Bone broth

soup base

I make my own stock. Chicken feet didn't sell very well (at all, except for me), so they give me the feet and stuff for practically nothing. Twenty cents.

It seems like a big deal when you first start, but once you're used to doing it, it's nothing. So very easy. The first time is the hardest. After that, it gets easier and easier.

I save my onion scraps in a baggie in the freezer and that works well for me. People say buying fresh onion is better, though. I like using the bits. Since they'd be tossed, anyway, it's like I'm getting something for nothing.

Basically, you just throw the bones (feet, necks, backs) and veggie scraps (or fresh) in and let it simmer, scraping the scum off the top as it forms. I strain mine through cheesecloth (twice, because I'm anal like that) when I'm done and store it in baggies. I sit them up straight until they get kinda slushy, then I flatten them out so they freeze flat (saves room in the freezer.) Some of the bags aren't measured, but some are. So often, you need one cup, so I bag up a bunch of one cup bags.

Many people let it cool in the pot and revoke the fat the next day and save that to use. If you need tallow, it's a great idea.

I always think that Alton Brown is the best place to start for any dish because he's easy and fun. Here's the recipe from "Good Eats" - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chicken-stock-recipe.html

Homemade stock is 1000 times better than the stuff in those boxes in the store. I don't know WHY they don't (or can't) make it well, but they don't. That stuff is practically useless.

Everything made with stock tastes better when you use your own.

Acg67 wrote: »

marsia1234 wrote: »

Anyone heard of bone broth??
What way do you make it? When do you have it??
Thanks!

It's fad that preys on the ignorant. It's called stock and has been made for hundreds of years. It's no wonder it's generally extolled by Paleo dieters and it's sold at a premium

Actually bone broth is cooked much longer than stock, at least 24 hours, until the bones are soft, to strip the marrow. The broth when cooled will actually jelly from the marrow.

Stock, I make that all the time and I agree with the above that homemade stock will make everything taste better.

My stock gels and I only cook it for a few hours. Occasionally it'll simmer all day if I put it on early enough but no more than that. I tried the bone broth thing twice (cooking it for excessive amounts of time once with a small amount of vinegar to "demineralize the bones" and the second time without) and frankly it was revolting -- such a waste of good bones!

Make a regular stock, IMO.

Mom used to make it and I never liked it. We usually had it cold, molded and filled with meat and stuff (google aspic).


I thought that was the reason for my aversion since I don't like meat, so I tried it hot and without meat and I still didn't like it. Turns out it's the marrow, I just can't take its taste. It sure can look interesting though.

The broth itself is nothing special. If you don't like it you are not missing much. It has trace minerals and gelatin, all of which you can get quite easily without having to leave the stove on for 2 days. If you do like it though, plain bone broth is fairly low in calories so you'll get to enjoy a decent serving.

I just made some this past week -
6 Leg/thigh quarters, 2 onions quartered, 4 celery ribs, 4-5 carrots, bay leaves, poultry seasoning, salt & pepper. Covered with water then simmered about 4-5 hours.

Strained, pulled all meat and put in freezer for soups or casseroles. Gave the bones & scraps & vegetables to my chickens to eat. After refrigerating overnight I separated the fat & bagged the stock for later use (which was beautifully gelled).

I save all my chicken bones and carcasses in the freezer and then I dump them into a crock pot with water and cook them until the bones soften. I usually do it for 24 hours because that is what is convenient for me. Mash it around to get marrow out of the softened bones and then strain and discard the big chunks. Save it in the freezer. You can use it for lots of stuff like boiling rice or quinoa, many savory recipes that call for water, and of course making soup.

"Bone Broth" makes me laugh... an obvious attempt by someone with a marketing degree to label something cooks and chefs have been making for hundreds if not thousands of years... it is simply beef/chicken/lamb/bison/ etc... etc.. soup stock... the number of ways to "render" the nutrients from the bones and add flavor are numerous however ideally your "soup bones" should be simmered in a large stockpot for at least 24 hours...I add basic aromatics depending on the bones... I will use carrots Onions and celery along with a bay leaf or two, or three or four... with "red meat" and rosemary and thyme with poultry... along with sea salt and black pepper... I will let that simmer with about 16 cups of water to start... and begin about 7 in the morning so I can revisit it the next morning... as the day progresses I add water to account for the evaporation... once it is all done I strain the stock through cheese cloth.. then stick it in the fridge to firm up the fat so I can skim that off before "canning" the stock for future use...( I usually use a 2 cup Rubbermaid container) I will use it for home made soup, sauces and gravies...

the benefits I will leave to readers to research... soup stock ought to be an important part of everyone's diet. for such a small investment (stockpot). and a few hours over the weekend...and some inexpensive ingredients, it is an excellent source of nutrition...

BONE Broth... Hilarious...

I try to crack any bones I am using. I always make stock out of the ham hock as well. Never try to totally clean the bone when cooking a ham, just boil that sucker. I like to add carrots, onions and celery for extra flavor as well. You want to expose the marrow to the boiling liquid for the best flavor for sure.

Don't let the complex things about breaking bones and marrow and 24 hours scare you. Most of us just make a more pedestrian cross between a stock and a broth and don't worry if it's clear or cloudy.

Mine includes bony chicken scraps raw or cooked, eaten off of, whatever. Skin, meat, cartilage, etc., whatever's attached to the bones goes in, too. If there's a lot of fat in the resulting stock, I just refrigerate it and take the disk of fat off.

Just the other day took a summer's worth of chicken bones & parsley stems from the freezer turned into a stock. Also a ham bone. Ended up with 30 cups of chicken stock/broth and 6 cups of ham stock/broth.

For flavoring, I used parsley stems, a handful of bay leaves (buy this by the ounce from a spice merchant), and a mess of peppercorns.

If I'm doing more than one pot or have the oven on for other things, I let it simmer in the oven for several hours (ca. 4 hours or so) at any temp hot enough to boil it -- preferably less than 350F.

The chicken stock goes in all sorts of things from chicken soup to risotto. The ham stock is great for making "instant" bean soup with canned beans.

Turkey necks make SPECTACULAR stock!

To my mind, the boxed broths from the supermarket just taste like salt.

Tubbs216 wrote: »

I love homemade stock but don't like the smell in the house. How do you all deal with that?

The only thing I don't like about the smell is the cat repeatedly walking into the kitchen and howling in frustration.

Bone broth is just a new name for stock. Properly made stock gels when it's cool. It's not hard to make at all.

We make a huge batch of chicken stock in the fall, out of spent laying hens from our farmette. I have a pressure canner so the resulting stock gets defatted, then preserved in pint and quart jars. Very handy.