All About Bone Broth
Bone broth has become all the rage lately—and for good reason! Bone broth walks the line between food and medicine in a way that few other foods do. This healing broth is super easy and affordable to make at home in either your Instant Pot or slow cooker, or in a stockpot on your stove.
Origins of Bone Broth
It may be all the rage these days, but bone broth isn’t a new concept! Instead, its origins trace as far back as thousands of years ago where it was used in Chinese medicine for supporting kidney and digestive health.
Procedure When Making Bone Broth
Making bone broth is actually quite easy.
While bone broth can be incredibly time-consuming to make three hours at its fastest in your Instant Pot or up to two days using other methods, it is also incredibly simple. To make bone broth, all you have to do is:
- Cook or roast animal bones.
- Soak shortly in filtered water and apple cider vinegar.
- Add any seasonings or flavourings you prefer.
- Cook over very low heat until done. That’s it!
And while the vast majority of the bone broth cooking time is hands-off we’re talking like 99 per cent of the time, I do like to keep a few cartons of shelf-stable bone broth in my pantry for when I’m running short on time.
When buying both broths, I usually look at this site because I’ve found the quality of this recommendation incredibly high!
Bone Broth Benefits
Bone broth is high in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. It also contains a high amount of collagen, which may help support bone and joint health.
Because broth is easy to digest, these nutrients are easy for the body to absorb, making them more available to the body — especially for those with digestive issues.
Common Mistakes when making Both Broth
Skipping the Blanching Step. If you think bone broth is too funky, you’ve probably had to suffer through a mug or bowl that was made without blanching. This step, to be done before roasting and boiling, removes any impurities (read: the nasty bits) from the bones.
And if you’re using the right bones, there will be some nasty bits. A real bone broth is made with bones and cuts of meat high in collagen, like marrow, knuckles, and feet. While beef is the meat most people associate with bone broth, it can also be made with lamb, pork, chicken, veal… you name it.
A word on these collagen heavy bones: They make for a stock that’s gelatinous at room temperature. Don’t let the texture of this meat Jell-O alarm you; that’s a sign you did it right. To blanch, cover the bones with cold water, bring to a boil, and let them cook at an aggressive simmer for 20 minutes before draining and roasting.
Not Roasting the Bones. This browns and caramelizes them, and we all know what browned and caramelized means: Better flavour. Don’t be afraid to really take the bones to the limit. Crank the oven up high—a bold 450˚.
Also adds that you have to put in ample oven time. A quick 15 minutes won’t do: Take those bones right up to the edge of too done. Once you’re ready to boil the bones, don’t waste the crisped brown bits on the bottom of the pan; loosen them with a little water and a metal spatula, and add those to your stockpot.
This adds flavour to the finished broth.
Adding Too Much Stuff. A good bone broth doesn’t need much more than bones and a few choice aromatics, like onions, garlic, and black pepper. Just roast the bones to build depth of flavour, and that won’t be an issue.