How to Make Beef Bone Broth
So we all know by now how nutritious and good for us bone broth is. Even the major food brands all have their own cartons of bone broth on the shelves. I'm glad that more healthful options are being offered these days and buy a few cartons here and there for convenience. But, when I have the option, I love to make my easy homemade bone broth in a crock-pot.Grocery store bone broth can't hold a candle to it in the health department. Do you know how I know? A good bone broth will turn into almost a jelly when it cools. That's how you know it is full of collagen. Collagen is a power house in the health department. It helps reduce joint pain and strengthen bones, improves and strengthens hair and nails, helps improve liver and gut health including detoxification among so many other things.
My sister-in-law and I went in on part of a grass-fed cow together from a local farmer here in Utah. Best way to save on grass-fed/pasture-raised meat by the way. I've been loving all the different cuts of meat that I don't usually buy from the store since they are usually way more expensive than just grass-fed ground beef. But one of the things I was most excited about was having a bunch of soup bones to make bone broth with. When you buy a cow, they ask if you want the bones. Say "YES!" The broth you get from bones is rich, velvety and chock full of the most essential vitamins and minerals that are so lacking in our diets. I just throw my soup bones in my deep freeze and take out a package or two at a time when I want to make some broth.
And making homemade bone broth couldn't be easier. You can obviously use a stock pot on the stove with this recipe too. I just love the easiness and worry free setting and leaving of crock-pots.
Start with about 2 pounds of soup bones. Ideally, half should be joint bones because they will contribute the most collagen to your broth. Lay them out on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Anything to make clean up shorter, right? Now salt and pepper them really well. I like to use my kosher salt for things like this.
Next, you'll want to brown the bones in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, turning at the half way mark. This really helps develop the flavor of the broth so much.
While your bones are browning, it's time to assemble the rest of the ingredients. I love using the inside stalks of my celery for stock. The leaves actually have so much flavor and they are a part of the plant that we don't usually eat, so I love to make sure I use them all up. When I am buying organic produce, I like to make sure I use the whole plant. You can read more about how I save money on our organic and grass-fed foods here and here. Another thing I like about making stock is that you it helps to clean out the fridge and use up anything that is getting a little old and maybe isn't in its prime texture wise. You can see my carrots are on their last leg too. They were still perfectly crunchy but starting to sprout. Just wash your veggies, you don't need to work about peeling or chopping.
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| Dehydrated Onions |
I love them! Once, I also saw organic celery for .50 a bunch so I bought a ton of them and dehydrated them too. I love to throw them in my soups, chilis and bone broths.
Ok, so back to the broth.
Add a bay leaf or two. You can also put in a few black peppercorns. No more than 5.
Once your bones are browned, take them out of the oven and nestle into your veggies and cover with water. You want your bones covered at all time. Pour in 2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar and turn on the crock-pot for at least 8 hours but preferably 24. It takes a while to get all the goodness out of the bones. You can leave it to simmer for up to 72 hours but I find 24 is just fine. That way I can start it in the morning and by the next morning it is ready to use to make something for dinner that day. You'll want to cook it on high until it starts to simmer then turn it to low for the rest of the time. You don't want it boiling. It will destroy the collagen if it is cooked too high. A nice simmer is just right.
When it's done, strain it over a bowl so you can catch every. last. drop. I like to keep mine in mason jars. See that white layer on top? That is called tallow. You can cook with it, especially if you want a healthy, pasture-raised fat. Or in the olden days, because the fat was so hard, it takes a long time to melt, making it ideal for candle making.
If your broth looks like this when it is cooled, you did it just right. Look how jiggly it is. Perfect. Don't worry, it will liquefy when you warm it up again.
Now it's time to enjoy in all your favorite recipes. Stay tuned for my French Onion Soup recipe. And if you would like to learn how to make Turkey Bone Broth you can find the recipe here.
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