The Perfect Recipe for Bone Broth Using Antelope Bones or Any Bones (Why Bone Broth is SO Good for You)
Note: This article is about how to make the BEST homemade bone broth stock with your leftover bones. Any meat bones are fine, especially if they are wild-caught, grassfed, or organic: beef bones, chicken or turkey bones, even antelope bones like I’m using here! You’ll also find out the health benefits of fresh bone broth!
I have a friend who is always trying out strange new health fads. When she showed up at work one day a few years ago with this frozen pouch of bone broth (heavy on the collagen), I just kind of gagged. "Is that good?" I asked her. She just shrugged and said she was taking it for her health.
I asked her if she could explain why bone broth is good for you, and she said something about her skin and immune system. I went about my day….but since then, I have made numerous batches of my own homemade bone broth. Because…why buy it when you can make it for pennies yourself?
Bone broth has become a lot more mainstream since that conversation took place. Research shows that traditional bone broth is excellent for our bodies! And when you make it yourself (or hunt for the clean meat yourself) well...you know what I'm going to say, right?
You know EXACTLY what's in it! Awesome-sauce, right?
Of course you can buy bone broth these days, of varying qualities. But...why? Making your own is:
Easy!
You'll save a TON of money!
And it tastes WAY better than store-bought...
So, when I got my antelope last week in my first hunt, I asked my husband to save the leg bones for me. I wanted bones with joints, which contain a lot of good collagen.
Bones contain mineral and amino-rich marrow and are filled with goodness as they break down. Smaller bones will actually become paper thin and brittle through the cooking process. This is a good thing, actually. The leftover bones from the bone broth are full of calcium, and we give them to the chickens.
You don't need to go hunting or harvest your own animal to obtain bones. You can buy them at quality butcher shops, and stores like Whole Foods actually have beef bones frozen and ready to use just for you!
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Homemade bone broth made the right way is healthy, delicious, and amazing for your hair, skin, and nails. It supports your immune system and is filled with collagen, amino acids, and minerals your body needs. Find out how to make the perfect, BEST organic bone broth in this recipe. Grassfed and wild game meat is perfect too! #bonebroth #homemade #howtomake #bone #broth #wildgame #recipe #easy #stock #best #delicious #healingharvesthomestead
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Why Use Bone Broth?
Bone Broth is a Traditional Food
Bone broths are a traditional food, made for thousands of years. If you look into any ancient cuisine, you'll find bone broth. These densely nutritious broths formed the basis for cooking many dishes over the eons, and no part of the animal was wasted….not even the bones.
In Asia, bone broth was made using fish bones and sometimes beef. In the European countries, bone broths have long been the base of many traditional dishes, and is used for healing as well. Bone broth has been used across all continents for centuries--I think that speaks volumes.
Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Broth and Nourishing Traditions, explains in both books why bone broth is so helpful for the human body. I recommend both of these books for more information about using bone broth.
A CAUTION about the bones you choose: Sally Fallon also wrote a recent update on her blog where she cautions people NOT to use the bones of conventionally raised animals. You can find out more in this article, Don’t Eat THAT Meat—-a must read for anyone looking for health.
This is because these animals are fed GMO soy and corn, which contain glyphosate, the Monsanto chemical pesticide. This chemical enters the animal and is stored in its collagen, thereby being passed on to us. You can find other horrors these animals are fed in the above article.
Please use grass-fed, organic, healthy meat!
Bone Broth is Nourishing
Bone broth is richly filled with minerals, proteins, and depending on other additives, vitamins. If simmered long enough, bone broth contains collagen, over 19 amino acids, and other important nutrients that support the joints, gut health, immune system, and connective tissue of the body.
Did your Grandma used to make you drink your chicken soup when you got sick? That's because there are compounds in bone broth that help your body heal. Scientists are not quite sure how it works, but there have been studies showing that broth heals the body, or at least strongly supports it in its natural healing ways.
I'm about to show you how to make the perfect bone broth every time.
Your broth may be thick or thin, depending on how much water you continue to add during the cooking time. In my opinion, the best broths are made with a longer simmer time, as this ensures the bones are as stripped of as much mineral content as possible.
Thick broth that may even be somewhat jelly-like is a good sign that you have really gotten all the nutrients and healthy compounds (including collagen) from the bones. Depending on the kinds of bones you use, you'll obtain thicker broth more easily.
I get great broth from beef bones, but I love my wild game, turkey, and chicken broth too! Any bones from a cleanly fed animal are perfect.
