Introduction

This is the bone broth recipe that I used to drink daily for about year to heal my intestinal walls. The years have passed, yet it remains a regular part of my culinary ritual. Particularly during winter, when I relish creating delectable and nourishing soups and ramen.

Before you embark on the recipe, you’ll find an enthralling post where I share my journey and the ten steps I employ to effectively manage my chronic autoimmune conditions.

What is Bone Broth good for?

Bone broth stands as a potent reservoir of indispensable amino acids—the fundamental constituents of protein, collagen, and glutamine. This nourishing elixir actively contributes to the fortification and rejuvenation of our muscular and joint tissues. It also boasting a rich mineral profile, encompassing iron, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Upon embracing a daily bone broth regimen for months, I witnessed not only a remarkable reduction in inflammation and an enhancement in overall health but also an uplifting effect on my mood, physical well-being, and skin’s radiance. Moreover, the compliments and queries from others about whether I had undergone some transformative procedure were commonplace. A testament to the broth’s profound impact on skin, hair, and nails. Its holistic benefits extend far beyond aesthetics, resonating with numerous organs within the body. Hence, the time-honored tradition of offering chicken soup during illness further underscores its therapeutic properties, leading me to wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone embarking on a journey of healing from a chronic ailment.

Things to consider before embarking on your broth-making journey

Crafting this exquisite broth demands time and patience, requiring a slow-cooking process that spans many hours, followed by straining and transferring the hot liquid into canning jars for cooling. To ensure a seamless experience, plan ahead, allocating two serene mornings or afternoons to this endeavor. Therefore, embrace the initial effort, for subsequent attempts will be a breeze.

Procuring the finest beef bones serves as the first step in this culinary expedition. Opt for knee, knuckle, or leg bones, as they boast abundant collagen, or any other casserole bone will suffice. However, a crucial aspect lies in the purity of the bones, particularly when seeking to consume them over an extended period for health purposes. Alas, bones, though remarkably nutritious, may harbor contaminants such as heavy metals or toxins if the animal encountered pesticides in its lifetime.

I strongly recommend sourcing bones from certified providers who rear pastured cows free from antibiotics, hormones, and pesticide-contaminated feeds. While prices may exceed those of butcher shops, this extra expense is entirely justified, guaranteeing the highest quality for your broth.

For those eager to experiment, alternative bone choices are available. Chicken bones, or even chicken feet abundant in collagen, offer delightful variations. Moreover, consider using bones from lamb, pork, or pork feet, if accessible, yielding flavors that are rich and distinct.

The perfect pot

Another essential item you’ll require is a 4 to 5-liter pressure cooker stove-top or electric, or a slow cooker. However, if you don’t happen to have any of these on hand, worry not, you can still achieve great results with a standard pot. Just bear in mind that when it comes to extracting the maximum nutrients from the bones, you’ll need to take some additional precautions. This entails simmering them at a lower temperature, approximately around 80°C (~ 180°F), for an extended period—typically spanning from 6 to 24 hours or even more, depending on your chosen cooking method. This prolonged cooking time is key to obtaining the most nourishing and flavorful results from your bone broth.

Keep in mind that bones use a significant amount of space within the pot. Therefore, the larger the pot you use, the greater the quantity of bones and broth you’ll be able to prepare.

A brief anecdote

When I made my first batch of bone broth, I was residing in a small cozy apartment and had just acquired a slow cooker that I was excited to put to good use. Therefore, after returning from work one afternoon, I gathered all the necessary ingredients and set the broth to cook for 24 hours. I closed the kitchen door, turned on the extractor fan, and left the kitchen utility balcony door ajar to avoid any overpowering smells in the apartment. The next morning, I checked on the slow cooker, everything seemed fine, so I closed the kitchen door and headed to work.

Around 7 pm, after a full 24 hours of cooking, I returned home and was greeted by the rich aroma of the broth as soon as I opened the apartment door. I quickly opened all the windows to air out the space, but it seemed like the smell had already permeated every corner, from curtains to clothes. Despite the broth still simmering slowly, its tantalizing aromas had filled the entire apartment during the last hours of cooking. It took me nearly a week to completely eliminate the fragrance from clothes, fabrics, sofa, curtains, and all.

I share this story to highlight the importance of taking precautions. Therefore, if you live in an apartment, make sure to have the kitchen extractor fan running at full capacity and seal any gaps where the smell could escape into the living space. After this experience, I decided to place the slow cooker on the kitchen utility balcony (which is well-ventilated) and kept the door closed, successfully preventing the fragrance from lingering inside the apartment. Although the scent itself is delightful, it can be quite potent, and you wouldn’t want it clinging to your clothes or fabrics.

Discovering the Perfect Cooking Setup

At some point, using the slow cooker became monotonous as it only allowed me to prepare around 2.5 liters of broth. Hence, to overcome this limitation, I opted to invest in a portable induction cooktop along with a 6-liter pot. It’s crucial to use pots with a steel base or suitable alloys for induction cooking, as materials like aluminum won’t work. Although my old aluminum pressure cooker didn’t cooperate with the induction cooktop, I was fortunate to have other stainless steel pots that proved to be a perfect fit.

