Bone broth is magical! Not only does it taste great but also it’s beneficial for joint health, digestive health, and more. So don’t throw out those bones! Learn more about making bone broth soup…
About twenty years ago, I made a pleasant discovery. I noticed that if my husband, Bob, and I have at least two servings of my homemade bone broth soup a week, we have no problems with our joints. When we don’t have the bone broth, our joints get quite stiff and bothersome.
What Is Bone Broth?
Bone broth is the protein-rich liquid that results from simmering bones in water for a long time. Don’t throw this water away!
It’s not just about being thrifty. Our ancestors knew this was a source of healing nutrients in an easy-to-digest form that also tastes great.
Think of it this way: Vitamins and minerals are water-soluble. This is one reason that we lose a lot of vital nutrients when we boil our vegetables and meats and throw the water away.
Soup, on the other hand, collects these items and serves them up to us in an easily digestible way. And nutrients are the building blocks of our cells; they give us the ability to renew and heal all of the parts of our bodies.
Health Benefits of Bone Broth
Bone broth is not the same as stock, though it’s similar in use. Essentially, you could think of bone broth as a more nutritious alternative—a magical elixir! By simmering the bones for a long time, you extract the healthy goodness (collagen, amino acids, minerals).
While ready-made stock (cubes, bouillon powder) has its purpose, it’s not usually made from actual bones any more and also can include a concoction of hydrolyzed protein and emulsifiers. Plus, stock is not as rich and flavorful!
There are many numerous health benefits of bone both. Here are just a few of the more known ones:
- Supports healing, repair, and energy levels. Bone broth is associated with collagen. When you boil bone broth, the collagen breaks down into gelatine and various other health-promoting amino acids, which help with your body’s healing, repairing tired muscles and reviving energy levels.
- Aides digestion and gut health! Gelatine is the most abundant protein in bone broth. It bind with water to support the healthy transit of food through the intestines.
- Relieves joint stiffness: Studies show collagen improves pain, stiffness, and joint function in patients with osteoarthritis.
- Strengths hair, nails, and skin. Bone broth is packed with protein, good fats, collagen, and keratin. This helps with flaky nails, split ends, dry skin, and even wrinkles. Collagen has also proved successful as a weight loss aid.
How to Use Bone Broth
Use bone broth as you would stock—for soups, sauces, soups, stews, and risotto.
Aside from cooking with bone broth, we enjoy a mug of seasoned bone broth on its own. It’s a great way to start the day, especially when it’s chlilly, or it’s a great low-calorie snack in mid-afternoon.
Bone Broth Ingredients and Supplies
- All you really need are the leftover animal bones. Poultry, pork, lamb, and goat bones are all fine. Joint bones are especially great for bone broth because they are rich in cartilage. Meaty bones, such as ribs, or bones with marrow are also good for making bone broth.
- You can cook bone broth in a pot on the stove, in a slow cooker, or even in the oven. Do not use non-stick pans, plastic spoons, or ceramic-lined slow cookers as they can leach out lead and other toxins during the long cooking process.
- You may add vegetables such as onions or root vegetables. Do not add brassica vegetables like broccoli ends and cauliflower leaves to your broth—the long cooking time on these veggies will ruin the flavor of your broth.
I cook my soup on low for 36 to 48 hours. The longer we cook it, the more gelatin and other contents (collagen, amino acids, minerals) get into it. By the end of this amount of time, the soup is very dark and rich. If you only cook for a few hours, the broth will taste like water.
Bone Broth Soup Recipe
So, I make soup a lot. Here’s my process:
Using beef, chicken, turkey, or lamb (or a combination), put the bones in a crock pot.
Add water to cover bones by 1 inch and add whatever vegetables that I have at hand—often beets, carrots, and yellow onions. Because it contains so many vitamins and minerals, I personally always add a small piece of liver to the pot. I then add a dash of white wine or vinegar. This helps to get the gelatin from the bones into the soup. If I have any pan drippings from cooking the meat, I will also put that in. Then, I fill the pot with cold water and turn it on to simmer.
Bring to a low boil, skimming any scum that rises to the surface, then lower the heat so the liquid is gently simmering.
