Bone broth

[Strawberrykiwi75]

Has anyone tried this latest fad for 'bone broth'?

Does it taste good?

How do you make it?

Did you experience any of the supposed health benefits?

Do you use it for anything other than just sipping on?

[kathrynd]

chicken bone broth...base for my chicken soup

[netskyblue]

I guess I don't follow the fad, but I do make chicken stock 2-3 times a year, usually 3+ gallons at a time.  I just save all my chicken carcasses in the freezer until I have 3-4 (or just bones if we had thighs or whatever).  Put them in my biggest stockpot in an evening after work, cover with water, simmer till bedtime.

Then I strain off the liquid, cover & set it out to cool overnight (yeah I'm totally lax about pathogens.  I'm going to can it anyway.)  Put the bones & stuff in 1-2 crockpots, depending how much I have, again cover with water.  At this point, I usually add whatever veggie bits I've got in the freezer.  Might be some chopped celery or carrots, I think I've got some leeks in there right now.  Usually when we have leftover raw veggies in the fridge and it looks like they won't get eaten before they go bad, I just chop & freeze for stock.

Anyway, I let that second "batch" go in the crockpot on low overnight.  In the morning, I strain off the liquid again.  Put last night's liquid in the fridge, and set this new hot liquid with a lid out to cool.  Fill the crockpots with water one more time, and let it go till I'm home from work that night.  Again, old liquid goes in fridge, new liquid sits out to cool.  Then it too goes in the fridge.  By this time the bones are basically mush, and I throw them out.

The third day, I scrape all the hardened fat off the various containers of liquid in my fridge, pour them into 1-2 huge stockpots, heat to boiling, and ladle them into jars for pressure canning.  Since the first batch is the most "potent," I try to mix my batches in the stockpot(s) and ladle from both pots into each jar to try to make as homogenous a jar as possible. 

I don't put salt in, because I assume I'll salt whatever I'm making with the stock as necessary.

I don't DRINK it, but I make soup, rice...lots of things, using chicken stock as the liquid.  Turkey stock is my favorite.  But often I just make "poultry" stock, because it might have chicken and turkey both, one time I had some duck bones in there.  It's all good. 

Yeah it's a bit of work, but I only do it a couple times a year and can enough stock to last many months.  And since it's made from my own leftovers, it's only costing me the energy to make, and a jar lid.  The "good" stock from the store costs ~$3.99 a quart!  So if I estimate that I use 8 gallons a year, that's over $125 in savings.  (Minus energy costs & lids.  Since most of the cook time is spent in a crockpot, I expect energy costs are minimal.)  And I know what's in it, and I usually use free-range chicken, so I can feel good about what I'm eating.

[2ndTimer]

I make bone broth all the time, whenever I have a bone or two.  I grow parsley in the garden just for that.  Netskyblue did a great job of describing the process so I won't do it again.

[R62]

Yeah it's a bit of work, but I only do it a couple times a year and can enough stock to last many months.  And since it's made from my own leftovers, it's only costing me the energy to make, and a jar lid.  The "good" stock from the store costs ~$3.99 a quart!  So if I estimate that I use 8 gallons a year, that's over $125 in savings.  (Minus energy costs & lids.  Since most of the cook time is spent in a crockpot, I expect energy costs are minimal.)  And I know what's in it, and I usually use free-range chicken, so I can feel good about what I'm eating.

Homemade stock is also far more delicious than anything you can buy in a store:  win-win.

[lise]

The latest fad though I thought is for beef bone broth. 

Read about the "differences" to stock here ...

http://www.eater.com/2015/2/12/8025027/what-is-bone-broth-and-why-is-everyone-talking-about-it

[lise]

I guess I don't follow the fad, but I do make chicken stock 2-3 times a year, usually 3+ gallons at a time.  I just save all my chicken carcasses in the freezer until I have 3-4 (or just bones if we had thighs or whatever).  Put them in my biggest stockpot in an evening after work, cover with water, simmer till bedtime.

Great recipe!  I basically do the same but I roast the carcasses first, it really makes the flavor it more intense.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

There's a fad? I've been making my own broth regularly for years. I only make chicken or turkey broth, because we rarely buy beef, and when we do, it's usually ground. My favorite things to add to the broth are whole peppercorns, onion skins, and bay leaves. It's delicious, and I use it for cooking rice, beans, grits, soups, etc.

