Bone Broth is one of the most potent, concentrated healing foods, that you can cook at home. That means you are in control of the quality of bones and all the other goodies that go in to making this super concentrated healing broth. Iv'e been a fan of Bone Broth for a few years now, so I wanted to share some of the things I've learnt, to make a really yummy, nutrient dense, vitamin packed Super Charged Bone Broth. Have a quick look at some of the benefits, whether beef or chicken broth.
benefits of Reduces Inflammation Aids digestion
Bone Broth Calms joint and muscle pain Smooths skin
Assists your liver to detox Helps repair and grow bones
Fights infections Loaded with nutritional goodness
Bone Broth has many fans these days, because research and science have shown how this amazing nutrient dense soup is chock a block full of collagen, gelatin, hyaluronic acid, amino acids, proteins, minerals and vitamins, and it has the powerful ability to heal the permeability of the gut lining. We're hearing a lot more about the 'gut' these days because it is now widely acknowledged that the gut is paramount to overall health and wellness, so this is an important reason to drink this healing brew.
Once you have made your broth, the idea is to have a small cup every day on an empty stomach, to absorb it's goodness - remember it is a rich brew indeed, and you may wish to dilute it a bit. You shouldn't use all your broth in one meal either, try to freeze small 1 or 2 cup serves, so you can use it in all sorts of ways, like using it as a base stock in casseroles, noodle soups, gravy etc. I made a spicy Thai beef noodle broth, using 2 cups of the beef bone broth I'd just made, a spoon of red curry paste, a generous splash of fish sauce and some coconut cream, then loaded up with fresh veggies, tender steak slices and rice noodles - it was yum. I usually drink half a cup a day or add it to a meal.
Yesterday I decided to throw a pot of Bone Broth on. You really do need to plan ahead for this, as it takes up to 48 hours to cook slowly! We have a new butcher selling pasture fed meat, so I bought a bag of beef bones - big chunky, meaty bones full of marrow (sorry vegetarians:)
The first thing to know about cooking bone broth of any kind, is that the process is slow with VERY low heat. It takes time to draw the goodness out of the bone without losing it all in the steam, which many first timers find out the hard way when they take the lid off and there,s no broth left! I use a heavy based, stainless steel soup pot, and regulate the heat myself - to very low. Slow cookers are often recommended but mine still slow boiled too fast, and most of the broth was evaporated by morning :( It's so disappointing when you've put so much into it.
Some people roast their bones in the oven first. It not only brings out more flavour, but helps to release the nutrients. But to be honest, I just throw everything in the pot without too much fuss - you want to make this process as easy as possible so you will do it again and again. Try chicken frames next time if you love a good chicken broth. They are cheap to buy and you usually need 3-4 frames.
So, step one, put your bones in your chosen pot and cover with water. I use filtered water so there are no added chemicals in my healthy broth - you can use bottled water if you don't have filtered, at least you wont be adding fluoride and chlorine to your soup.
The next important ingredient is Apple Cider Vinegar. Don't overdo the vinegar and ruin the taste of your broth, but it's the vinegar that helps to draw the goodness out of the bones. Apple Cider Vinegar has a ridiculously long list of health benefits - so give your broth a healthy splash of the stuff when throwing everything in the pot and bring to a very slow simmer.
I know a few people that have tried to make bone broth, only to tell me it was awful :[ so like
all good soups, flavour and seasoning are important. You should add lots of herbs, spices and vegetables to create loads of taste. I like to roughly chop up LOTS of onion, carrots and celery. You can be as quick and rough and ready as you like, no need to peel etc, because they will slowly cook down, and we will be straining all the particles out of the broth at the end, because tiny bone fragments may be floating around! You will understand when you make your first batch, how 'chalky' and brittle the bones become, as every little bit of goodness is drawn out of the bones.
The Super Charged ingredients to make this broth even more potent and powerful, start with the simple addition of 3-4 cloves of roughly smashed garlic and a spoon of crushed ginger. I'm sure I don't need to spout on about these well known herbs for health because you all know they are good - so I won't, but make sure you put them in! Instead, I'm going to encourage the daily use of the incredible, but humble, Tumeric. Yes, another spice we know is good for us - BUT, are you aware of just how much scientific research has backed it up, finding even more reasons to use this incredible spice. Suffice it to say, we can all use a little anti inflammatory help in our joints and bodies, so we will add a generous spoonful to taste. If you love the flavour of this spice, add a bit more for good measure.