I simmer my soup on low for 48 hours. If you’re going to get the most nutritional value, you might as well cook longer. By the end, the broth, is rich, thick, and deep in color.
Now it’s time to strain the juice from the rest. Using pot holders, I pour the mixture into a colander which is set into a large bowl. Once the crock is empty, I generally set the colander into a smaller bowl to let the soup begin to cool down. A few teaspoons of salt can be added at this time.
Once the soup is cooled down, skim off any fat that has risen to the surface. Then spoon the soup through a fine-mesh sieve and transfer into several can or freeze pints, cover, label with the date and set them into the freezer. Frozen broth will keep for up to 6 months.
We often heat up a pint, pour into two mugs, and drink. In a pinch, I set the pint in a pan of hot water to defrost more quickly. However, this soup can also be made into a sauce by boiling and adding a mixture of arrowroot and water and boiling again.
My knees love me for it!
Here’s one of my favorite stir-fry recipes using bone broth!
Reader Comments
Leave a Comment
Bone Broth
How would you prepare the chicken feet before putting in slow cooker?
Soup bones for dog treat
I enjoy reading about making soup bone broth ~ and it's health benefits, used to make this quite often with my grandmother & we love soup now too. I wondered though about giving the soup bone (not cooked) to our dog for a treat. I know the benefits would be there for bone marrow and of course the chewing on the bone. Just wondered if it is really ok to give without cooking; I have a friend that has dogs and she says she does this all the time & they really enjoy it. Thanks so much!
I really liked this post.
I really liked this post. But I am a beginner cook, and would like to have seen more of a recipe format for this.
Hi Robert,
Hi Robert,
You could start with the bones from one roasted chicken. Add a small shank steak with a bone. Add one organic onion, four organic carrots, two organic beets, some organic greens if you can find them (beet greens, Swiss chard or kale), and one organic chicken liver. Put these in a pot and fill with good quality water. Add 2 T white wine or vinegar. Continue to follow recipe. Hope this helps!
Re-use of bones
I generally cook my bones for 72 hrs then make a new pot. Can I keep reusing the old bones in with the new mix until they become soft?
Hi Bonnie,
Hi Bonnie,
Sure you can keep using your bones. However, after awhile they are not going to be giving you back as much because you will have already extracted most of what you are after.
I know organic is best but
I know organic is best but can you get good results from non-organic bones too? Also, what about celery? I love the flavor of celery and would like it in my broth. Won't hurt will it?
Hi Towfitz,
Hi Towfitz,
Celery is wonderful in soups. Organic is best and from a local farm is even better. We have a farm here that cuts up some of their chickens and saves the bones to sell for stock. Look around. Or go to the Weston A. Price Foundation web site. They have chapter leaders who help local people find nutrient-dense foods.
Can you use a pressure cooker
Can you use a pressure cooker to make this broth and how long would you cook it?
Hi Roger, Pressure cookers
Hi Roger,
Pressure cookers destroy nutrients so I wouldn't make broth with it. You want a nice, easy boil (not a rolling boil). Pressure cookers heat the food too highly and change its nature.
When I was young, after
When I was young, after making soup, my mother would get the marrow from the bones & spread it on fresh Italian bread. So when making bone soup, would you squish the marrow into the broth or will it automatically dissolve in the water after 48 hours? Thanks.
Hi Lizzie, I haven't actually
Hi Lizzie,
I haven't actually looked for the marrow after my soup is done, but I suspect that it is dissolved.
I am going to make this for
I am going to make this for the first time starting tonight. Once I simmer, and then strain... I want to take some of the broth and add fresh vegetables, onion, and rice. Can I just put this back into the crock pot for 4-8 hours until the vegetable are done? Do you know when I would add the Jasmine rice? Do I have to precook the rice or can I just put the rice in to cook in the crock pot with the vegetables.
I really appreciate the help!!!
Hi Lin B, I think that you
Hi Lin B,
I think that you can put the vegetables back into the pot and they should cook. I'm not terribly familiar with Jasmine rice. Regular rice can be added to the pot to cook. It's best to soak the rice overnight ahead of time for best digestability.
Thank you for your timely
Thank you for your timely response! I have a follow-up question. Since learning about bone broth soup, I've been saving the bones from all the meals we eat. Is it OK to store these bones in the freezer until we have enough for a large pot full? I know it's OK to store the broth/gel in the freezer after cooking.
