Bone Broth: Profoundly Nutritious, Soothingly Delicious

If bone broth is not a part of your regular diet, you’re missing out! It’s tasty, it makes a fabulous base for soups and sauces, and best of all, it is profoundly good for you.

There are many ways to make bone broth. Some recipes require simply bones and water. However in my recipe, I add a few more ingredients to make it super tasty and highly nutritious. Click here for an article by Mark Sisson detailing the health benefits of cooking with bones. If you'd like more than just a text description of the recipe, please see my recipe video for bone broth at the bottom of this page. Please note that in the video I recommend olive oil, but instead, I now recommend avocado oil as it withstands heat much better. Some people prefer the flavor that roasting the veggies and bones impart, however you can also skip that step and move on to step 3 in the directions.

Bone Broth

5 lbs bones, preferably joint bones with some meat still on 3-4 TB high quality, avocado oil 1 cup acidic red wine or ½ cup apple cider vinegar 8 carrots, roughly chopped 8 stalks of celery, roughly chopped 2-3 large onions, roughly chopped 1 bunch fresh parsley 4 cloves of garlic 2 bay leaves 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 TB peppercorns Salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree. Oil bones with avocado oil, place in a baking dish, and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

2. Oil carrots, celery, and onions with avocado oil and add them to the bones in the baking dish. Bake for another 30 minutes.

3. Take bones and veggies out of oven and place them in a 12 Qt stock pot. Fill pot with filtered water, making sure to completely cover the bones, 1-2 inches above their highest point. Add 1 cup of red wine (or ½ cup of apple cider vinegar if preferred) and let soak in the water and wine for 30-60 minutes.

4. Heat on medium-high until just under boiling, stirring occasionally. Do not allow to boil. Turn heat down low, and simmer for 12-24 hours. If film collects on the top of the broth, skim off with a spoon and discard.

5. About an hour before the broth is finished, place remaining ingredients in the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes up to 2 hours. Take off heat and let cool slightly.

6. Remove large bones with tongs and discard. Pour broth mixture through a strainer to separate liquid from solids. Sometimes a second round of straining is needed, and should be done through a fine mesh strainer. Store in glass canning jars for up to a week in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer. If you plan to freeze the jars of broth for use at a later time, make sure to leave an inch or so of room at the top of the jar for the broth to expand as it freezes. Enjoy!

Cover image courtesy of jules on Flickr