These considerations are vital before delving into the preparation of your “Bouillon.” Moving forward, the recipe below incorporates a variety of vegetables and herbs to infuse it with delightful flavors. Feel free to experiment and adjust the ingredients based on your taste preferences.

Additionally, the recipe calls for a splash (approximately two tablespoons) of apple cider vinegar or any other vinegar you have on hand. I came across this tip during my research as the theory suggests that adding an acidic component helps to extract a greater amount of minerals from the bones, which is beneficial for the broth. Don’t worry, the broth’s taste remains largely unaffected, and as long as you use the appropriate amount, the acidity is hardly noticeable.

For those looking to enhance the broth’s flavor, I highly recommend an optional extra step – lightly roasting the bones in the oven before adding them to the pot. This simple step results in a darker, more intense broth, perfect for making ramen. However, if you prefer a lighter, paler broth, you have the liberty to skip this step.

The Bone Broth Recipe

Bone Broth

Momo

This is the bone broth recipe I used to consume daily for a year during my gut healing process. The recipe is not my own invention as I took ideas from many differenr recipes I found on the internet and then I simply selected the ingredients of my liking into a recipe that worked perfect for me and my healing purpose. You can also make adjustments as you see fit according to your personal tastes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1

Bottling 1 30

Total Time 1 2 30

Course Soup

Cuisine Gluten free, Healthy, keto, No dairy, No eggs

Servings 15 200 ml portions

Calories 80 kcal

Equipment

1 Baking dish. For baking 1 Kg (~2.2 Lbs) of bones
2 Oven gloves
1 Pressure cooker or a slow cooker. With a capacity of 4 Lts. (~135 oz) aprox.
1 Stainless steel fine-mesh strainer. Or chinese strainer
1 Skimmer
3 1 Lt. (~34 oz) glass canning jar with lid
1 Metal funnel. Or a spouted glass jug to pour the liquid into the jars. It can also be a pot and use a ladle to pour.

Ingredients

1 Kg Beef bones (knee, knuckle or feet). Or chicken, pork, lamb, etc.
1 pc Large onion cut into 8 pieces with skin.
1 pc Large carrot, coarsely chopped.
1 pc Large celery stalk, coarsely chopped.
2 pc Garlic cloves. (Optional, you can add more if you like)
1 leaf Bay leaf
1 sprig Rosemary, or ⅓ tbsp of dried herb
1 sprig Thyme, or ⅓ tbsp of dried herb.
2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
3 Lt Purified water. (~100 oz) or more.

Instructions

Turn on the oven to 180°C and wait for it to warm up.
Wash and sterilise canning jars, skimmer and strainer
Place the bones and optionally the chopped onions in an ovenproof baking dish
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the bones brown. Be careful not to burn them, otherwise the broth will be bitter.
Remove the baking dish from the oven, and transfer the bones and onions to the pressure cooker or slow cooker.
Add all the other vegetables and herbs, the vinegar and the 3 lts (~100 oz) of water, or more if the pot allows
Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. If it is a pressure cooker, cook for 4 to 6 hrs on low heat. If it is a slow cooker, cook for 18 to 24 hours on low heat.
Once the cooking time is over, use the skimmer to remove the bones and the rest of the solid ingredients from the pot. These can be discarded.
Place the strainer over the spouted glass jug. You can also use a pot.
Carefully strain the broth, you can do it a little at a time. If you use a pot, use a ladle to tranfer the hot broth.
Then pour the hot broth into the glass jars, put the lid on and close them tightly. Invert the jars to seal them and ensure there is no leakage.
Let them cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then use tap water to cool them quickly and then put them in the fridge.
Once cooled, the fat will solidify on the surface and serve as an additional seal.

Notes

Once the bone broth has cooled, you will notice that the fat solidifies on the surface. This is good as it serves as an additional seal.
When you want to consume the broth, open the jar, spoon out the block of fat, throw it away or store it in the refrigerator for later use in your meals.
The broth will be gelatinized (like jelly). The density of the gelatin will depend on the quantity and quality of the bones and the hours of cooking. The more gelled, the more collagen content, so it is a good sign.
To consume, you must heat the portion, one cup is like the recommended daily portion. You can add salt and pepper to taste and drink it directly.
You can also boil the broth with a little more water, add salt and pepper, add some chopped vegetables, rice or noodles and prepare a delicious soup.
I personally used to drink a cup in the mornings on an empty stomach, and only added a little bit of salt.
The broth lasts perfectly two weeks in the refrigerator at < 4°C .

Keyword Amino acids, Collagen, Gluten free, Gut Healing, Healthy, keto, Leaky gut, Muscle, No Dairy, No Eggs, Proteins

What science says about bone broth

I’ll leave you the link to an interesting scientific study on the incredible benefits of bone broth for treating inflammation and aiding in the improvement of diseases like ulcerative colitis.

What do you think of this recipe?
Have you tried it yet?

You can leave a comment or suggestions down below.
You can also rate the recipe by marking the stars.

Discover the healing power of Bone Broth.