RECIPE: Nutrient-Dense Bone Broth

Here’s a quick recipe for making bone-broth at home.  If you are new to broth making, I recommend starting out simple.  When you use pasture-raised and grassfed bones for your broth, you’ll be amazed by how yummy the flavor is with just a few simple ingredients….salt, pepper, onion, celery.  After you’ve complete the simple steps, you’ll know if you want to jazz things up with more veggies, herbs, etc.

Don’t waste that turkey carcass after Thanksgiving dinner!  Don't toss those T-bones!  Keep that chicken back after you've grilled it up and made your leftover sandwiches.  You can keep a bag of mixed bones building in your freezer until you have enough to fill your stock pot. 

Or if you need bones to purchase, we have all of our broth making goodies grouped on our website here.  

Ingredients

• 3-4 lbs. pasture raised bones  Note: This could be ANY combination of bones.  Beef, pork, lamb, or poultry.  They all impart their unique flavor and nutritional profile.
• Variety of veggies: 3 stalks celery, and 1 onion coarsely chopped (any combination of veggies can work. These are our favorite.)
• ¼ C apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ cup whole garlic cloves, 1 onion, and 1 C crimini mushrooms, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. In oven roasting pan, on an elevated rack, roast bones 1 hr @ 350°F. Pour ½ gallon of water in roasting pan to prevent scorching. Do NOT skip the roasting step.  The enhanced flavor created when you roast your bones (even the ones that have already been cooked) is well worth your time. 
2. Put roasted bones in 5-6 Qt. sauce pot and cover with water. Add the first group of veggies--the celery, onion, or your choice.  Add apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 24 - 72 hrs. Just be sure to add water when necessary to keep fluid level covering bones. Note: turn broth off over night to prevent scorching.
3. When there is one hour left to simmer, caramelize the final ingredients in a saucepan. These impart a rich flavor to your broth, so add more or less to taste. Add them to your broth and simmer for 1 hour longer.
4. Add salt to taste.
5. Allow broth to cool and strain through a sieve. Enjoy!

When I talk to folks about broth making and they tell me they tried to make some at home but didn't enjoy the flavor, 10 times out of 10 they say they did not roast the bones first.  

There are no short cuts!  Roast those bones, and you'll be happy with the finished product.