Make This Easy Homemade Bone Broth Recipe (+ Benefits)

Enrich the flavor of your meals while possibly improving your gut health with this homemade bone broth recipe.

RELATED: Homemade Vegetable Soup Recipe

In this article:

1. What Is Bone Broth?
2. How to Make Bone Broth
3. Health Benefits of Broth

Bone Broth Recipe: Easy-Peasy Nutritious Homemade Broth for Tasty Meals

What Is Bone Broth?

Before you dive into learning how to make bone broth, let’s talk about it is. What is bone broth?

Usually, people define bone broth in two ways:

• It is a liquid enriched with collagen from boiled-down marrow bones and cartilage. To extract collagen, you should simmer the bones for a long time, even as much as 24 hours.
• It is a liquid created when you simmer different meat bones and vegetables in a stockpot for some time. It can be a short as 30 minutes to an hour.

The difference between the two is the texture. A broth cooked with a lot of marrow bones over a longer period tends to have a gelatinous consistency.

This is because the bone marrow is a rich source of collagen. It is a structural protein that holds together a connective tissue.

This broth is also a staple in many types of healthy diets, especially the Paleo diet.

Paleo Diet Definition: This is a dietary program that focuses on foods supposedly consumed by our hunter-gatherer human ancestors.

How to Make Bone Broth

Making bone broth is easy and fairly straightforward. It only needs plenty of patience. Let’s start with the ingredients.

What You Need

• 2 lbs bones from chicken, beef, pork, or veal
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• Vegetables such as:
  • celery (2 stalks)
  • leek (1 medium-sized)
  • carrots (2 pcs.)
  • onion (1 pc.)
• 2-3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (ACV)
• Water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• Whole star anise

For your supplies, you need:

• Slow cooker (preferably eight quarts)
• Ladle
• Strainer
• Roast oven

Notes: 

1. Beef broth tends to be the most popular since beef bones contain a lot of cartilage and collagen in the knuckles and joints. If you can’t find them (or they’re too expensive), chicken, especially chicken feet, is a good alternative, along with short ribs.
2. The vegetable broth has the least amount of collagen, but it comes with a lot of vitamins and minerals. To make it, omit the meat and bones.
3. To create an organic bone broth, make sure the meat comes from pasture-raised, cage-free animals. They must not have any trace of hormones and antibiotics while vegetables should be pesticide- and GMO-free.
4. If you don’t have an oven, then buy roasted meat! Have it for a meal but don’t toss the bones out.

How to Cook Bone Broth

There two ways to make your bone broth. You can cook it either following the long or short version. Let’s deal with the long version first:

1. Blanch your raw marrow bones, joints, and other meat bones. It means cooking it in a stockpot for at least 15 minutes and then rinsing it in water (or dumping it in cold water).
2. Cook the bones in an oven by roasting them on a sheet pan at 450^o Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Do not crowd the pan; cook in batches if necessary.
3. Roast the vegetables as well. Make sure you don’t overcook them.
4. After the vegetables and meat cool, put them inside a slow cooker. Add enough water to fully submerge the ingredients.
5. Add two to three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or ACV.
6. Simmer for at least 12 to at most 24 hours.
7. Cool the bone broth.
8. Strain the ingredients to remove or skim the fat.
9. Transfer the liquid to a resealable container, such as mason jars. You can keep the bone broth in the fridge for five days, and in the freezer for at most six months.

How about the short version? Skip the first two steps and then follow the rest of the recipe.

Reminder: 

1. Don’t leave your slow cooker overnight, especially if you plan to sleep. You can simmer the bone broth for 12 hours, turn the cooker off, place the broth on the fridge, and then simmer it again the next day.
2. Simmering the bones will still leave you a good amount of meat. Don’t discard it but instead use it for other meals.
3. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can opt for lemon juice.

RELATED: How To Make Potato Soup

Health Benefits of Broth

Bone broth recipes are probably some of the most flexible pantry staples. You can:

• Use them as bases for stews and soup.
• Add the meat as filling for sandwiches.
• Drink the bone broth.

Taste isn’t the only reason to make broth, though. Here are some of the reported health benefits of bone broth:

1. Improving Gut Health

There’s not enough strong evidence that links collagen with gut health. Some people believe, though, this bone broth protein can help treat or manage leaky gut conditions.

A leaky gut is a term used for a problem affecting the digestive tract. It occurs when the junctions in the walls of the small intestines become permeable or loose and weak.

This will then allow particles, toxins, and microorganisms within the gut flora to enter the bloodstream. It may overstimulate the immune system, increasing the risk of autoimmune diseases, according to a 2017 study.

Bones and collagen are great sources of protein and, thus, amino acids. These nutrients serve as the foundations of proteins.

Of the different amino acids, glutamine seems to be the most helpful in leaky gut syndrome. A 2014 research suggests that it promotes the integrity of the intestinal barrier.

2. Easing Joint Pain

Do you suffer from joint pain and conditions such as arthritis? You may find bone broth to be potentially healing.

This broth contains glucosamine and chondroitin that help promote better joint health. A 2003 study in JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that both of these can relieve symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Also known as OA, it is a degenerative condition characterized by the gradual breakdown of the protective cartilage of the bones. As they wear out, joints can rub against each other, causing pain and even disability.

3. Enhancing Skin Health

One of the biggest benefits of drinking bone broth is in the skin. As you age, the production of collagen declines.

The skin can lose its elasticity, revealing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also becomes drier, which makes it prone to breakage, itchiness, and infections.

Consuming this broth may help replenish collagen production and loss in the body. It also helps by potentially improving gut health.

A 2018 research in Frontiers in Microbiology showed a strong connection between skin and the digestive tract. According to it, dysbiosis or imbalance in the gut may reflect as skin problems such as acne and psoriasis.

Psoriasis definition: It is an autoimmune skin condition that involves the appearance of scaly red patches, especially on the joints such as elbows.

Broth may also provide the body with natural hyaluronic acid. It retains skin moisture, making it appear plumper and less dry.

4. Preventing Chronic Inflammation

The broth may also contain the amino acid glycine, which prevents the odds of chronic inflammation. According to a 2003 study, it helps modulate the function and activity of the immune system.

When inflammation becomes chronic, it raises the risk of several diseases. These include heart disorders, Type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

Note: The amino acid glycine may also help improve your cognitive function and promote a night of better and longer sleep.

5. Feeding the Body with Vitamins and Minerals

Bone broth has a wide variety of nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals. Some of these include:

• Sulfur
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin K2
• Magnesium
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Boron
• Zinc
• Manganese
• Iron
• Omega 3 fatty acids
• Selenium

The vegetables you add are some of the best sources of antioxidants. These substances help prevent premature aging by lowering oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is a condition wherein free radicals, which can damage healthy cells, outnumber the antioxidants the body has.

Watch Dr. Josh Axe talk more about bone broth in this video:

These days, you can buy different kinds of broth. For example, you can even purchase bone broth powder, which you can add to smoothies, soups, and shakes.

Making a real bone broth recipe, though, seems more economical and healthier. You know what goes into your pot and your belly.

Do you have your favorite recipes for broth? Share them in the comments section below!

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