Bone Broth Recipe

Bone Broth recipes are plentiful. With organic bone broths selling anywhere from $10-$15 a quart, it is a no brainer to make it yourself. I get bones from my beef farmer when I buy meat in bulk from them. The cost ends up being about $2 for 3lbs of bones.I buy free range organic chickens from a friend at work for $10 each but each chicken is 5-6lbs and retains its size when cooked. On Friday, I took chicken to my daughter's house but I only had one chicken left so I had to buy a store bought chicken. I chose a cage free, antibiotic, non-gmo feed chicken. When they were cooked, the one from my friend did not shrink at all but the store bought one shrank about 1/3 of its original weight. This is because they are packaged with salt to help preserve them. I usually get at least 4 quarts of bone broth. I figure that a quart of beef broth cost me a little over $1 and chicken bone broth is even less because I eat the chicken over a couple of meals and then make the broth from the bones. Another reason to make it yourself? You control the ingredients. I haven't found a pre-made broth that doesn't have pepper in it ...an AIP no no in the first 30 days.

I can't honestly say that I make this the same way twice. It is more of a kitchen sink kind of concept. Pictured here are an assortment of vegetables that I used for a bone broth when I was eating nightshades. I don't eat them anymore because I think that I reintroduced foods too quickly my first round on the strict AIP portion so I'm being very careful this time and to be honest, I'm not much of a pepper kind of person anyway. Since I hate it when I'm looking for a recipe and the person writes a book for a blog before you can get to a recipe, I'm going to go right into the recipe.

This isn't a recipe as much as it is directions.

Ingredients:

Bones (duh): I used 2-3lbs of beef bones or a chicken carcass from a roasted chicken.

assortment of veggies I always use at least 1 onion, 2-3 carrots, and 2-3 celery stalks . I don't like to eat celery hearts so I save them and the celery bottom for broth. Then I throw in whatever I happen to have in the fridge. I have put in brussel sprouts, broccoli parsnips, cabbage... really anything I have in the fridge especially if it is getting a little old.

4 cloves of garlic smashed

1 inch piece of garlic rough chopped or 1 tbl ginger powder

2 1 inch pieces of turmeric root or 1 tbls spoon turmeric powder

1 tbls salt

2 tbls apple cider vinegar

2-3 bay leaves

thyme (2 sprigs of fresh if you have it, if not 1 tbl dried)

sage (3-4 leaves of fresh or 1 tbls of dried)

At this point you can add any spice or herb of your choice

Directions:

Place bones in large pot or slow cooker (I don't own a pressure cooker but you could do this in one). A lot of times I'll put it in the slow cooker if I'm going to have to leave the house while it cooks.

Rough chop all of the vegetables. No need to peel anything. I don't even peel the garlic or onions.

Cover the bones with water as full as the pan will take. (Today I did a very large stock pot because I had two chicken carcasses)

pour in apple cider vinegar

Add salt and seasonings

Turn on high heat and let it boil for a couple of hours checking the water level (I usually start it in the slow cooker before I go to bed and let it cook on high overnight and then add water and turn it down before I leave for work)

Turn down to a simmer and let it cook for several hours (the longer the better). Chicken broth can be done in about 6 hours, beef broth takes up to 24 hours.

Taste it and adjust seasoning to taste

Let the broth cool to room temperature then strain it. If I'm make a beef broth, I check to make sure that the bone marrow has leached out of the bones and is in the liquid. If not, I push it through the bones and into the broth. Bone marrow is really good for you. You can use an immersion blender to the broth if you don't want bone marrow chunks but I don't care so I just let it float.

Transfer the broth to containers. You can freeze it and it will stay for several months. Mine is usually gone in a week or so, so I'm not sure how long it would stay. I have had it as long as 2 months. If you use a mason jar, make sure that you leave a couple of inches at the top if you plan on freezing it. I didn't do that the first time and all of my jars cracked. I lost of the broth and all of the jars.

Wow! that sounds complicated but in essences it is putting bones, veggies, and seasoning in a pot, covering it in water and letting it cook for several hours. Don't be married to the ingredients. Like I said, this is a kitchen sink kind of thing and mine is never the same twice.

#AIP #paleo #autoimmune #bonebroth