Basic Tips
Being a lazy person, one of my favorite things about making bone broth, is that it’s pretty easy to prepare and customize to your own taste. You can use the bones from any animal (or fish if you’re vegetarian), but for a little extra collagen and gelatin, be sure to include chicken feet and chicken neck in your broth. I know, the thought of chicken feet is kinda gross, but don’t think about it — just throw it in the pot, it’s good for you, as my mom used to say!
As I’ve said before, choose organic free range beef/pork/chicken to make sure the bones are as free from chemicals or pesticides as possible. Likewise, choose bones from wild caught fish rather than farmed raised.
The main ingredients of a basic bone broth are bones, fat, meat, vegetables, and water. If using beef, be sure to brown the meat before putting it in the stock pot; poultry and fish may be added to the pot without browning. Add a little apple cider vinegar to help draw the minerals out of the bones. For a little extra oomph and flavor, add vegetables like carrots, onions, garlic, parsley. Adding herbs such as ginger or turmeric really help pump up the health benefits of your broth.
Leave a comment and share your creative twists and turns making your bone broth.
Easy Peasy Bone Broth Recipe
Recipe Type: Soup
Cuisine: American
Author: Susan Taylor
This basic recipe is easy to customize so feel free to get creative and make it your own. Hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
- Bones from the animal of your choice
- 2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
- Vegetables for seasoning (Onions, Garlic, Carrots, Celery are good)
- Herbs (Parsley, Herbs de Provence, Ginger, or Turmeric)
- Water
Instructions
- Add the bones to a large stockpot or slow cooker.
- If making beef broth, brown the meat before putting in pot. Poultry (including chicken neck and feet) and fish are ok to add to pot without browning.
- Cover meat and bones with water. Make sure to leave plenty of room for the water to boil.
- Add the apple cider vinegar to the pot
- Slowly bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 6 hours and skim the fat off the top as it rises. However, 6 hours is the minimum amount of time needed to extract the nutrients from the bones. Chicken bones can be simmered for 24 hours; Beef bones can cook for 48 hours ; Fish takes the least amount of time- sometimes an hour is all you need. Low and slow is the best way to fully extract the nutrients from in and around the bones.
- Feel free to add in your vegetables and herbs of choice to pump up the flavor and nutrition benefits of your broth.
- When finished cooking, remove from the heat and cool slightly. Remove any solids and strain through a colander into a bowl.
- Cool the broth to room temperature, cover, and chill. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.