[RetiredAt63]

Somewhere (?) I had seen bone broth as referring to stock that had vinegar added for the cooking, the acidity encourages calcium to dissolve in the broth.

[2ndTimer]

Somewhere (?) I had seen bone broth as referring to stock that had vinegar added for the cooking, the acidity encourages calcium to dissolve in the broth.

[/b]

My grandmother did this.  All old things become new again.

[Tami1982]

I second roasting the bones - really makes a huge difference!  I'm lazy and throw everything (bones I've saved) in my pressure cooker with odds and ends I've saved in the freezer (carrot ends, soft tomatoes, onion skins).  Let it go for an hour with a little bit of vinegar added to break the bone down and that's it.  Strain it and jar in quart jars and freeze.  Sometimes I can it, but I go through it so quickly I usually just freeze it.  I save the chicken for me, and use the turkey for the dogs for the dogs.  Thanksgiving last year people gave me so many turkey carcasses I finally had to tell them no more! LOL:)

[totoro]

I've been meaning to do this but make it into pho broth and freeze to make it on a regular basis. 

I don't think I'd use bone broth regularly otherwise despite the health benefits.   

A recipe is here: http://steamykitchen.com/271-vietnamese-beef-noodle-soup-pho.html

[Bikesy]

We've done this ever since I can remember...we always called it "soup" or "stock".  I hate that "bone broth" has become a thing!  Leave my food alone hipsters!

[Thedudeabides]

We've done this ever since I can remember...we always called it "soup" or "stock".  I hate that "bone broth" has become a thing!  Leave my food alone hipsters!

I always cringe a little when I hear bone broth. It's been called stock at least since Escoffier's time.

[Random Internet Stranger]

I do pretty much what others do here....

I save ALL my chicken/turkey bones/bits/bobs and throw them in the freezer. They are both roasted and raw...it just depends on where the bones came from :) I also save all my veggie bits....carrot ends, celery trimmings/hearts, green parts of leeks, onion skins and so on. There is a whole shelf designated to my stock making in the freezer (beef/chicken/turkey/Thai flavored (for flu) ). Then when I have a nice assortment of stuff, I get out my slow cooker.

I add in as many bones as I can, and add in the veg. I add a few quarts of water to it (its a 6 quart crock-pot). I throw in about a tbsp or 2 or apple cider vinegar, a few cracked peppercorns, a few bay leaves, and a pinch of salt.  I then cover it and leave it on low for 24-48 hours.

Then I strain the liquid, and strain it again and let it cool.  I then put it into mason jars and freeze immediately unless its being used right away. I don't can them, but the broth/stock is frozen/refrigerated asap.

I use it in everything, I call it bone broth because that's what I was taught to call it when I learned to make this from my grandma. Anyway, once its cool, it should be nice and jiggly, and its all set to go.

The reasons I use it, is:

a) its how its always been done in my family
b) it doesn't waste the bones, and gets minerals and stuff out of the bones that we can use (according to my grandma)   
c) It seems to do the job better for making people feel better re: flu/colds but that's just anecdotal....we run with it tho :P
d) its just fantastic to taste.
e) its saves money in long run for us.

[dodojojo]

I guess I don't follow the fad, but I do make chicken stock 2-3 times a year, usually 3+ gallons at a time.  I just save all my chicken carcasses in the freezer until I have 3-4 (or just bones if we had thighs or whatever).  Put them in my biggest stockpot in an evening after work, cover with water, simmer till bedtime.

Then I strain off the liquid, cover & set it out to cool overnight (yeah I'm totally lax about pathogens.  I'm going to can it anyway.)  Put the bones & stuff in 1-2 crockpots, depending how much I have, again cover with water.  At this point, I usually add whatever veggie bits I've got in the freezer.  Might be some chopped celery or carrots, I think I've got some leeks in there right now.  Usually when we have leftover raw veggies in the fridge and it looks like they won't get eaten before they go bad, I just chop & freeze for stock.

Anyway, I let that second "batch" go in the crockpot on low overnight.  In the morning, I strain off the liquid again.  Put last night's liquid in the fridge, and set this new hot liquid with a lid out to cool.  Fill the crockpots with water one more time, and let it go till I'm home from work that night.  Again, old liquid goes in fridge, new liquid sits out to cool.  Then it too goes in the fridge.  By this time the bones are basically mush, and I throw them out.

The third day, I scrape all the hardened fat off the various containers of liquid in my fridge, pour them into 1-2 huge stockpots, heat to boiling, and ladle them into jars for pressure canning.  Since the first batch is the most "potent," I try to mix my batches in the stockpot(s) and ladle from both pots into each jar to try to make as homogenous a jar as possible. 

