In today’s world, making broth or stock is more of a lost art than the norm. We tend to rush through daily life, every day’s schedule is full from the time we rise until we lay our head back onto the pillow. One thing that seems to get pushed aside because of this is feeding ourselves…especially feeding ourselves well. We eat while we drive, work, check email or social media, boxes, and bags have replaced home-cooked meals, quality is ignored, nutrients are nearly nonexistent and as a result, the body spirals into an unhealthy state. Digestion is not functioning as it should, we are not taking in important nutrients, blood sugar is out of whack and on and on.
Sounds dismal, doesn’t it?? It is, really. But it is possible to transition back into a healthy state of body and mind. You can start by making bone broth.
We all know that chicken soup is the best cure for a cold but that broth, when properly prepared, will also be beneficial in aiding the healing process to a host of other health issues. For generations, those before us have used bones to make broth. They knew that it was important, that it would help fix what ailed them and that when food was scarce, it could keep then alive. Bone broth is packed with many nutrients to feed the body.
Broth is rich in minerals that are readily available for use. A few things minerals are needed for include supporting tissue growth, relaxing and contracting muscle, maintaining nerve conduction, and shuttling nutrients throughout the body, act as cofactors for enzyme reactions. All of which help the body to function properly. One example is magnesium, adequate amounts can help with PMS, migraines, muscle cramps, kidney stone prevention, constipation, and impaired brain function, just to name a few.
Collagen is essential for skin and joint health and broth is an excellent source.
Another beneficial component to broth is gelatin. Gelatin will improve digestion. It does this by attracting gastric juices which will help break down our food into usable nutrients. Gelatin will also promote healing of the gut lining, making it important for dealing with digestive issues such as leaky gut.
Making broth is simple, it just takes some time. You do have options though, you can use the stovetop, crockpot, or Instant Pot. Though I believe that low and slow will create the best broth, I use my Instant Pot more often these days to ensure that I have broth on hand to use in soup, stew, sauces, cooking rice, or just to drink by the cup. I get good results with the IP, my broth will look like Jell-O when cooled letting me know it is full of gelatin….and a much healthier option, no sugar or artificial colors in my broth!! Pick whichever method works best for you and get started!
The bones you choice to cook are important! You want to start with grass-fed or pastured animal bones. These animals lived on the diets they are meant to and were healthier than conventionally raised animals, proving us with more dense nutrients. But if conventionally raised is what you have available, be all means use them! I save my bones from any meat I cook…steak, a whole chicken, roast, etc. and store them in the freezer until I need them. We purchase half a beef so I have raw soup bones. I use some raw and some precooked in each batch.
Bone Broth
3-4 lbs beef, pork, lamb, chicken bones
4 quarts water
1 onion, quartered
3 carrots, cut into 1″ pieces
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp peppercorns
Put all ingredients in the cooking vessel, allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Cook as follows for your preferred method-
Instant Pot – select manual setting, cook for at least 200 minutes.
Crockpot – set to low and cook for 12-24 hours
Stovetop – bring to boil, skim any scum that rises. Reduce to simmer for 12-24 hours.
Once cool, pour into jars, label, and store. It will keep in the frig for 2 weeks and you can freeze it for up to 6 months.
If I am using a meaty soup bone, I will first roast them for 20 minutes at 375, allow to cool before making broth. I find that will not give the broth an off-taste.
Let me know if you make a batch of broth and your favorite way to use it in your kitchen!
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