How to Make Perfect Bone Broth: A Recipe and Directions
What You'll Need to Make Bone Broth
Bone broth is a long-simmered concoction of bones, water, a bit of vinegar, and any vegetables you want to add. You can also add spices if you like. It’s easy to make, and all it takes is a bit of passive time.
Bones:
You'll need bones. Any bones are fine, but I have found bones from large herbivores (beef, deer, bison, antelope, etc.) are often the best. You can use chicken bones, turkey bones, and other kinds of bones, too---they are fine.
Again---use "clean" bones, from animals not fed GMO foods. Best: raise or hunt your own.
The more bones you use, the more broth you can make at a time. You can mix up your bones also--You don't have to just stick with one type of bone in your bone broth, although purists might disagree with me.
You can use cooked bones (for instance, I'll use the carcass from a Thanksgiving turkey), but I also like to use raw bones. You can buy bones made especially for making broth at good grocery stores, such as Whole Foods. Be sure you are buying grass-fed, organic (healthy) bones.
Vegetables and Spices:
I just use all the old veggies from the fridge and toss them in. For more flavorful broth, add garlic, onion, and other spices to taste. Vegetables are actually optional, but I like to add them for extra flavor and nutrition.
Water:
I use my tap water. It's from a well. If you don't want to use your tap water, that's ok. You can use filtered water too.
Vinegar:
You can use white vinegar, but I prefer apple cider vinegar. The vinegar helps release the minerals from the bones. I play the amount I use by ear. I like the tart taste of vinegar, so I’ll add more than most folks do, I’m sure. But in general, about 1 cup per very large soup pot, or 1/4 to 1/2 cup for a smaller, typical large pan.
Herbs (Optional):
Obviously, spices ARE herbs, but you can actually add some herbs that have medicinal and other health properties. Root herbs such as astragalus, dandelion, and burdock are wonderful included in your bone broth. Leaves from nettles and dandelions also add to the mineral content of your broth!
A Pot:
You'll need a large stock pot. The size depends on how much bones and vegetables you're using. Your pot should be large enough so you can completely cover everything with water, leaving at least two to three inches at the top of the pot.
I often use my smaller canning granite ware pot for large amounts of bones (see pics). It's about 21 quarts, and I can fit an antelope leg into it, if it's cut just right.
Mr. V. is prepping the antelope. We'll freeze the meat that is cut off and use it for us and the waste meats for the dogs. See the bone on the right? That's going in the pot to make bone broth.
Directions for Making Bone Broth:
NOTE: I simply dump everything into the pot all at once. However, if you want to roast your bones in the oven for 30-40 minutes or so first, you’ll speed up the cooking process, and some have told me there is a greater depth of flavor.
Step 1) Put Everything in the Pot
Get your bones in the pot, and if there's meat still on them, that's fine. Cut up your veggies and add them too. Toss in any spices you'd like to use. I like to use rosemary, bay leaves, tomatoes, and like I said--any old vegetables in the fridge go in too.
Step 2) Cover All With Water
You want to have enough room between the surface of the water and the top of the pot to handle simmering liquid. I suggest at least two to three inches of head space. You'll want your bones and contents covered by at least an inch of water.
Here is a bird's eye view of the antelope leg and veggies in the pot. I'm using my Granite Ware Canning pot because there's a lot of stuff in there!
Step 3) Bring to a Boil
I turn the burner to high, put a lid on the pot, and bring it to a nice rolling boil. This quickly gets the water heated up and going.
Step 4) Simmer
This is where patience comes in. You'll want to keep that pot simmering steadily for about 48 hours. Some people say 24 hours is fine. I'm sure it is, and I've done that too.
But if you want to be sure you've gotten all the nutrition possible from the bones, the longer you simmer, the more powerful your broth will be.
My grown son who lives in town was sick over the weekend, and I ran into town to bring him herbs & oils (and some previously-made bone broth)---so I couldn't finish my bone broth on the second day. This particular batch simmered for 72 hours!
No worries.
Keep checking your broth. If you notice the water decreasing too much, just pour a little extra in. If you are able to use a lid (recommended), then you may not even have to add any water.
I've noticed when I'm using a smaller stockpot, even on a simmer, it boils too fast, so I have to vent the top. In this case, I may have to add extra water.
With the large Granite Ware stock/canning pot, I don't add very much extra water at all. I only added water twice in this three day period for this batch!
After 24 hours simmering
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This is after two and a half days simmering away. Things are really breaking down in there.
