What is Bone Broth and How to Make it?

The boon of broths hit the planet when people just couldn’t let the bones from meals be thrown away. With bone marrow escaping the bones and entering the broth, the advantages were felt on the first slurp. And why not? A Bone broth has many variations all over the world, some pick lamb bones, and some pick up beef bones. According to people’s preferences and dietary restrictions, there is an easy way to make a healthy, nutritious bone broth, that will soothe the palettes of both amateur cooks and experienced food connoisseurs. 

We have dived into the benefits of bone broth in this previous article. Briefly, the marrow in the bones is rich in amino acids and antioxidants that get synthesized into collagen networks once they enter our body. Collagen, as we know, is the building block of our skin and keeps it elastic, bouncy and supple, even as we age. 

Bone Broth can be made with either beef or chicken bones. Ultimately what you consume of this broth is not the bones, the meat or even the vegetables. When the bones have been simmering for over 10 hours and the bone marrow escapes the bones, the broth grows in nutrient value. WebMD explains the importance of bone marrow in your diet here. And it only gets better with the time that it has spent atop the stove. Once you strain the broth’s solids, you are left with a potent, collagen-rich, bone marrow-abundant liquid that will add vitality to your skin, hair and even the gut. 

We know that this recipe may not be for our vegetarian audiences, but those who can make exceptions must try this easy-to-make bone broth for youthful-looking skin. 

What Bones To use for Bone Broth?

The kind of bone that you use, and which animal bones, differ greatly in the quality and amount of bone marrow available in them. 

If you are using chicken bones, then look for these bones- 

1. Neck
2. Feet 
3. An entire chicken carcass can also be used if you can arrange to remove all the meat from the carcass. 

If you are using beef, then look for these bones – 

1. Oxtail 
2. Shanks 
3. Knuckles 
4. Look for grass-fed beef bones, as it has a higher content of Vitamin A, Vitamin E and other antioxidants. 

What all Prep is required for cooking Bone Broth?

Cooking Utensil to be used 

Depending on the amount of cook time you are willing to devote, there are different pots that you can use. 

A big, tall cooking pot can be used when you want a greater quantity and are willing to allocate over 10 hours of cook time.

A pressure cooker may be used when you want to decrease the quantity in exchange for faster cook time. The pressure cooker will have the bone marrow seeping within two hours. However, to get the most potent form of collagen from your bone broth we recommend that you increase your cook time, and get the best out of your broth. 

Ingredient List –

• Meat: 1-1.5 kg of bones from the meat of choice
• Vegetables: Onions, Ginger, Garlic, Carrots, and Curry Leaves, all chopped in medium-sized chunks.
• Oil for roasting: Olive Oil, Sunflower Oil, or any other oil of choice. 
• An acidic ingredient: Apple Cider Vinegar, or Lemon 
• Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, Curry leaves.

Cooking Instructions- 

1. First off, we will need to blanch the bones. Blanching is just a fancy word for boiling, and then immediately cooling the meat bones. Add bones to a large cooking pot ( a pateela), and boil them for 20 minutes over high heat. Boiling the bones will remove the unwanted part of the bones.
   
   Next, after the bones are done boiling, then you will need to rinse the bones in cold water, to stop the loss of necessary enzymes from the bones. 

2. Next, we will roast the bones. The roasting of bones will add a rich flavour to your broth. The heat will caramelize the bones and add a rich flavour to the bone broth. Add your cooking oil, chopped vegetables and blanched bones to a large heating pan for 20-30 minutes on medium heat.
   
   Do not use a lot of oil, as the chicken will keep on releasing oil from its own which will be enough to roast the contents of the pan. Two tablespoons of your oil of choice will be enough. 

3. After having our vegetables and bones roasted, we will now begin the process of actually putting everything into a simmering boil in the broth. Take your roasted bones and vegetables and add them to the large cooking pot. Add your seasonings of salt, pepper and curry leaves to this mixture. 

4. You need to add an acidic ingredient that can break down the collagen in the broth, and can become consumable. 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar is to be added to the broth.
   
   The amount of water to be added is critical. You need to add enough water to the broth, but not too much. Add enough water to cover the bones entirely, and then bring the broth to a boil. 

5. Once the bones have received one boil, now it’s time to add enough water to the broth for making it last 3-4 days. 10-11 cups of water are to be added to 1-1.5 kgs of meat. Now you can put the lid over the pot, turn the flame to low heat, and wait for the bones to do their magic to the broth. 

6. Keep in mind that you have to allow the broth to cook for 10-12 hours after this. Every Two to three hours, come back to the pot and stir it around from preventing the fat to store at the top and burning. 

7. It is not advised that you cook the broth overnight. Cook it in intervals. If you start the process at night, transfer the broth to a different utensil and refrigerate it. You can begin the process of cooking at low flame again in the morning.

8. Broths become better with simmering but do remember to not let the broth overboil and let it evaporate away. You will know when to stop when you see the bones being milky and bendable. Strain the liquid and store the bone broth in a refrigerator. 

9. Storage Instructions: Keep it refrigerated and you can use it for 3-4 days without spoiling. But do note that once you refrigerate the broth, you are going to come back to a gelatinous film being settled at the top of the broth. This is because the fats from the meat have a lower density and settle at the top. Be sure to remove the film before heating your stored broth. 

This amino acid-rich, collagen-rich bone broth is a perfect addition to your meals and evening snacks in chilly winters. Not only is bone broth rich in protein, but they also bring in antioxidants in your system that can allow you to fight diseases better and recover from colds and flu quicker. Being a staple in the East Asian diet for its collagen abundance, you must give homemade bone broth a try.