Bone broth or stock is an ingredient that transforms flavorless dishes into something amazing. It’s also the base for the absolute best soups, stews and gravies. It can be used in anything where one would typically use boxed stock. The difference with homemade bone broth or stock is that it is simmered for a long time. Both the minerals and gelatin from the bones/cartilage are drawn out and into the water.  Also, there are no other additives that are questionable in your own homemade bone broth. It can be a very frugal addition to the kitchen as whole chickens or other poultry can be eaten and the bones and cartilage left behind make excellent bone broth. If available, chicken feet can be added to the stockpot to increase the natural gelatin content of the broth. If you buy pastured poultry from a farmer, many times the feet are readily available. Whether you have the feet or not, the bone broth is still fantastic. If you can’t swing a pastured chicken, organic chickens can be readily found at many grocers now. In my area of the country, I can easily find them at Costco, Trader Joes, Whole Foods and small health food stores. Our local daily farmers market has pastured chickens in their freezer section. Eatwild.com is a great place to locate a farmer for pastured poultry.  You can also find them through Tropical Traditions or US Wellness Meats.

More recently a book called, “Nourishing Broth- An Old Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World here” by Sally Fallon Morell and Dr. Kayla Daniel Ph.D., took the explanations of how incredible bone broth is to a new level. The facts about its benefits were really amazing to me. There were so many examples provided, and I appreciate all the factual sources list provided. I’ve read this book over and over and it stays on my primary bookshelf. The health benefits makes bone broth a keeper in my home, but it’s the FLAVOR it adds to my daily cooking that makes it an absolute necessity. It totally transformed my cooking. <I wish I could underline that sentence about 10 times! No wonder people around the world have made bone broth for millennia.

Everyone has different ways of making  bone broth. Some folks add vegetables and/or herbs into the stock pot, which is great. I personally have my own version that I enjoy best as well. I personally don’t add any vegetables or herbs in the initial cooking of the bone broth. I prefer it plain. I add the layers of other flavors later when I’m making an actual dish.

Some people use their bone broth only for cooking, others drink it salted as a beverage or with some miso stirred in or just salted, buttered and with some added green onions/scallions. Remember this idea if you ever get sick and really don’t want to eat anything but still feel like you could drink something. If anyone in my home gets a head cold, I like to put a small pinch of turmeric, a tiny bit of cayenne pepper, salt and butter into their broth. I personally enjoy how it makes my skin look and how since incorporating it into my regular diet it has helped my abdominal connective tissue immensely and aided with childbirth recovery. If you’ve given birth to five children, you noticed these things. Enough said.

I use bone broth for my babies as one of the first foods around 6 months. I use it salted and buttered and sometimes with pureed winter squashes or carrots. I like to put it in a sippy cup here and when they are older in a cup with a straw here.

Now do you know why I consider myself a Brothaholic? If you see me out and about sipping coffee, well, it may not be coffee. I hope you become a Brothaholic too. It’s a delicious addiction.

 

Chicken or Poultry Bone Broth:

Ingredients:

Bones of a whole 4-6 lb chicken or duck (for smaller animals you made use the bones of two of them for something larger like a whole large turkey, you would add water accordingly)

1 gallon of filtered water

1 T apple cider vinegar (this aids in leaching the minerals out of the bones, you do not taste it)

Instructions:

Stovetop:

Use a stockpot and bring the contents to a boil and spoon off any scum that rises to the surface. Turn the heat to the lowest setting that will allow the liquid to allow slight bubbling at the surface and put a lid on it. This can go on for 8-72 hours. The sweet spot for me is typically around 24 hours. Frequently check the water levels to ensure it doesn’t burn. When it is finished, scoop it into some glass jars or containers. The bits of bone, etc can be filtered out with something like a fine mesh strainer here. I personally put the smallest one over the top of a widemouth glass jar.

 

Slow Cooker Method:

Add the contents to the slow cooker, turn it on low, cover and let it go 8-72 hours. I prefer around 24 hours, but everyone has different preferences. It can be stored in the fridge for about a week and it freezes well.

Note: Some people put a whole chicken meat and all into their stockpot or slow cooker and bring it to a boil then simmer till the meat cooked through and then pull it out to cool, pull the meat off then place all the bones back in to let it keep cooking into broth. They save the meat for all their shredded chicken needs for the week and extras can be labeled and frozen. If you have a few gallons or more of stock and not much fridge or freezer space, it can be simmered down and concentrated. You can add water back in later for any actual recipes you care to prepare.

Instant Pot Method:

Add contents to the pot. Set on the sauce/high setting and bring to a boil. Scoop off and discard any scum that rises to the surface. Turn it off, seal the lid, close the vent,  then set to the manual setting for 120 minutes.