What is a Bone Broth? A bone broth is a boil up or casserole that is cooked for an extended amount of times. Often the meat is cooked (i.e. a boiled up chicken) or the bones / left over carcass after a roast meal can also be used. Fish is also another good source of bones for a bone broth, this would contain the additional nutrients of the ocean. These meals are 12-72 hours, on a slow cook. This draws out the minerals, proteins, healthy fats and general nutrition from the carcass. It is an excellent way to use a whole animal sustainably, saving money and at the same time honouring the animal that you have had and utilising the goodness from the whole.

A Basic Bone Broth Recipe The following is an example recipe that uses beef bones, but you can also make bone broth using ideally whole organic chicken, whole fish (including the head or bones), pork, duck, turkey, lamb, venison. Each has a different flavour. Chicken bone broths tend to be the mildest and they are easy to make, beef has a stronger taste. When using chicken, place the entire chicken, raw, into the pot, add onions, garlic, salt and pepper and apple cider vinegar and water. Leave to soak for approximately an hour. The meat starts separating from the bone after approximately 2 hours, remove from the pot and then remove the meat and placing the bones and the remainder of the carcass back in to cook. You can even use bones from a roasted chicken or turkey carcass to make bone broth, it is best to roast the bones first as it improves the extraction process. This incredibly cost effective since you would otherwise throw them away.

Ingredients

  • 1-2Kg pounds beef marrow and knuckle bones 
  • 1Kg meaty bones such as short ribs
Or
  • Whole chicken or carcass
  • ½ cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 4L filtered water
  • 3 celery stalks, halved
  • 3 carrots, halved
  • 3 onions, quartered
  • Culinary herbs (i.e. rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, mint, parsley, fennel)
  • Handful of fresh parsley
  • Sea salt and pepper

Method 1. Place bones in a pot or a crockpot, or slow cooker, adding the liquid ingredients - apple cider vinegar and water, ensure the bones are covered use more if required. 2. Leave sitting for approximately an hour, allowing the minerals to begin to be leached out of the bones by the vinegar. 3. Add onions, root vegetables and seasoning, bringing to the boil. Remove any scum and discard, this is the impurities that need to be removed. 4. Turn to a low simmer, cover and cook for 12-72 hours. Turn off overnight if unhappy with this and back on again the following day, tallying up the hours. 5. Top up on water as required. 6. In the last 30 minutes of cooking add leafy vegetables and herbs, taste for any further seasoning. This will add additional nutrients to the food. 7. Cool and strain the broth, ensuring the marrow out of the bones and in the broth. Long cooked bone broths will have crumbling bones, the minerals absorbed into the broth. 8. Add any further seasoning if required. Your bone broth is ready to be drunk as is, this in itself is an excellent healing meal. The bone broth can also be turned into a soup, used as a base for cooking rice, quinoa, base for casseroles i.e. Chili con carne, given to pets – especially if unwell. 9. Store in the fridge for 5 to 7 days (glass bottles or jars are good for storage. Freezer up to 6 months for use in soups or stews.   Interesting facts? Bone broth contains gelatin a hydrophilic colloid, its properties are it attracts and holds liquids, these include digestive juices, as a result it improves digestion. Gelatin also supports healthy probiotics, decreasing food sensitivities and promoting gut integrity. It also helps form a cushion between the bones decreasing friction damage. Gelatin is also used in the formation of nails and hair.

Bone broth is a source of natural collagen this is an essential component of our bones, ligaments, tendons, bone marrow and skin. This decreases in levels as we get older, leading us to become stiffer. The collagen in the bones leaches into the broth and is an easily digestible source and this valuable nutrient.

The cartilage of the bone broth contains chondroitin sulphates including glucosamine and other skeletal compounds, boiling the bones extracts this from the carcass. Chondroitin and glucosamine have been found to support joint health, reducing joint pain and inflammation whilst promoting healing. This is an effective way of replacing expensive supplements with nutrient dense foods at a fraction of the price.

Glycine, proline, arginine and glutamine are amino acids that are extracted from the bones, these have anti-inflammatory properties. Properties Arginine has been beneficial in sepsis treatment (inflammation of the body). Glycine can improve sleep as well as supporting liver function as glycine is needed for the detoxification process. Glutamine is essential for healthy gut function.

Glutathione is another amino acid this is extracted from onions and garlic added to the stock, this also is essential in muscle, cardiac function and liver detoxification supporting the removal of wastes and heavy metals.

Bone minerals including calcium, magnesium, boron and other (micro)nutrients that play an essential role in bone formation

Bone broth can be made from any type of bones you like – chicken, beef, pork, lamb, venison or even fish – but seek bones from organically raised, pastured, or grass-fed animals.

Bone broth has the ability to inhibit infection. The nutrients extracted in chicken soup made with bone broth were found to improve immune health and function. The reduced the amount of mucus forming neutrophils (white blood cells) helping to support healing when you have respiratory complaints. Research has found chicken soup made this way does inhibit infection.

Links:-
How to make Bone Broth - Dr Mercola
Bone broth benefits - Dr Ax
Amino acids in Bone broth - Western Price
How to make bone broth - Wellness Mama Wellness Mama has a huge range of resources on huge amount of health areas and is a good resource in general. She provides some great downloads too. Would highly recommend.
Bone broth - Nourished Kitchen Nourished Kitchen provides some excellent healthy food dense recipes for some really nourishing food.
Fresh bone stock - Paleoleap