Bone Broth
This recipe uses beef bones, but I've also made a turkey broth following the same method. The quantities indicated are for a six-quart slow cooker and the yield is about four quarts of bone broth. My slow cooker is programmable, but I use manual settings for this recipe.
Ingredients
- about 2 pounds organic beef bones
- 4 stalks celery, cut into large sections
- 4 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 1 very large or 2 medium yellow cooking onions, cut into eighths or quarters
- optional: 4 or 5 whole cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil for drizzling
- 2 tsp kosher or sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- filtered water
How To Make This Recipe
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Pre-heat the oven to 425 ℉, and line a large baking tray or two smaller ones with parchment paper. If you have a convection setting for your oven, I suggest you use it to enhance the roasting process.
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Tumble the bones and vegetables onto the baking tray(s). Drizzle the olive oil over top, then sprinkle with some of the salt and pepper. Toss lightly with your hands to distribute the oil fairly evenly. Space out the bones and vegetables to reduce crowding and promote better caramelization. Put the tray into the oven for about 25 minutes. At that point, turn everything over and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until there is a satisfactory degree of caramelization.
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Using tongs and/or a large spatula, transfer the roasted bones and vegetables into the vessel of the slow cooker. Add the vinegar, then pour in filtered water to about a half inch from the top of the slow cooker insert. Add the rest of the salt and pepper. Cook on the high setting for two or three hours, or until the liquid is bubbling. Turn the machine to low and let it simmer until it's been cooking for around 24 hours in total. A few hours more or less is fine, if that's better for your schedule.
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Remove the bones first with tongs. If they're meaty you can set them aside on a plate and strip the meat off afterwards for a cook's treat. Also pull out the larger chunks of vegetables and put them in a discard bowl. Carefully pour or ladle the broth and remaining vegetables into a strainer set in or over a large metal bowl. Watch for splashing; it's hot! Once done, gently press on the vegetables in the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible, then put them into your discard bowl. Cool the broth safely and quickly before refrigerating (see Note). Keep for no more than a few days in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Make sure that you allow time at the end of the cooking period to safely cool the broth before transferring it into containers for storage in your fridge or freezer. For this process I use two metal bowls: one large enough to contain the broth and another much bigger one to hold ice and water for cooling. You could also set the bowl of broth in a sink with cold water in it.
A final note: if you're going to use the broth for cooking in addition to drinking it, freeze some in 1/2 cup and 1 cup portions, as well as some in ice cube trays for when only a bit is needed.