Hi Richard, Sure, it's fine
Hi Richard,
Sure, it's fine to put the bones in the freezer until you have enough to make a pot of soup.
I've been making my bone soup
I've been making my bone soup using pork neck bones and chicken legs. Now I read that pork is not recommended. Is there any problem with using pork bones?
Hi Richard, I don't think
Hi Richard,
I don't think that pork bones are bad per se, but they don't have as much of the good stuff as chicken, turkey, beef, lamb or goat. Chicken feet are the best! Of course, it's important to use pastured animals' bones.
Can you mix chicken and beef
Can you mix chicken and beef bones together in same pot for bone broth? Is that okay to cook with the fat then if it is mixed poultry and beef fat?
Hi Kim, I mix all sorts of
Hi Kim,
I mix all sorts of bones all the time. Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey or goat all work well together. Cooking with the fat is also fine.
I just bought some organic
I just bought some organic beef bones, to make the bone broth, but they don't have meat on them....will they still make a good broth?
Thanks
Hi Melissa, These bones
Hi Melissa,
These bones will make a nutritious broth, but it won't have much flavor. Ask your butcher if s(he) has any inexpensive, organic ox tail or chicken wings that you could add. S(he) may have something else for you if not these items. Make sure that it's organic.
I have a couple of questions.
I have a couple of questions. I made this twice and want to know if I'm doing it correctly. I buy a shank bone with meat attached and two shank bones all of which I cook with the veggies along with basil leaves and fresh thyme in about 3-3-1/2 qts water. I throw out the veggies and keep the meat cutting it up and using it. Is that okay? My other questions is: If I buy chicken thighs or bone in chicken breasts, that meat cooks quickly so should I keep the meat afterwards? And what would be the ratio of meat to water approximately? I want to make sure I do it correctly for good health as I would like to make this for people who are sick.
Thank you.
Hi Rosemary, If you want to
Hi Rosemary,
If you want to use the meat in any given situation, please do. It's really a matter of taste and we are all unique in that. The ratio of meat to water is also up to you. I'm not a big fan of measuring; I generally cook with a bit of this and a dash of that. I find that soup usually tastes good no matter what I put into it. Of course, the more organic goodies that do go into it, the more folks will get out of it. Good luck!
I have made this according to
I have made this according to your recipe twice and I really like it. I buy two good size bones at the store and I put in one bone with the meat attached. I throw out all the veggies, but I did not throw out the meat, I cut it up and used it. Is that okay? Since its such a tough cut, I thought it was okay. I put all this in about 3-1/2 quarts water and cook 48 hours. I am going to try the turkey carcass after TG. My other question is, if I cook chicken thighs or chicken breasts (bone in) for 48 hours, should I throw out the meat since these are not tough cuts? I want to make this when I know someone is sick and I want to do it right.
Thank you
i think your advice and all
i think your advice and all that you share is great, and thank you. and your photo looks great too. so when i read how you and your husband have serious joint problems for 20 years i think you are exaggerating. i have joint problems but none of my friends do. those that do developed problems at different times. but you and your husband - that must be difficult - "About twenty years ago, I made a startling discovery. I noticed that—if my husband, Bob, and I have at least two servings of my homemade bone broth soup a week—we have no problems with our joints. If we don’t, our joints get quite stiff and bothersome." so i chalk that up to regular internet hype, exaggeration, self-promotion, whatever. my blog would certainly not be as interesting. i wish people would just say things like they are, so that this natural critic in me could parse through copy without getting rankled. thanks for the recipe, the wonderful photos - i use this all the time - by which i mean every month or two give or take for a year and a half.
Whoever you are, Actually,
Whoever you are,
Actually, my husband and I virtually never have joint problems because we eat lots of bone broth soup.
