry bones. Halloween is the perfect time to whip up a big batch of nutrient-rich Bone Broth in your cauldron. Stock your pantry and freezer for the winter.  When those dark, freezing nights hit, you can fend off colds and warm your bones with a steaming cup of rich and delicious Bone Broth. Here is a good article on all the health benefits of bone broth to encourage you to make it from scratch.

Bone Broth is really just a well-crafted meat stock.  This recipe makes a rich stock to use for soup, stews and meat recipes. This recipe uses beef marrow bones, beef oxtails, turkey necks, and chicken feet. UGH!! I know it sounds gross but trust me, the result is an amazing stock rich in flavor and nutrients.  The chicken feet is the best way to add extra gelatin to the stock.  IF you can't find chicken feet, use chicken wings instead. Save your turkey and chicken carcasses, and beef bones throughout the year for stock.  Save your vegetable ends and trimming for stock. Throw it all in ziplock bags in the freezer. When you accumulate enough just throw it together in the stock pot. Making stock is satisfying to me. I guess I like the efficiency of making something good and healthy from leftovers that normally get thrown out.

Some of the tips to making a great Bone Broth are:

1. Roast the bones first for a dark, rich broth.
2. Soak the bones in cold water with apple cider vinegar to extract the most minerals and nutrients possible.
3. Slow cook for 12-24 hours! The longer the better. I have tested this and can confirm that broth simmered for 18 hours is better than broth simmered for 12.
4. Using a slow cooker or simmering on the stovetop is a personal preference.  My husband does not like me leaving an open flame on overnight.  My method is to boil and simmer the broth for two hours on the stovetop for the extra heat in the beginning and transfer to a slow cooker for the long simmer. The only limitation with this is the amount of liquid your slow cooker can hold.  A stockpot on the stovetop can hold much more.
5. Add salt and parsley at the end. Suggest you add more salt, pepper, garlic and other spices to your final recipe as needed.  I kept the seasoning to a minimum so it can be adjusted for different recipes.
6. Store in quart-size mason jars or freeze in ziplock bags for future use.

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Bone Broth

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 18 hours

Total Time 19 hours

Servings 5 Quarts

Author Homemade Italian Cooking with Cara

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef marrow bones
• 2 pounds beef oxtail bones
• 1 pound turkey necks
• 1 pound chicken wings for extra gelatin or substitute chicken feet
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 medium onions peeled and quartered
• 4 carrots
• 4 stalks celery leaves with leaves
• 1 small bunch parsley
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place meat bones (except chicken feet) on a baking sheet. Roast for about 45 minutes or until the bones are very caramelized and dark brown. This is what gives the dark brown color and deep flavor to the au jus.
• Removed the roasted bones from oven and let cool about 15 minutes.
• Pour off any fat from the baking pan. Scrape remaining brown bits into large stock pot. Put the beef bones (and chicken feet if using) in the stockpot. Add enough cold water to cover the bones and fill the pot ¾’s of the way up the pot. Add vinegar. Let the bones sit in the cool water for 30-60 minutes to extract more nutrients from the bones.
• Bring the stock pot to a boil and let simmer for 2 hours. Skim any scum or impurities that rise to the top and discard. Add more water if needed to cover the bones.
• Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Depending on your preference, you can cover the stockpot at this point and let simmer another 12 - 24 hours on the stovetop, or transfer the bone broth to a large slow cooker and simmer on low for 12 - 24 hours The long slow simmer gives the bone broth a deep, intense flavor.
• During the last 30 minutes of simmering add the parsley, salt and pepper.
• Remove meat bones from the stock and set aside. Remove any meat bits and save for another use.
• Using a fine mesh strainer over a very large bowl, ladle the cooked vegetables to the strainer and press out any juices for more flavor. Toss the pulp. Carefully pour (or ladle) the broth through the fine-mesh strainer to remove all bits. You will end up with 5-6 quarts of golden brown bone broth.
• Sip for a nourishing drink alone, or use for a special soup, stew, or sauce recipe. Save the broth in glass jars stored in the refrigerator, or freeze in gallon zip lock bags for later use.
• Note: You can add garlic, bay leaf, and other spices to the broth for extra flavors. I prefer to make a basic broth that can be used in any recipe.