The Bone Broth Buzz (+ Homemade Bone Broth Recipe)
With kids back in school and temperatures (finally!) starting to cool down, it’s time to bring out the bone broth to boost immunity for the fall and winter. Although it's become trendy lately, this age-old remedy does truly have amazing health benefits. Sometimes called "liquid gold", it is one of the best ways to prevent and stop sickness in its tracks!
Bone Broth 101
Bone broth is made by boiling bones (usually beef or chicken) in water for several hours. For flavor, vegetables and herbs are often added. The resulting liquid is called broth or stock and is super beneficial for your health. It contains amino acids that are rarely found in the modern diet along with healing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Bone broth is different from broth or stock that you buy from the store- those aren’t simmered long enough. You’ll notice store-bought stocks are much thinner and don’t “gel” as much because they aren’t as rich in healing proteins. Also, they aren’t made with bones from healthy animals- so they can be higher in toxins.
You can either make your own homemade broth or purchase a few brands.
My favorite store-bought are Kettle & Fire & Epic.
Bone Broth Benefits
Rich in proline and glycine which are essential for healthy joints & ligaments
Heals and seals the gut lining- helpful for “leaky gut”
Reduces cellulite and improves hair, skin, and nail health
Boosts immunity- try to drink a mug next time you’re sick. It’s both healing and soothing.
Great source of collagen- for the many reasons to incorporate collagen into your diet, check out my blog post, Yes. You Need Collagen!
Homemade Bone Broth Recipe
Chicken broth is one of the most versatile types- great to get started with!
Instructions
1. Place the bones in the slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients. Set slow cooker to low and let cook for at least 12 hours.
2. After 12 hours, strain the broth through a strainer or mesh sack. Discard the vegetables that you strained out. Allow broth to cool. Once broth is cool, remove the layer of fat that forms on the top and discard or save it for future cooking. Freeze broth until ready to use.
Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken Carcass (about 2 lbs of bones)- pastured chickens or at least organic is best (remember, healthy animals make healthy broth!)
1 Carrot (peeled and chopped)
1 Yellow Onion (diced)
2 stalks Celery (chopped)
3 Garlic (cloves, halved)
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 cup Parsley (chopped)
6 cups Water
FAQs
Q: Can I make bone broth in the Instant Pot and is it just as effective?
A: Yes and Yes! Set it manually to 120 minutes. That's the longest it will go. If you have time, do 2 cycles of 120 minutes for a richer, more nutrient-dense broth.
Q: Can I reuse the bones to make another pot?
A: You can use your bones until they're so broken down they're crumbly - so yes!
Q: Do I keep that fat layer that coagulates at the top or skim it off?
A: Skim it off. According to Dr. Sarah Ballantyne's (The Paleo Mom) research, this fat is oxidized and not good to reuse for eating.
Speaking of skimming - be sure to skim off any scum that rises during cooking (this usually happens in the beginning).
Q: Can I make broth with pastured pork bones?
A: Absolutely!
Ways to Incorporate Bone Broth
If you're just starting out, the idea of sipping a mug of bone broth straight is probably not appealing.
One easy way to incorporate it is to cook your rice or any other grains in bone broth to add great nutrition and flavor.
Here are a few more recipe ideas to help you get started!
One store-bought option is from Kettle & Fire. They now have a line of soups filled with Real Food ingredients, including real bone broth.
Thank you for reading!