Step-by-Step: How to Make Nutritious Beef Bone Broth

Mar 20, 2020

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Last updated on March 27th, 2023 at 03:36 pm

Beef bone broth is a mineral-rich, beautifully restorative tonic supporting health and wellness. This beef bone broth is so straightforward you can make it blindfolded.

Broths and stocks have been a staple in traditional cooking for centuries. Before all the modern meat processing techniques, our ancestors used every part of the animal (nose to tail) by preparing stocks and broth, etc.

What is bone broth?

Bone broth is liquid gold. In fact, it is collagen rich since you slow simmer meaty beef bones for long hours to extract all the nourishing nutrients. In addition to the beef bones, you also enhance the flavor of your broth with vegetables and fresh herbs.

Properly prepared stocks and broths are ridiculously nutritious, filled with minerals of bones, cartilage, marrow, and vegetable as electrolytes. Adding apple cider vinegar during cooking helps draw out more minerals from the bones—specifically calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

These stocks and broths produce nourishing and flavorful soups and sauces – a prized ingredient for most traditional and scratch cooking.

how-to-make-bone-broth

How to make bone broth at home

It is very simple. This beef bone broth recipe will work for everyone. If you can do basic kitchen tasks, you can make bone broth. We use apple cider vinegar and fresh herbs to create a more robust flavor.

Benefits of beef bone broth

The gelatin in the broth is a digestion aid and has been used successfully in treating many intestinal disorders. Gelatin is not a complete protein (it only contains arginine and glycine in large amounts). It acts as a protein sparer. Meaning it allows the body to utilize the absorbed complete proteins better – it also helps with the digestion of muscle meats.

Regularly making rich and nutritious stocks and broths are worth all the time and effort. You and your family will gain so many health benefits.

Lastly, the test for a good bone broth is simply chilling it and seeing if it thickens (even to the point of jelling completely.) The gelatinousness is the key to all the fantastic benefits.

If you are not into beef bone broth, do not worry. Here is a chicken bone broth recipe.

Happy broth-making!

For even more hands of experience, utilize your slow cooker. Follow steps 1-2 and add all the ingredients to the slow cooker bowl instead of a stock pot. Cook on low for 24 hours.

Beef Bone Broth

This is a simple recipe for a nutrient-dense, deliciously gelatinous broth for sipping or soup-making.

  • 4 lbs knuckle & beef marrow bones
  • 3 lbs neck bones or meaty ribs
  • ½ cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 4 quarts (maybe more) of cold filtered water
  • 3 onions, quartered
  • 3 carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 3 celery sticks, coarsely chopped
  • 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, bundled together
  • 1 tsp dried peppercorns, crushed
  • 1 bunch of fresh parsley
  1. Place the knuckle and marrow bones in a large stockpot. Add the vinegar and cover the bones with filtered water. Let it stand for 1 hour.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a roasting pan, place the meaty bones on the roasting pan and roast until nice and brown—about 45 minutes.

  3. Add the meat and vegetables to the stockpot once the meat is well-browned.

  4. Scrape all the flavorful coagulated juices from the roasting pan. If it is difficult, add water, boil it, and scrape the bottom of the roasting pan with a wooden spoon. Add all these juices to the stockpot as well.

  5. Add water (if necessary) to the stockpot until the bones are covered.

  6. Bring to a boil. Now a large amount of scum will accumulate on the top. It is essential to scoop it off with a spoon. After you have skimmed, reduce the heat to low and add the thyme sprigs and peppercorns.

  7. Simmer the stock for 24 hours. Just before finishing, add the parsley and simmer for another 10 minutes.

  8. You will have a gross-looking pot of brown liquid – the unstrained broth is unattractive. Remove bones with a slotted spoon, and strain the stock into a large bowl.

  9. Let the stock cool in the fridge. Once cooled, remove the congealed fat that rose to the top. You now have a delicious and nourishing broth for your favorite recipes.

  10. Transfer to smaller containers (I use mason jars) and freeze for a simple long-term storage solution.

It is important to note that excellent beef bone broth needs many different kinds of bones.

  •    knucklebones: imparts gelatin.
  •     marrow bones: gives flavor.
  •    meaty bones: adds color and flavor.

I recommend using 100% grass-fed and grass-finish beef bones.

Disclaimer: This post is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and is for educational purposes only.

To order bulk organic and sustainably harvested herbs and spices, visit Mountain Rose Herbs!

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