Mar

2017

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Bone Broth

bone broth

Ginny Cram

Wellness & Recipes

14 Mar 2017

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This wonderful, yummy, comforting, warm drink is nothing new, but it sure has become a trend lately. Growing up, I would sometimes drink broth if I was sick. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that the canned liquid of salt (‘cuz let’s face it, that’s basically what it is) wasn’t the same thing as real broth. No wonder it didn’t seem to have much of an effect.

A few years ago I began making bone broth at home using store-bought organic chicken. It was very good, but it wasn’t until we started raising meat chickens that I discovered just how amazing it really is. After tasting my first batch, I was in love. I took our little pasture-raised omnivore and roasted it for dinner. Once we had consumed the meat, I placed it in my slow cooker with a couple chicken feet, added water, and let it simmer on low for 24 hrs. The house smelled so good! When it was done, I strained, then tasted it. I was amazed at the golden fat content that floated on top. It was smooth and almost creamy-like. Contrary to popular belief, good animal fat is beneficial to our health. So drink up this delectable goodness! I’m excited for you to make it in your own home!

Bone broth can be made with any type of animal bones. I typically make it with chicken, because that’s what I raise. However, if you’d like to make beef, pork, or fish broth, you can! Or maybe you like to hunt and want to use whatever bones are leftover – wonderful! I highly recommend roasting or smoking them first. It adds flavor!

This recipe uses chicken, but it’s the same process for all bones. See below for various times. Oh, and you can also throw in some chicken feet or hooves if you’d like. This grossed me out at first, but once we prepared our chickens for freezer camp, I saw how the outer layer of skin completely falls off the feet and the next layer was totally clean. So I never have to worry about where the foot may have been.

Ingredients:

Animals Bones (1 chicken carcass)
Hooves or Pair of Chicken Feet (optional)
Vegetables and Seasoning (optional)
Water

Supplies:

Slow Cooker or Stock Pot

Directions:

Place bones and feet in slow cooker or stock pot.
There are my chicken feet!
Fill to top with water.
Add optional vegetables and seasoning.
I usually skip this step because I’m all about making things as simple and as quick as possible.
Cook on low for 24 hours (for poultry).
Your home will smell so good while it’s cooking.
Strain and refrigerate or freeze.
Everything should just fall apart.

See the nice layer of fat? Yum!

When chilled, you will notice it’s very gelatinous, but it will thin when warmed up on the stove. Never heat this in a microwave as it will kill all the good stuff and make it completely pointless. You can now drink as is, or use it to make soups, sauces, and gravy. I like to make a batch every week, put it in large jars, and place in the fridge. Then I can have a cup each day and also make soup (great for a quick dinner). Sometimes I put it in small bags and freeze it. This is convenient for when I find I’ve just emptied my last jar from the fridge.

If using other types of bones, the time may vary. Here’s what I found:

Beef – 24-48 hours
Fish – 6-8 hours
Pork – 24 hours

What type of bones do I use? Where to find them?

You’ll want the highest quality bones you can find (and afford). Grass-fed cattle, pasture raised poultry, wild caught fish, organic as possible. But is that always easy to find or available in all areas? Nope. So find the best available to you, and if you’re just starting out making this, start easy with something convenient so you don’t get frustrated. You can always up the quality as you go.

The best place to get bones is from yourself – save leftovers after your meal! Or check with your local butcher or farmer.

If you recently attended my Bone Broth With a Side of Honey workshop, here are some links for the San Diego are:

http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/2013/June/CampoCreekRanchBrochure.pdf

http://www.son-riseranch.com/

http://www.ediblesandiego.com/local-food/local-csas.html

Homemade or Store-Bought?

Homemade is always the best – amazing flavor and inexpensive! But if you must buy, read the labels. Check that there are no added flavors, MSG, or yeast extract. Get organic if you can find it. Pacific seems to be a good brand that is widely available in my area. It doesn’t hurt to do your research – check out these links:

https://fearlesseating.net/store-bought-broth/

So, what’s the best bone broth? Here’s the results of our taste test.

What are the benefits?

The big one here is that bone broth helps to heal the gut. Excellent for digestive issues, food intolerances, allergies, and it will boost your immune system. Also great for joints, hair, and nails! The bones contain collagen (especially chicken feet and hooves), and when cooked for a long time the collagen is extracted into it’s edible form known as gelatin containing amino acids. Plus you’re getting lots of good minerals.