After we add tumeric, we also thrown in a teaspoon of black peppercorns. It has been found that black peppercorns will activate the tumeric giving it even more healing power. Then it's in with the herbs of choice. Mine is rosemary, origano and a pinch of nutmeg or you can even use cinnamon.
Salt is always under fire, but our bodies need it and so does your broth, to bring out flavours. I use Himalayian Pink Salt, as it is an unprocessed salt containing 84 trace minerals.
The next super ingredient, known to have books written about it's countless health benefits and uses is Coconut Oil, containing good medium-chain fatty acids. It is good for digestion, immune system, skin, brain, oh just about everything, so why wouldn't you add it to your super brew. It is well known for it's soothing and healing effects on the gut and will add a delicate coconut hint to your broth.
So here is my Supercharged Bone Broth recipe, that actually tastes delicious and is also super nutritious. You should aim to make a big batch that you can freeze in small containers as this is a lot of effort for little reward otherwise. Generally you should aim to drink half a cup daily or if suffering an illness ramp it up to half a cup morning and night or more - you cant overdo soup!
RECIPE FOR SUPERCHARGED BONE BROTH
2-3 kilos of grass fed cow bones or 3-4 chicken frame/carcasses
filtered or bottled water to cover all bones
1/3 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar - or a healthy splash if your in a hurry
3 large carrots roughly chopped
2 onions peeled and roughly chopped
4 stalks of celery with foliage tops still on - this is where most of the flavour comes from
roughly chopped
3-4 cloves smashed garlic - just peel and bang it with the flat side of a large knife
1 heaped teaspoon of pure minced ginger
1 teaspoon of Tumeric
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1 teaspoon of Himalayan Pink salt
DIRECTIONS
Place the bones in your large soup pot and cover with the water.
Bring to the boil whilst roughly chopping veggies.
Add everything to the pot while waiting for it to boil.
Once boiling, TURN DOWN HEAT TO VERY LOW. It should bubble very gently.
This heat needs to be maintained for the next 48 Hours! and is where the magic happens, so don,t rush the process. You can add more water now if you think it has reduced a bit with steam - remember a low, slow heat, will stop all the goodness escaping in steam and making your house smell like broth for a week.
Stir occasionally, but try not to open too often, as you will lose some goodness each time.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO COMPLETE THE BROTH
When your broth is ready, all the meat and marrow should have fallen from the bones and they should be clean and slightly chalky.
It is really important that you follow the next steps as tiny bone fragments will now be floating in the broth along with the remnants of vegetables.
Using tongs, remove the bones and discard - do not feed to animals as these bone have no goodness left in them and will do more harm than good.
Whilst still warm - strain the broth through a medium sized strainer into a large bowl catching the majority of flotsam, then strain again using a fine strainer to get pure, clean, clear broth. This can be a messy procedure and the use of a soup ladle and soft spatula will help.
Place the bowl of clean broth in the fridge for a few hours if you want to remove unwanted fats, which can then be easily be skimmed off the top. However, if you are using bone broth to help with a chronic disease, leave these valuable fats in as they are full of coconut oil, and rich in absorbed, essential vitamins and minerals, and will help anyone trying to put weight on.
Remember that this is a very concentrated soup and can be diluted to taste. I sometimes add half a teaspoon of delicious coconut cream into my single serve - it makes chicken or beef, creamy and rich in good fats - which we seem to starve ourselves of, under the guise that they are bad for us! In fact we just don't eat enough good fats, of which 80% of our brain is made of. I digress - sorry...
What you do with the left over pulp is up to you, but be wary of fine bone shards.To be honest, I put all the pulpy stuff into my worm farm - they love it! In just 2 days they are clearly twice as big and producing highly nutritious worm water for my organic veggie garden, so now my veggies are even more nutritionally viable.Don't forget to freeze your broth in small portions as you won't need it all at once.
Good luck with your first batch. It took me a few go's to get the flavour right so don't give up and tweek it next time. If you haven't got the time to bother making your own broth, you can now buy bone broth protein powders, however they are definitely not the same as something you cook yourself, in taste or goodness.
Please leave a comment if you have failed or succeeded with bone broth, we can use all the helpful tips you have.