I don't put salt in, because I assume I'll salt whatever I'm making with the stock as necessary.

I don't DRINK it, but I make soup, rice...lots of things, using chicken stock as the liquid.  Turkey stock is my favorite.  But often I just make "poultry" stock, because it might have chicken and turkey both, one time I had some duck bones in there.  It's all good. 

Yeah it's a bit of work, but I only do it a couple times a year and can enough stock to last many months.  And since it's made from my own leftovers, it's only costing me the energy to make, and a jar lid.  The "good" stock from the store costs ~$3.99 a quart!  So if I estimate that I use 8 gallons a year, that's over $125 in savings.  (Minus energy costs & lids.  Since most of the cook time is spent in a crockpot, I expect energy costs are minimal.)  And I know what's in it, and I usually use free-range chicken, so I can feel good about what I'm eating.

Why not just boil the bones once and make it a very potent stock?  When you're ready to use it--add water to dilute.  This way, you won't have to cook the bones multiple times and won't have to store as many cans?

[Unique User]

I do pretty much what others do here....

I save ALL my chicken/turkey bones/bits/bobs and throw them in the freezer. They are both roasted and raw...it just depends on where the bones came from :) I also save all my veggie bits....carrot ends, celery trimmings/hearts, green parts of leeks, onion skins and so on. There is a whole shelf designated to my stock making in the freezer (beef/chicken/turkey/Thai flavored (for flu) ). Then when I have a nice assortment of stuff, I get out my slow cooker.

I add in as many bones as I can, and add in the veg. I add a few quarts of water to it (its a 6 quart crock-pot). I throw in about a tbsp or 2 or apple cider vinegar, a few cracked peppercorns, a few bay leaves, and a pinch of salt.  I then cover it and leave it on low for 24-48 hours.

Then I strain the liquid, and strain it again and let it cool.  I then put it into mason jars and freeze immediately unless its being used right away. I don't can them, but the broth/stock is frozen/refrigerated asap.

I use it in everything, I call it bone broth because that's what I was taught to call it when I learned to make this from my grandma. Anyway, once its cool, it should be nice and jiggly, and its all set to go.

The reasons I use it, is:

a) its how its always been done in my family
b) it doesn't waste the bones, and gets minerals and stuff out of the bones that we can use (according to my grandma)   
c) It seems to do the job better for making people feel better re: flu/colds but that's just anecdotal....we run with it tho :P
d) its just fantastic to taste.
e) its saves money in long run for us.

We've been doing this for years also, but I've never heard it called bone broth until recently.  DH is a former chef and for chefs, who buys canned stock??  We rarely make anything other than poultry stock, but that is more from a lack of beef/pork bones than taste.  One thing we also do that is not mentioned is that I scrape off the congealed fat (doesn't that sound yummy!) and put it in small pyrex containers to use for cooking. 

[mm1970]

I guess I don't follow the fad, but I do make chicken stock 2-3 times a year, usually 3+ gallons at a time.  I just save all my chicken carcasses in the freezer until I have 3-4 (or just bones if we had thighs or whatever).  Put them in my biggest stockpot in an evening after work, cover with water, simmer till bedtime.

Then I strain off the liquid, cover & set it out to cool overnight (yeah I'm totally lax about pathogens.  I'm going to can it anyway.)  Put the bones & stuff in 1-2 crockpots, depending how much I have, again cover with water.  At this point, I usually add whatever veggie bits I've got in the freezer.  Might be some chopped celery or carrots, I think I've got some leeks in there right now.  Usually when we have leftover raw veggies in the fridge and it looks like they won't get eaten before they go bad, I just chop & freeze for stock.

Anyway, I let that second "batch" go in the crockpot on low overnight.  In the morning, I strain off the liquid again.  Put last night's liquid in the fridge, and set this new hot liquid with a lid out to cool.  Fill the crockpots with water one more time, and let it go till I'm home from work that night.  Again, old liquid goes in fridge, new liquid sits out to cool.  Then it too goes in the fridge.  By this time the bones are basically mush, and I throw them out.

The third day, I scrape all the hardened fat off the various containers of liquid in my fridge, pour them into 1-2 huge stockpots, heat to boiling, and ladle them into jars for pressure canning.  Since the first batch is the most "potent," I try to mix my batches in the stockpot(s) and ladle from both pots into each jar to try to make as homogenous a jar as possible. 

