You might be one of the people who’ve heard or read about this strange sounding concoction Bone Broth, but you’re not sure how to make it. Lots of NNBeefers have discovered it’s really pretty easy and so very worth the little bit of effort it takes. Here’s how we cook up a batch here at the ranch. We hope this liquid nutritional gold becomes a regular staple in your home!
We throw all our leftover roast, rib, and steak bones in a freezer-safe zip top bag and save them til a 1 gallon bag is full. I add any raw bones that came with my order, or if that’s a bunch, add 3 or 4 to each batch, or cook only raw bones together. No hard & fast rules here. Throw them in your slow cooker, fill nearly to the top with purified water, then add 1T apple cider vinegar (we’re Bragg’s fans). Let the pot sit, turned off, for 1 hour. (Set a timer so you don’t forget!) This allows the vinegar time to start breaking down the bones enough to let all those valuable minerals leach out into your broth as it slow cooks over the next couple of days. Cover and turn the pot to LOW and simmer about 48 hours. Add more purified water at about 24 hours, if needed, to refill what’s evaporated. This produces a rich bone broth packed with hard to get trace minerals and collagen. It won’t be especially savory unless you opt to add some salt at this point, which I typically do. Another variation is to add some veggies and herbs for the last 6 hours – celery, carrots, onions, leftover veggies or scraps, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, etc. This will infuse even more flavor and nutrition and is a great way to make good use of your kitchen veggie scraps. Double strain it to produce a rich, clear, delicious broth. Start with a colander, pressing down the solids on round one to release as much goodness as possible. Then filter once more through a finer sieve or strainer.
It’s a good idea to refrigerate your finished broth to let any fat solidify at the top, then skim it off and discard into the trash. Since broth cooks for an extended time, there are concerns that any fat could oxidize and become unhealthy to consume. So, ditch the fat just in case. You won’t miss it a bit!
Now pour yourself a warmed up cup of gold and feel the goodness soaking in!
[…] 8 cups NNBeef Bone Broth […]