Bone Broth

Makes about 8 cups

IT’S NOT AS STRANGE as it used to be. Now that bone broth is getting a lot more coverage in health news, people don’t think it’s so weird, but I remember the days when the name alone made people say “no thanks.” In fact, that was me for years, until I read an article about how healing it is for the gut lining and how it is a potent source of minerals, which can be difficult to get from many foods and are often deficient in people with digestive issues. I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try, and now it’s a regular part of my routine.

Basically, making bone broth is a slow-cooking process that pulls minerals out of the bones and collagen out of the connective tissue of a chicken carcass or other animal bones. The resulting broth helps repair your gut lining, improves your skin with a collagen infusion, and delivers minerals that help your body work better and heal. Bone broth is also immune boosting and anti-inflammatory.

Because so much of the bone and tissue dissolves into this broth, it is absolutely essential that you use the best possible bones you can find—they should be from organically raised, grass-fed or free-range, GMO-free, clean animals. Any pesticides, chemicals, or drugs used on or fed to the animal could concentrate in your bone broth, making it toxic instead of healing. In the end, whatever the animal has ingested is in its bones—so make sure you’d want that in your body too.

The broth takes a good 24 hours to make, but you don’t have to watch it if you use a slow cooker. When my gut needs extra support, I leave bone broth cooking in the slow cooker and ladle some out to drink several times each day, until it is gone.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can simmer the broth in a stockpot over low heat on the stovetop, or bring it to a simmer on the stove and then let it cook in a 200°F oven partially covered for up to 24 hours (if you have an oven-safe pot), but both methods require more vigilance than a slow cooker. Are you comfortable falling asleep with the stove or the oven on? I wouldn’t be, so the slow cooker is my standby.

The recipe calls for a chicken carcass. I typically use the carcass left over from a small roasted chicken. After removing the meat for another meal, I just put the bones and veggies in the slow cooker, cover with water, and let it go. You could use a turkey carcass, but if it is too big to fit in the cooker you’ll need to break it in half and freeze half for a future batch. You can also substitute other animal bones like beef knuckle bones and marrow bones (particularly rich in collagen), or lamb bones. Don’t worry if the bones break and marrow gets into the broth—this will just make it more nutritious. You can also make seafood bone broth with fish bones and shrimp shells. Basically, if you have bones or shells lying around, don’t waste them. Get the minerals out by making bone broth.

If you’ve never had bone broth, you may be surprised that when chilled, a good long-simmered bone broth will sometimes firm up into a jelly-like substance, rather than staying liquid. This is a good sign that your broth is rich with collagen. It will melt back into a liquid when you reheat it. If it doesn’t turn jelly-like, that’s okay too. It will still be rich with minerals.

1 organic chicken carcass, or 2 to 3 pounds of other bones from organically raised, grass-fed/pastured animals (or fish bones, shellfish shells, and/or shrimp shells)

1 large onion, quartered (no need to peel it)

3 small carrots, cut into large chunks

3 stalks celery, cut into large chunks

A few sprigs of parsley

4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half or crushed

1 bay leaf (dried or fresh)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (this helps pull the nutrients out of the bones)

Filtered water (enough to cover the carcass)

In a slow cooker (or large pot on the stove if you are going to watch it), combine the chicken carcass or other bones and all the other ingredients and cover with filtered water. Turn the slow cooker on low (if using the stove, bring to a boil, then lower the heat all the way down to low and leave partially covered). Let the bone broth cook for 24 hours. Check and stir every so often, skimming any foam off the top.

After the 24 hours are up, pour the contents of the slow cooker (or pot) through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Return just the broth to the slow cooker or pot. Ladle broth into a cup or bowl and enjoy the heavy-duty healing! You can also use bone broth to enrich any soup recipe—just add it in place of water. You can also use it in place of water to make risotto.

I store my bone broth in Mason jars in the refrigerator, where it will keep for about a week. You could also freeze it (in 1- or 2-cup servings, or in ice cube trays), where it will keep for about a month.

Bone Broth

CHICKEN FOOT SOUP?