Beef bone broth!
Bone broth is so forgiving: it can be perfectly done in two hours, or in forty eight. You can make it with scraps of veggie ends and bones you have saved in your freezer, or you can source the perfect variety of bones like our bone broth packs.
Why bother making bone broth at all? It tastes great and is warmly comforting! There are nutritional benefits - bones are a great source of collagen, iron, calcium and various vitamins. This delicious liquid can help you feel fuller - longer , improve your mood AND help you get better sleep. We could keep chatting about all the benefits of bone broth for an hour, but lets get it made!
This recipe is for 2 1/2 lbs of beef bones. A variety is preferred, but use what you have. If you can get knuckles along with some oxtail, you’ll have a winning combo; you’re looking for marrow and cartilage, with some meat, so that your broth is well balanced and will gel from all the collagen.
2 1/2 pounds of beef bones
1 large onion
3 stalks of celery
2 carrots
6 mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic
Optional chef’s choice of dried herbs, ginger, tumeric, etc.
This first step is optional, but totally worth the time and effort! Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, drizzle all of the above with your favorite oil, (we use olive oil) and roast at 400 degrees for 25 minutes to one hour, turning halfway through. You are looking for good browning on the bones. (Please try to roast if at all possible; if you decide not to roast the bones and veggies, consider boiling the bones first, and removing whatever scuzzy foam rises to the top.)
Once done roasting, put all of the ingredients into your Instant Pot for quick cooking, or in your slow cooker for, well... slow cooking. Add 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to acidify the water (it helps pull out more nutrients). We also like to add some dried herbs, along with ginger and turmeric. This recipe is the ultimate in flexible. Change it up depending on your mood and what you have on hand!
Just cover the bones with filtered water, 6 cups or less. Do not fill your Instant Pot, if using, over the Max line.
After everything is in the Instant Pot, cook under pressure for 2 to 4 hours. If using a crock pot, slow cook for at least 24 hours, or up to 48 hours.
Once done cooking, allow pressure to release naturally if using an Instant Pot.
Remove all the solids. You can allow the broth to fully chill so that the layer of fat (now tallow) can be removed (skimmed) from the top. Or you may choose to leave it. Or, strain the broth through a flour sack or cheese cloth to remove the fat, instead. This umami packed fat can be used to cook other foods; we love to use it to caramelize onions for a French Onion grilled cheese.
Be aware, the broth will likely be less gelatinous if made in the Instant Pot.
The ingredients can also be put through and cooked one more time to make another batch of broth; it’s a great value. It’s all about using the best ingredients you can get and doing your best with them. Bone broth has no real right or wrong way to cook the bones and veggies; let them go low and slow in a crock pot, or quick and hot under pressure. Either way, your body will thank you.
We are well stocked with bones at our Farm Store, please come by any day 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
