First, I want to apologize for not being as active with my recipe sharing as I’d like to be. I have friends begging me for recipes, and…well, with 5 month old and 5 year old little boys, it is harder than I thought to find the time to cook, photograph, write, edit, etc. etc. Luckily, Deven the man is in kindergarten and Baby Bodhi is sound asleep right now, and the inspiration has struck me…laundry be damned! So please stick with me, and stay on top of me to bring more cooking and health to you! I do serve up some pretty regular food inspiration on my Instagram page, (@caitlins_cupboard) so follow along there for ideas.
Now, onto my broth!
I’ve made chicken bone broth many times, but this right here folks is the real deal. Ameesh and I have had cuts of beef from a quarter-cow we went in on a while ago, and the very last thing in our freezer was a GIANT soup bone. Bones, actually. I made short ribs a few days ago and had those bones, too, and I wasn’t gonna let any of them go to waste. Why? Because bone broth has some amazing health benefits. And like all things healthy these days that get picked up by mainstreamers, it’s now being found in stores (yay!), but is really expensive (aww, man.) So, obviously making your own is the biggest win.
So what’s so great about homemade bone broth you ask? There is really too much to say, so I will direct you to this very thorough review of the nutritional powerhouse that is bone broth. In short, it is a great source of amino acids and minerals like calcium, magnesium and phosphorous that have long reaching health benefits. When made properly, it provides collagen, which alongside being great for hair, skin and joints, is fantastic for repairing a weakened gut.
How do you make it? Well, it starts with…bones. Obviously. And a crock pot that you can keep turned on forever. Sometimes I roast a chicken, just to have the bones leftover for broth. But beef broth is the richest and most flavorful in my opinion. Keep your bones, or ask a local butcher for some good soup bones. As you can see from the pics, I didn’t go light on the bones for this batch and this turned out my best stock yet.
Of course I am going to recommend you get bones from a grass-fed cow. There is no denying that they are just healthier animals. When you eat a healthy animal, the benefits extend to you as well, as far as the nutritional profile goes.
For this recipe, I combined my leftover short rib bones (about 6 ribs), with the several pound soup bones I had in the freezer. Placed them in my crock pot, and covered with water, and additional leftover beef broth I happened to have on hand. I added 6-8 peeled garlic cloves, some sea salt and pepper, and turned it on low. 24 hours later…yes, for real, 24 hours later, I added some more water as it had reduced a bit, and put in 2 star anise stars, and a couple chunks of fresh ginger root and let it go another day. I also took that opportunity to pull out the chunks of fat that were on the soup bone. All in all, this simmered for about 48+ hours. If your crock pot auto-shuts off, make sure you turn it back on!
At the end, you will be left with a crock full of broth. Strain into a large bowl (or 2) and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, the fat will have solidified on top. Remove with a spoon and you are left with a thick, gelatinous bone broth. I plan on using this broth as a base for a Vietnamese style pho noodle soup. You can also use it to cook rice or simmer vegetables in. Or, drink by the mug full on an empty stomach first thing in the morning to help it get right to your gut to do it’s healing thang. Whichever way you choose, your body will thank you!
Wishing you health, from our family to yours!
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