Bone Broth 101
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With the onset of winter comes the need to boost our immune systems. Our bodies are working overtime with the many virus’ going around and have less to work with as winter brings many factors that impact our immune system health.
Many of us are aware of taking vitamins and supplements to boost our immune systems but we need to remember to look to our diet-the food we eat can be a weapon in our immune system’s arsenal against attacks or it can weaken it. In this post we are going to focus on the superman of immune boosting foods: bone broth.
Bone broth is getting a lot of airtime right now. Is it just another fad? Bone broth is more definitely NOT a fad. People have been making bone broth and benefitting from its properties for thousands of years in cultures all over the world. It may feel like a fad to us because we are (thankfully) coming back around to many traditional foods after our western culture took a wide (and damaging) detour towards processed convenience food starting in the mid-20th century.
Bones and marrow contain calcium, glycine, amino acids, collagen, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, D, K, and E. The simmering process gets these vital nutrients into a form that our bodies can readily absorb. These nutrients help with things like supporting our immune system, detoxification, dopamine regulation, reducing inflammation, healing the digestive tract, healthy joints, improved sleep and brain functioning.
All of this gives us good reasons to work bone broth into our diet. But in our busy modern life, the thought of simmering something for more than 30 minutes may make some of us sweat. So, can we just buy a carton of chicken stock and call it good? Many store-bought stocks have questionable packaging (many cartons contain aluminum), added flavors and preservatives, and simmer their ingredients for only a few hours. Most bones need 12-24 hours to release their nutrients. However, thankfully these days our store-bought options are really growing. Look for simple ingredients and a long simmer time. Also look for grass-fed or pastured animals to ensure your bones are toxin-free. And if you are looking for the most nutrient-dense option, go with liquid, not powders. Some nutrients can be lost in the dehydration process and powders often contain additives. Lastly, look for broth that is stored in glass jars.
What about quantity? Some experts suggest having one cup a day is sufficient for general maintenance but increase this to 2-3 cups if you are targeting healing in a particular area (whether that be gut health or fighting a virus).
Now of course homemade is going to be best and bone broth is not something you need to feel intimidated about! There are many types of broth you can make at home that have unique benefits. In this post we will stick with the basics: chicken and beef. But don’t be afraid to experiment with other bones-fish, bison, elk, deer-really anything!
Now for the recipes:
Chicken Broth
Ingredients:
Bones (feet and heads make a collagen super-charged broth!)
Onion
Parsley (or other herbs like rosemary and thyme)
A splash of apple cider vinegar
Filtered water
Optional: organ meats, vegetables like carrots and celery, lemon juice
Method:
Add bones, a halved onion (and any other vegetables you want to use), herbs, and apple cider vinegar to a pot. The amount of onions, herbs, and vinegar will depend on how many bones you have. For instance, if you are using the bones from 2 whole chickens you would want to put a large onion, a bunch of parsley, and 3-4 tablespoons of vinegar. Adjust for your amount of bones. Don’t feel like this process needs to be too precise, trust your gut, you will learn more each time you make it! Now put filtered water in your pot to just cover the bones. If you put too much water in your broth it will not be as dense with collagen and other nutrients. Bring to a boil. If there is scum that starts to gather at the surface scoop that off. Simmer the broth for 6 hours at least, up to 24 hours. Towards the end of the process (about 30 minutes before it is done) add your lemon juice to taste. When the process is done you can add salt to taste as well. Remove bones and strain liquid into a large bowl and transfer into smaller containers for storage.
Beef Broth
Ingredients:
3 lbs meaty rib and neck bones
4 lbs beef marrow and knuckle bones
Optional: 1 calves foot
½ cup vinegar
3 onions
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
Several sprigs of thyme
1 bunch parsley
Filtered water
Method:
Put vinegar knuckle, marrow bones, and calves foot in a bowl with vinegar and let it stand for one hour. Meanwhile, put the meaty bones in a roasting pan and place in the oven at 350 degrees until well browned. Pour out fat and add some hot water (don’t add cold water or it could break your pan if you are using glass) to the hot pan to loosen up coagulated juices. Put this liquid along with all the bones to the pot. Bring everything to a boil and scoop off scum that gathers at the top. After skimming add herbs and vegetables to the pot. Simmer for 12-72 hours. Remove bones and strain liquid into a large bowl and transfer into smaller containers.
And that’s it! A few troubleshooting issues that may come up:
1. Don’t fret if your both doesn’t smell all that great-often broth doesn’t. That doesn’t mean you have done anything wrong!
2. If your broth is not gelatinous after cooling in the fridge, here are some things to try: Reduce the amount of water you use. Use collagen-rich bones like feet, wings, backs, and tail. Make sure your simmer is not too hot or too low but right at a moderate temp. And if all these don’t help try to increase the cooking time.
3. Once in the refrigerator, plan to use your broth within 3-5 days-it doesn’t have any of the preservatives or stabilizers that store bought broth has! However, freezing your broth in small containers keeps it fresh for months!
Lastly, we are going to give you a few ideas on working this immune booster into your daily life. First off, you can most definitely just drink it! Put some salt and pepper to taste and sip on it in your favorite mug!
You can also make many gut healthy soups, served with a hunk of sourdough bread of course! Try soups that are high in fiber with lots of vegetables and beans or lentils (if these don’t bother your tummy!). Make a soup that has anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric, ginger, and mushrooms. Use lacto-fermented products in your soups like miso, sauerkraut, or kimchi. Work in high quality meats and animal fats into your soups.
Put broth in your mashed potatoes, rice, marinades, scrambled eggs, dips, steamed vegetables or even smoothies! Bone broth is also amazing as a base for all kinds of sauces like gravy, tomato sauce, or reduction sauces.
In any of your favorite recipes just swap out your homemade bone broth for the low-sodium broth or water on the ingredient list. Another amazing thing about bone broth is that many the nutrients in it actually become more bioavailable when they are heated and they hold up to being reheated. So, you can feel good about taking your broth from the freezer and cooking with it-the nutrients are still preserved!
Here are some delicious soup recipes for you to start with:
Creamy White Chicken Chili. - Half Baked Harvest (add kale to this for extra fiber!)
Anti-Inflammatory Lentil Soup | The Awesome Green (swap out the water for bone broth!)
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe From Scratch - Farmhouse on Boone (use the chicken from your whole chicken you got your bones from!)
Miso Soup - Cultured Food Life (swap out the water for bone broth!)
Sauerkraut Soup: Classic Comfort Food (GF) (swap out the water for bone broth!)
Happy broth making! After your batch is done drink a glass of that golden deliciousness and congratulate yourself on taking the time to participate in a time-tested tradition that will bring health and wellness to your life and the life of those who eat at your table! If you have any questions, send them our way!
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