Health Benefits of Bone Broth!!

It is a bit of work but so worth it once the broth is made…. You can’t beat the flavour or the health benefits coming from our grass-fed beef. Here are a couple of recipes I’ve tried:

Beef Broth

Ingredients

• 4 pounds (1.8k) beef bones (You can use knuckles, ribs, legs, neck, or shanks)

• 1 tablespoon (15ml) canola oil

• 2-3 medium carrots, cut into 2 or 3

• 2 medium onions quartered

• 1 head garlic, sliced in half crosswise

• 2 large bay leaves

• 10 whole peppercorns

• 5 sprigs fresh parsley

• 5 sprigs fresh thyme

• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped into 2 or 3 pieces

• 1 teaspoon (7g) salt

• 1 teaspoon (2.3g) ground black pepper

• 1 cup (240ml) warm water

• 7 cups (1.6l) cold water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400℉/205℃.

• Place beef bones on a large tray and drizzle with oil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and take out.

• Add carrots, onions, and garlic to the tray, drizzle with oil, and bake for another 10 minutes.

• Transfer browned meat, carrots, onions, and garlic to a dutch oven or large stock pot.

• Add the celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper.

• Deglaze the tray with 1 cup of warm water, and add it to the dutch oven.

• Add 7 cups of water to the dutch oven and bring to a boil.

• Reduce to a simmer and skim the stock with a spoon to remove the surface scum.

• Cook for 3-8 hours on medium-low without the lid. It will be a very gentle simmer. (The longer you simmer it, the more concentrated the flavor will be.)

• Your stock should be rich and dark brown. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

• Turn off the heat and allow the broth to cool.

• Line a fine-meshed colander with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Then remove the bones and vegetables from the pot and gently pour the stock through the colander.

• Refrigerate the broth. When the fat solidifies on the surface, carefully scrape it off with a spoon and discard it.

• The broth will have a jelly consistency when it is refrigerated. You can use it as is or heat it in the microwave or a saucepan to liquefy it.

• Freeze, can, or refrigerate it for later or use it immediately in your soups.

  Recipe by https://www.africanbites.com/beef-broth/

This second recipe gives more of a distinct flavour in the broth, thanks to the spices added.

Bone Broth Recipe

CHEF: Jessica Randhawa

Ingredients

• ▢ 10 pounds beef bones - preferably a mix of marrow bones (femur bones) and bones with meat on them (oxtail, short ribs, and knucklebones cut in half)*

• ▢ 4 large carrots - chopped into 2-inch pieces

• ▢ 2 medium onions - quartered

• ▢ 2 whole heads garlic - halved crosswise

• ▢ 6 stalks celery - cut into 2-inch pieces

• ▢ 4 bay leaves

• ▢ ¼ cup black peppercorns

• ▢ 4 whole star anise

• ▢ 2 whole cinnamon sticks

• ▢ 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

• Blanch the bones. Divide the bones between two large stockpots and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes before draining and rinsing the bones with water.

• Roast the bones and the vegetables. Ok, so the bones have been blanched. Now, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Transfer the bones and vegetables (carrots, onions, garlic, celery) to the roasting pans. Don't pile them all on top of each other- use two roasting pans. Roast for 30 minutes before gently tossing the bones and vegetables, and roasting for an additional 15-30 minutes more.

• Transfer the bones and vegetables back to the stockpots. But not before washing the stockpots first. Make sure you wash your pots after the bones were blanched and drained. Transfer the bones and vegetables back to the stock pots and scrape up any remaining bits and juices remaining in the roasting pan using a metal spatula and a little water, if needed. Transfer to the pot with the bones (don't worry, all those brown bits are FLAVOR!). 

• Boil the bones. With the bones and vegetables divided between the two pots divide the bay leaves, peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and apple cider vinegar between the two pots. Fill each pot with approximately 12 cups water, or until bones are fully submerged. Cover the pots and bring to a low and gently boil. 

• Simmer the bones. Reduce heat to low and simmer, with the lid slightly ajar, skimming any foam or excess fat, occasionally. Simmer for at least 8-12 hours, ideally 24 hours (do not leave the stove running overnight. Simply cool and store in the refrigerator and continue to simmer the next day). Add more water if needed to make sure bones and vegetables remain fully submerged.

• Strain the bones. Once the bones have simmered and your broth is ready, you will need to strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside the broth to cool and allow the bones to cool.

• Don't forget about the meat. Whether you eat the meat still left on the bones in a bowl of soup or in sandwiches, I can almost guarantee that there is a TON of delicious meat waiting to be picked from the bones. Don't let it go to waste! Discard the meat-free bones and vegetables.

• Skim the fat from your broth (optional). Add a couple handfuls of ice to your beef broth to expedite cooling and cover with a lid. Transfer broth to the refrigerator and allow broth to cool fully. The result will be a hard, thick layer of fat and a bottom layer that is your bone broth (which should look like gelatinous brown jello). If desired use a fork to scoop off the top layer of fat. This will leave behind the healthy bone broth, minus the fat.

• Store your bone broth. Bone broth stores well in the refrigerator for approximately 5 days. If you make a large batch, I recommend freezing smaller batches in the freezer for up to 6 months (it reheats perfectly!). I also canned our broth which will allow it to keep for a long time in the cold cellar!

Recipe by: https://theforkedspoon.com/bone-broth-recipe/