I don't put salt in, because I assume I'll salt whatever I'm making with the stock as necessary.

I don't DRINK it, but I make soup, rice...lots of things, using chicken stock as the liquid.  Turkey stock is my favorite.  But often I just make "poultry" stock, because it might have chicken and turkey both, one time I had some duck bones in there.  It's all good. 

Yeah it's a bit of work, but I only do it a couple times a year and can enough stock to last many months.  And since it's made from my own leftovers, it's only costing me the energy to make, and a jar lid.  The "good" stock from the store costs ~$3.99 a quart!  So if I estimate that I use 8 gallons a year, that's over $125 in savings.  (Minus energy costs & lids.  Since most of the cook time is spent in a crockpot, I expect energy costs are minimal.)  And I know what's in it, and I usually use free-range chicken, so I can feel good about what I'm eating.

Wow, it never occurred to me to do it 3x.  I just throw my carcass in a pot or the crockpot and cook overnight and make one batch.

[netskyblue]

Why not just boil the bones once and make it a very potent stock?  When you're ready to use it--add water to dilute.  This way, you won't have to cook the bones multiple times and won't have to store as many cans?

Flavor & gelatin keep coming out of the bones/drippings as long as you keep stewing them.  That's why I go till I can crush all the bones into mush.  I HAVE from time to time (usually when I don't have enough jars) reduced it down as much as by half for "2x chicken stock" (that's what I write on the jar lids) and then I know I have to add water.  It's ok to have some jars like this, for when I'm using it for soup, but many times all I need is 1 pint (or even just a cup), and don't want an open jar sitting in the fridge for too long.

[Thedudeabides]

A pressure cooker can help expedite the extraction process. 2.5 hours under full pressure and the bones will be entirely extracted.

[Frankies Girl]

I've been making bone broth for at least a year or two (didn't realize it became a thing).

I do chicken legs in the crockpot with a dry rub - mix salt, pepper, sage, rosemary and thyme in a bowl, rub the spices all over the legs, layer in pot, add about a half cup of water with about a quarter cup of lemon or lime juice and cook on high for 4-5 hours. Have fall-off-the-bone tender chicken, and I remove the chicken and add a few cups of water to the crockpot and simmer it for the rest of the evening (so total cook time is around 8 hours). Cool the liquid, strain and pour into quart containers and refrigerate overnight, skim off the fat the next morning then pop the containers in the freezer. These are concentrated broth, and if they're not frozen, they "jiggle" since they have the collagen released in them... grossed me out at first making chicken jello, but read up on it and found out it was a good thing. :D

I use them as bases for soups and chicken and dumplings and sometimes boil rice in broth for more flavor, just add a few cups of water to them and they taste amazing.

Oh! And I do have some pork bone broth in the freezer now as well. We did a pork roast a few weeks ago and I saved and strained the broth from that and plan on using it for a lentil casserole.

[dodojojo]

I don't do it often, but I make a very strong stock, boil it down and freeze it in ice cube trays.  After they set, I store them in a zip lock bag.  I just take the cubes out when needed and add to a pot of water.

[TheRedHead]

It was my impression that bone broth was cooked with a splash of vinegar and for around 72 hours. But seriously, it's pretty much just semantics. I just made a batch of turkey, boiled a carcass with onion, potato, celery, parsley and carrots and a splash of acv. I use reditainer containers and freeze them. I usually make beef (from grass-fed beef bones), chicken, turkey (from Thanksgiving leftovers), duck and pork (if I get pasture pork bones). It's super simple and SO much better than anything from the store.

[luigi49]

Is ham bone possible here?

[MishMash]

Yea, we do it in the slow cooker on low, throw in chicken carcass, herbs, aromatics, and a splash of ACV.  Let it go 24 hours, strain and freeze half, refill with water, let it go 12 hours, take out half.  Rinse and repeat for 72 hours, I throw in more aromatics when it gets narley looking.  It takes zero time active and taste SO much better then the store. 

[Thedudeabides]

Is ham bone possible here?

Oh heck yeah. I'm sure that would be delicious! Pork stock isn't as common in the US, but in other countries it's very popular. In Japan it's very common to use a pork base for ramen and other dishes.

Fish bone stocks are also wonderful.

Vegetables, seaweed...the possibilities are endless. Don't be afraid to experiment.

