It’s January and the forecast calls for bone broth!
The wind is tossing tree branches and blowing snow outside, but your house can be warm with the smell of bone broth. Plus you’ll feel great using this nutritional powerhouse in meals for months to come.
Bone broth is incredibly easy to make. It just takes time, so it’s a perfect project for a frigid winter day.
Bone broth tips:
Processing time. 10 hours is a good minimum, but longer is better. I processed my most recent batch for 14 hours and it turned out great.
Make the biggest batch you possibly can given the amount of bones and space for boiling. The process is going to take just as long for 5 pounds of bones as it will for 10 pounds of bones. You’ll just end up with less finished broth, so why not make as much as you can.
Bone to broth ratio. For this batch, I used 12 pounds of soup bones and short ribs to make 2 gallons of finished broth. The consistency of the cool, finished broth was slightly gelatinous which is great. There’s no perfect ratio. I like to see that the broth is concentrated enough to be more gelatinous than soupy when cooled.
Use an oversized stock pot. Using multiple smaller stock pots works, but it will tie up space on your stove for a whole day, so use the biggest pot you have. We have a 4 gallon stock pot that we use for canning and it works great for making a big batch of bone broth also.
It’s okay to interrupt the boil. Bone broth needs to process for 10 plus hours, but it doesn’t have to be continuous. If you need to leave, just turn off the broth and let it cool. Start the boil back up when you return.
Use the cold to your advantage. It’s bitterly cold outside, which means easy, energy free cooling and refrigeration. No need to clear space and heat up the refrigerator trying to cool boiling hot liquid. Place your broth outside to cool or in a protected area that won’t freeze completely. Our unheated garage works perfectly for this.
Adapted from Jessica Randhawa’s recipe at theforkedspoon.com
Ingredients:
10 pounds beef bones
4 large carrots
2 medium onions
2 heads garlic
6 celery stalks
¼ cup black peppercorns
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Step 1.
Blanch the bones. Place the bones in a stock pot large enough to cover them completely with water. Use two stock pots if needed. Bring water to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, then drain and rinse the bones with water.
Step 2.
Roast the bones and vegetables. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Arrange the bones and vegetables in a single layer on baking sheets. Roast for 3o minutes. Turn the bones and vegetables and then roast for another 20-30 minutes.
Step 3.
Transfer bones and vegetables back to a clean stock pot. Take all of the bones, meat, vegetables, and drippings from the roasting pans and scrape them into the stock pot.
Step 4.
Boil the bones and vegetables. Add peppercorns and apple cider vinegar. Add enough water to the pot to completely cover the bones. Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
Step 5.
Simmer the bones. Reduce heat to low and maintain a simmer for at least 8-12 hours. Add water as needed to keep bones submerged.
Step 6.
Strain the broth. Remove the bones and vegetables with a wire basket or tongs. Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer to remove any small loose pieces of bone. Set the broth aside to cool.
Step 7.
Skim fat from the top of the broth (optional). When the broth has cooled, there will be a layer of hard, solid fat floating on top of the broth. The fat can easily be removed at this time leaving behind just the bone broth.
Step 8
Store the broth. Bone broth freezes well in quart sized freezer bags for use in future recipes.