Step 5) Cool Down
When you have determined that your broth is probably ready (and there is a lot of leeway here), turn off the burner and allow the broth to cool down so it's just warm. I allowed my broth to cool for several hours.
Step 6) Strain
Now it's time to strain your broth. If I'm using a large pot, my husband may help me. If not, sometimes, I'll just use a small pitcher, like this heat resistant glass one, and dip, then strain.
I like to strain my broth directly into plastic gallon freezer bags or into glass quart Mason jars. Either can be frozen, but I prefer to freeze the plastic bags because I can get more into my freezer. I dislike using plastic, but this is about all I use it for. Space is at a premium at my place.
Label your bags/Mason jars with the contents and date.
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This is not the best picture, but you can see how clean and much more fragile the bones are after simmering for three days. I used a combination of Mason jars and gallon freezer bags for this batch of broth. I ended up with eight quarts! Nice!
Step 7) Freeze, Can, Use
Now it's time to decide what you're going to do with all that yummy bone broth! Here are three great options:
Use It Up!
Depending on how much you made, you might be able to just drink it or use it in recipes right away. My bone broth friend would drink about a quart a day! It's low calorie too! To drink your bone broth, heat it gently, add a little salt if you want, and enjoy!
You can also use it as a base for stews, soups, and other recipes. It's delicious and adds tons of flavor to your foods! You can cook rice, quinoa, and other grains or beans in it as well! Bone broth is super versatile.
I put two quart jars in the 'fridge to get used in the next couple days.
Freeze It
I like to freeze any extra. It's easy to defrost and use. It will keep pretty indefinitely in the freezer too. I can't even say how long because ours is always used up before freezer burn strikes.
I ended up freezing the other six quarts.
Can It
If you have a pressure canner, you can go ahead and can your bone broth. You can't water bath can your broth, unfortunately, because the broth is not acidic enough. You'll have to go with the pressure canner.
It's great to see it on pantry shelves or in long term food storage. Be sure to label it!
I may defrost my jars of bone broth for canning later, but as of right now, they are stored just fine.
I heated some up, added just a tad of sea salt, and am drinking for health! I remembered to take a picture before it all ended up in my tummy.
Want to watch a video on how to cook a fresh and frozen chicken, then how to make homemade soup, and finally how to make your bone broth? You’ll also find out what I use the bones for at the end!
Final Thoughts on Making Perfect Bone Broth Every Time
Once your bone broth is done and is all cooled down in your 'fridge, you might notice that it gets quite thick and jelly-like. This is a GREAT thing! It's simply a sign that you did everything exactly right, so don’t worry. If you don’t have the gelatin, that’s fine too.
Variations that can affect how your bone broth turns out include the types of bones used, whether they are cooked or raw, and the length of time you simmered your broth. No worries! It’s still good, old-fashioned bone broth.
Have you ever made bone broth? How did yours turn out? I’d love if you’d leave your tips, comments, and any ideas or questions in the comments section below!
And you know my friend who was buying her bone broth? She has started making her own, too! Yay!
You may also enjoy these related cooking from scratch easy recipes:
The BEST Buttermilk Biscuits Ever
No Knead Easy Bread to Bake: A Traditional White Bread
And there are a TON more on the blog, so I hope you’ll go browse around a bit!
By the way, learning how to use homegrown (or purchased) herbs and foraged plants for your health is one of my specialities. As a clinical/community herbalist and certified aromatherapist, I can help you take charge of your family’s natural wellness.
Be sure to check out our school, Healing Harvest Homestead School of Botanical Arts, our YouTube Channel, or feel free to browse the hundreds of articles here on the website! Bookmark it so you return often!
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Hugs, Health, & Self-Reliance,
Heidi
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Resources:
https://draxe.com/the-healing-power-of-bone-broth-for-digestion-arthritis-and-cellulite/
http://nourishedkitchen.com/bone-broth/
http://nourishingtraditions.com/update-on-broth/
Disclaimer: I’m an experienced herbalist and aromatherapist and natural living expert….I am not, however, a medical doctor. No statement made here is meant to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any disease or illness. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Want to make your own homemade and healthy bone broth? Here is how to make the PERFECT bone broth every time. Recipe includes all kinds of bones, herbs, spices, and vegetables you can add if you want to…but in the end, you’ll have the BEST bone broth ever. #bonebroth #homemade #howtomake #bones #howtoeat #healthy #cookfromscratch #fromscratch #healingharvesthomestead