Hi, great receipe, i am
Hi, great receipe, i am feeding my 5 year old organic and healthy and wanted to make a bone soup as suggested by our pediatrician. Can I add the soup mixture to meatball mixture? and I see that you drain soup into colander and was wondering if it is because of the bones? I'm thinking alot of ingredients in the soup would disentergrate (sp), thank you for your help
Hi CDMAKEUPARTIST, I don't
Hi CDMAKEUPARTIST,
I don't see why you couldn't add the soup mix to a meatball mix. I do drain all of the soup through a colander as I am mostly interested in the broth. The veggies do somewhat disintigrate but that doesn't bother me.
hello, i'm trying this for
hello, i'm trying this for the first time. do you keep filling the pot with water? mine is reducing and it's only been 6 hours. thanks
Hi Jacqio, Yes, I do keep
Hi Jacqio,
Yes, I do keep adding water to the mix.
What about pureeing the
What about pureeing the vegetables in the broth instead of discarding them?
Hi djud, You could do that,
Hi djud,
You could do that, but the vegetables are pretty exhausted by the end of 48 hours of cooking.
My german granma calls it
My german granma calls it "Soupbone Stew"... easy & economical to make.. best of all its easy on the stomach of us plain janes.
Hi Rhonda, Yes, you are
Hi Rhonda,
Yes, you are right--it is easy and economical to make and very, very easy to digest.
This sounds good! I remember
This sounds good! I remember my Mother having a big old stockpot sitting on the kitchen range most of the winter. She'd get the beef bones from the butcher and throw them in along with veggie leftovers. The result was this great tasting soup base that looked lik aspic.
I will try your recipie.
Thanks!
AJ
Hi Celeste; I like soup.I
Hi Celeste;
I like soup.I generally simmer bones to make stock for my soups.I have never made it this way but enjoy learning new things and trying them...We are retired and living on only one SSI income so this would stretch our grocery budget.
Hi Terry, One of the nice
Hi Terry,
One of the nice things about making soup this way is that you can make it from the cheaper cuts of meat. Chicken thighs are often offered at a good deal or just see what's on sale. Remember, some meat is necessary for flavor but the bones give the nice gelatin.
Wow! I've only had internet
Wow! I've only had internet at home for a few weeks now, and I am truly enjoying checking out different websites and blogs of like-minded folks who enjoy gardening, homesteading, etc. I just found yours today, and I really like it. I have read through all the way back to the sunflower story, and I have enjoyed each one. I have also learned a few things - like simmering bone broth in the crockpot for 2 days, and to cut the onion tops down while they are still in the flats. Thank you for sharing your weatlth of knowledge and experience with those of us who hunger for more.
Hi cathyjane, Thank you so
Hi cathyjane,
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Do you put any of the
Do you put any of the vegetables back into the soup after straining, or simply discard them and drink only the broth?
Hi WxByHart, I don't put the
Hi WxByHart,
I don't put the veggies back into the soup. They are quite exhausted by the end of cooking for two days. Mostly, we drink the broth. However, sometimes I'll stir-fry an onion & red pepper until tender, add the broth, then add whatever other vegetables I like (I love spinach & Swiss chard in soup). Cut up carrots, celery & beets are also good, but they take quite a while to cook (about an hour).
I use my rice cooker for
I use my rice cooker for slow cooker recipes. It works fine. Yes, 48 hours is right. That's how my mother and grandmothers made it, on the kitchen range, in a large covered soup pot. With the electric stove, we just set it on "Simmer" and checked to see if it needed a little water before going to bed.
is that correct when it says
is that correct when it says you leave it to cook in your slow cooker for 48 hours (2 Days)??:)
I was wondering the same as
I was wondering the same as Michael....also I dont have a slow cooker, so would simmer it in a large pan, but impossible to do that for 48 hrs.
If you don't have a
If you don't have a slow-cooker, put your ingredients in a heavy pot, bring to a simmer (DON'T BOIL) on top of the stove, cover, and put in a 200F oven for 24-48 hours.
If you have no crock pot, put
If you have no crock pot, put it in the oven at around 300 degrees. I often cook my spaghetti with tomatoes and meatballs
this way so it doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pot as it's liable to do on the stove top and you don't need to stir it so often.
Hi Maggy May, If you can't
Hi Maggy May,
If you can't cook it that long, just cook it for as long as you can.
Celeste
Hi Michael, You don't always
Hi Michael,
You don't always have to cook it for 48 hours. However, the longer you cook it, the more of the gelatin gets into the soup. That's why I cook it so long.