How to Make Bone Broth – A Simple Homemade Recipe

Learning how to make bone broth at home is simple and something everyone should learn. It's a great way to utilize leftover meat bones and vegetable scraps that might otherwise end up in the trash.

We raise our own meat on our homestead and want to utilize every part of the animal possible.

If you don't yet raise your own meat, you can get quality, organic meat from your grocery store. Non-organic meat is still better and more affordable than buying store-bought broth.

Read about the best breeds of animals to raise on the homestead here and the most frequently asked questions about raising meat here.

What Is Bone Broth

Bone broth is a broth made by simmering together meat bones, vegetables, and herbs. While it is simmering, the minerals are cooked out of the bones and combined with the nutrients in the vegetables to make a delicious and healthy broth that can be added to soups or used as a liquid to replace most anything that calls for water in cooking.

Health Benefits Of Bone Broth

The long and slow cooking process (simmering) that is used to make bone broth extracts the collagen and gelatin from the meat bones. Collagen is great for our joints, nails, skin, and hair. 

Collagen supplements have become very popular in the last few years, but why not get the value of collagen from something we make and know what ingredients are used? 

Gelatin is good for our gut health as well. It is easy to digest and improves overall health.

There are also many other great minerals that our bodies need found in bone broth.

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Silicon
• Sulfur

One more health benefit is its anti-inflammatory properties. Whether or not we suffer from common symptoms of aging such as arthritis and achy joints, or have asthma or allergies, we can all benefit from building our immune systems!

Tips For Making Bone Broth

Here are a few tips I’ve learned as I’ve become familiar with making my own bone broth….

• Check with your local butcher and ask if they have meat bones they will sell to you. They will often have these to dispose of or sell for a discounted price. Sometimes a local grocery store will have meat bones for sale.
• The best meat bones that are highest in collagen are knucklebones, joints, and marrow bones. However, I’m a believer in “homemade is better than store-bought” so use what you have! A mix of different cuts adds the best flavor.
• As you cook meals for your family, save the bones. Store them in a ziplock bag in the freezer until you have enough to make a batch of broth (approximately 7 pounds).
• Save the skins of your onions and garlic to add to the broth as well as carrot tops and celery leaves. They have nutrients in them and will add flavor to your broth, so why not reap the benefits? Throw them into a ziplock bag and keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.
• Add in the apple cider vinegar to aid in leaching the minerals out of the bones.
• Roast the meat bones before starting the cooking process. It adds depth and complexity to the flavor of the broth.

How To Make Bone Broth

First, gather up all of the supplies and ingredients needed. The supplies are pretty minimal. Really all you need is a large roaster oven. If you don’t have a roaster oven, there are recipes available for making bone broth in a slow cooker or instant pot. The method is similar, and I’m sure you could adjust these ingredient amounts and use what you have.

Ingredients

• Meat bones – the best bones will be whatever bones you have access to, but knucklebones, joints and marrow bones have the highest collagen.
• Apple cider vinegar – ACV helps leach minerals out of the bones while cooking.
• Onions – add flavor and, if you keep the skins on, will add a nice dark color to your broth.
• Several garlic cloves – more flavor!
• Black pepper
• Water

Steps to follow for my bone broth recipe:

1. Begin by roasting the meat bones. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Place bones on a large sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes.
2. When finished roasting, place bones in a roaster oven. Scrape all of the little meat bits and juices into the roaster with the bones.
3. Add ¼ cup apple cider vinegar.
4. Add the onions, garlic, and black pepper.
5. Fill the roaster ⅔ full of water covering the bones. (approximately 2 gallons)
6. Allow this to soak for 1 hour with no heat to start the process of extracting the nutrients.
7. After 1 hour turn the heat to 175° F. Adjust to 200° F after 1 hour of cooking.
8. Cook for 24 hours.
9. Turn off the heat and preserve.

Ways To Use Bone Broth

There are many different ways to use bone broth to reap the health benefits. A common and very simple way to consume it is by drinking it. Heat it up and sip it like tea.

Be creative and think of all the ways you could replace water with broth to not only add good flavor but also add nutrients.

• Use it in soups or stews.
• Cook potatoes, rice, or noodles with broth.
• Make a delicious gravy for potatoes.

There are so many ways to use this rich, flavorful, nutrient-dense bone broth to benefit you!

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• Miah's Dutch Oven Roast Beef
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• Homestead Dinners: Spatchcock Chicken
• The Case For Cast Iron