How to Make Bone Broth (Recipe & Video) (2024)

FAQs

What is the key to good bone broth? ›

Traditional recipes recommend using bones rich in marrow and flavor, such as beef marrow bones, oxtails, beef feet or beef neck bones. For this article, we will focus on beef marrow bones. To make a nutritious and delicious beef bone broth, we recommend using beef marrow bones or beef oxtails.

For beef (or other ruminants) bone broth the ratio is closer to 1:2 bones to water, although this greatly depends on the type of beef bones you're using. Your mileage will vary depending on the bones you use, so best to experiment with a smaller batch before testing a larger one.

According to Baraghani, a good bone broth doesn't need much more than bones and a few choice aromatics, like onions, garlic, and black pepper. "Don't even get me started on carrots," he says, which add sweetness.

What kind of bone broth is healthy to drink? Non-gmo beef or chicken bone broth is the healthiest option to drink. Beef and chicken are both great options because they are high in protein, collagen, gelatin and amino acids for gut health and skin hydration.

You'll know your bone broth successfully "gels" when it has a jello-ish consistency when cold, after refrigeration. One tip is to add a splash of vinegar into the pot to help to collagen come out of the bones.

Some lesser known flavors to add to your bone broth are roasted garlic, a squeeze of lemon, thai curry paste and apple cider vinegar. Another one of my favorites. Roast garlic with oil, salt and pepper in foil in the oven until very soft.

We've covered just 3 here, but all 19 amino acids found in bone broth have their own unique health benefits to offer. While store-bought bone broth also contains some level of these nutrients, they're much more abundant in homemade versions.

Canora cautions against overcooking your bone broth, which can actually seriously hamper the flavor. Once you go past the 16-hour mark or so, “you start breaking down the bone itself and it starts infusing a bad flavor to your broth,” he explains.

How long should you boil bone broth? ›

Stovetop method:

Put the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Every 15 to 20 minutes skim the fat off the surface of the water. When the pot boils, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 16 to 18 hours. Skim the surface again as needed when you check on the pot during the cooking period.

Chicken Bone Broth

Consider chicken your choice to heal and seal the gut, though both chicken and beef contain amino acids and nutrients that support gut health. As far as collagen content is concerned, chicken bones do offer less than beef, but they also offer a different type.

But another indispensable bone broth ingredient comes in the form of vinegar, typically apple cider vinegar. You need this, not only for its slight acidic bite, but also to help extract the collagen and nutrients from the bones which give bone broth its richness and depth of flavor.

It's cheaper to make it yourself.

BUT with just a few ingredients, you can make a great quality broth for a fraction of the price you would pay at the store. For chicken, you'll get the biggest bang for your buck if you buy a chicken whole instead of buying the individual chicken breasts, thighs, legs, etc.

Keep adding water if it evaporates and the levels drop below the bones. Add a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar. This helps to leach the minerals out of the bones and increases the nutrient content of your broth. On Stove Top turn up the Heat until the water just bubbles.

The longer you simmer broth, the more flavor it will take on from the bones and tissue. Add flavor to your bone broth with ingredients like onion, celery, carrot, parsley, thyme, and garlic. Add these before you boil the broth. You can also prepare bone broth in a pressure cooker or slow cooker.

Adding vinegar is important because it helps pull all of the valuable nutrients out of the bones and into the water, which is ultimately what you will be consuming. You can also add vegetables, herbs, or spices to your broth to enhance the flavor.

Sometimes I add peppercorns or a few bay leaves or vegetable peelings, but usually I keep it simple. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar, as well (to help get even more nutrients out of the bones). Don't be alarmed if the vinegar makes the broth a bit cloudy.

It is recommended to cook broths on a low heat, as this will help draw out the collagen, marrow and amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Importantly, the minerals and amino acids in bone broth are highly bioavailable nutrients, meaning they come in an easy-to-digest form within the broth.