Bone Broth

Besides from using the leftover bone scraps from your Sunday roast chicken, head on over to your local farmers market or butcher to source locally raised grass-fed beef and pasture-raised poultry bones. As with meat, you want to be sure the bones you’re buying come from healthy animals that were grass-fed or pasture-raised, since this will provide for the healthiest, richest bone broth.

Serves: Approximately 12 cups 

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 12-24 hours

Ingredients

5 pounds mixed bones (poultry, beef or both)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 onion, halved
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 stalk of celery roughly chopped
Fresh herbs, optional
Water

Preparation

1. Add the bones and vinegar to a large stockpot with a tight-fitting lid. Alternatively, you can also use a slow cooker, which is what I typically use. Fill the pot with water until it covers the bones by 2 to 3 inches. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a very low simmer. You want the stock to barely be bubbling. Let the broth simmer covered for 4 to 8 hours. In the last hour or so of simmering, I add the vegetables and herbs. I find that if I let the vegetables simmer too long with the bones, it muddies the flavor.

2. Let the broth cool and then strain the bones through a fine mesh sieve into mason jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or the freezer for several months. Tip: If you’re freezing the broth in glass jars, fill them well below the neck of the jar, as the broth will expand as it freezes and can shatter the jars. I have been freezing my broth in glass for years and I have never broken a jar.