Recipe: Homemade Bone Broth

Created on: July 26, 2021

It’s worth the time and effort. Keeping a stash of bone broth on hand in your fridge or freezer makes meal times quick and easy. Bone broth is an excellent source of collagen, which is important for our skin, joints, bones, and overall health. Here are 3 ways to cook: stove top, crock pot, and Instant Pot.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 3-4 lbs beef bones (or 2lbs chicken/turkey bones)
  • 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
  • 1 head garlic, cut in half across the bulb
  • 1 onion quartered
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8-10 cups water (to Instant Pot max fill line, top of slow cooker, or top of stock pot)

Directions

  1. Roast the bone (beef bones only). Heat oven to 425°F, arrange bones on a baking sheet, and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the bones over half way through.
  2. Chop carrots, celery, and onions.
  3. Slice garlic in half.
  4. Cook:
    1. Stove top: Place all ingredients in a large stock pot. Fill the pot with water. Simmer for 24 hours, keeping an eye on water levels.
    2. Crock pot: Place all ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker. Fill the slow cooker with water. Cook on low for 24 hours.
    3. Instant Pot: Place all ingredients in a 8-quart Instant Pot. Add water to the “max fill” line. Cook on high pressure for 2 hours. Allow for a full natural pressure release (around 4 hours total).
  5. Cool slightly, then remove large solids from the pot using tongs. Carefully strain off other solids by pouring over a sieve.
  6. Portion 1.5 cups into 1-pint jars to allow for expansion if freezing. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate (no more than 5 days) or freeze (up to a year). Frozen broth can be thawed in the fridge overnight.
  7. Optional: Fat can be removed.

Notes

  • Try to use a variety of bones. Turkey and chicken bones can include skin, cartilage, and scraps. Chicken feet are an optional source of collagen.
  • Add your favourite herbs and vegetables (thyme, bok choy, etc.)
  • A 6-quart Instant Pot can be used for smaller batches.
  • If the broth doesn’t gel, you probably didn’t cook the bones long enough or use enough bones. Heating the broth will return it to a liquid state for use in soups, as a cooking liquid for rice or quinoa, or drinking.