Just whatever you do, make sure to cool your stock quickly if you're not using it immediately. You want it to cool to < 40 degrees F within two hours which may take ice.

Stock is a prime breeding ground for bacteria and bacteria can multiply very quickly: every 15 minutes at body temperature.

[luigi49]

When you guys say carcass, do you mean after everyone eat the chicken, you guys save the bone and this will be used for chicken soup or stock?    I am new to this and like to learn this because my SO buys a lot of chicken stock.  Thanks

[seanc0x0]

When you guys say carcass, do you mean after everyone eat the chicken, you guys save the bone and this will be used for chicken soup or stock?    I am new to this and like to learn this because my SO buys a lot of chicken stock.  Thanks

That's what we do.  Save all the bones!

We often roast chickens, and all the bones go in a bag in the freezer. Same with bone-in chicken thighs, which we eat at least once a week. When we have enough, it goes into the pressure cooker.

I like to call it 'investing in stock' since I can't resist the pun, but my freezer currently contains chicken, duck, and pork stock. I'm looking for a deal on beef bones to make stock as well, since we used the last of it.

I use a lot of stock in various recipes. It really adds a lot to soups and stews in particular.

[Thedudeabides]

I like to call it 'investing in stock' since I can't resist the pun, but my freezer currently contains chicken, duck, and pork stock. I'm looking for a deal on beef bones to make stock as well, since we used the last of it.

Sounds like you've got stock options!

(Sorry...I'll see myself out)

[CletusMcGee]

One thing I can add here (aside from an extra eye roll at the hipster/paleo term "bone broth") is that after I have refrigerated / frozen the stock, I scrape off the layer of fat (aka schmaltz, if chicken) and use it to make roux for sauces and gravies.  All you need to do is get the fat hot, and add an equal part flour (by weight) and toast it for a while, stirring often.  It's important to heat the flour in the fat for a while, in order to get rid of the raw flour taste (cook at least until it smells a little bit "nutty").  For chicken / poultry roux I cook it more on the blonde side, but for beef I cook it until it until it looks like peanut butter since the extra toasting goes better with the bolder flavors in beef. 

Certainly not the healthiest thing in the world, but makes some of the best damn sauces!

+1 on the pressure cooker too.

[MandalayVA]

Is ham bone possible here?

Today I'm having faux split pea soup and the base is ham bone broth from my Easter ham, so yes!

[Random Internet Stranger]

It's funny to me, that my grandma and great grandma were the only ones I heard using the term "bone broth" for years...everyone I knew called it stock. That's where I got the term from. Now I see "bone broth" all over the place!

They were  hipsters before their time I guess :)

[Thedudeabides]

I'm just shuttering to think what will happen when the paleo community discovers the fermentation chapter of Nourishing Traditions and coming up with a new terms. I can imagine the conversation going something like this:

friend "Hey, have you tried Cave Cabbage"

me: "No, what's that?"

friend: "It's cabbage that's been lacto-fermented for at least 100 hours"

me: "Oh, you mean sauerkraut?"

friend: "No, it's not sauerkraut, it's Cave Cabbage. You see, it's lactose fermented in a clay crock, just like it was in Neolithic times. Oh, it also has peppers in it which activates the Vitamin K amongst other things."

me: "Oh, so it's more like Kim Chi?"

friend: "No. It's cave cabbage. It's been lacto-fermented in a clay pot for at least 100 hours with peppers."

[kathrynd]

When you guys say carcass, do you mean after everyone eat the chicken, you guys save the bone and this will be used for chicken soup or stock?    I am new to this and like to learn this because my SO buys a lot of chicken stock.  Thanks

I don't use any bones, that someone has been gnawing on :)

I also don't try to pick every last shred of meat off the bones either.
I put the bones, skin, carcass in a pot, and almost cover with water...cover pot with lid.
Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour.
Turn off the heat.

If I don't feel like picking the met off the bones, I stick the pot in the fridge for later.
(may need to slightly reheat, to liquidfy a bit)

I pour the contents thru a strainer/seive, which makes it easier to pick the meat off the bones...then I throw out the bones/skin/

I make chicken soup at this point.
Add to the chicken and stock chopped onion, salt and pepper to taste.
Add whatever veggies you like ...I use carrots, suede/rutabaga, parsnip, potato, sweet potato

Cook until veggies are soft.
To thicken, I use leftover chicken gravy ...or thicken with some flour/water.

Sometimes I will throw in a tomato or a big squirt of sweet chili sauce/ barbeque sauce.