Beef Bone Broth

I was feeling under the weather last week, and I'd been reading about the many benefits of bone broth, so I decided to make my own to help cure me. I'm not sure if it helped speed along my healing, but it did result in a LOT of delicious, healthy broth to use for the next few weeks. Bone broth is chock full of calcium and other minerals. Here is some more info on all its benefits.

To begin my bone broth journey, I got 5 pounds of organic neck and knuckle beef bones from grain/grass fed cows, and tried not to throw up as I handled them. I've always been a little squeamish around meat, especially when it's raw or not a "normal" cut, but if I'm going to be a responsible meat eater, I figure I should get used to using and being comfortable with all parts of an animal, no matter what form it comes in. I threw the bones in my slow cooker along with some apple cider vinegar and veggies that I had on hand. If I'd had carrots and celery, I might have thrown those in too, but I work with what I got. The vinegar (in any form; it doesn't have to be apple cider) helps leach the minerals from the bones, so you'll want to make sure to add some.

Make sure you save and reuse your bones. I got four good batches of broth out of my bones before the cooking liquid began to lose its gelatin-y consistency (which means that my slow cooker was running almost continuously, with small breaks in between batches, for 6 days). From what I've read, the consistency is key to a good broth. Once refrigerated, the broth should become jello-like from the gelatin in the bones. Once it's less jello-like, it's still good to use, it's just a sign that you've used up most of the good stuff in the bones.

You can use your delicious, homemade broth as the base for soups, stews (tonight's dinner!), or simply add some salt and pepper and drink as a warm, nutritious broth.

This is the fourth batch of broth. There's almost no fat on this one.

Beef Bone Broth

5 lbs. beef bones (I got knuckle and neck bones)
1 onion, quartered (the skin can stay on)
1/2 head garlic (removed from the base, skin on)
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
Water (enough to fill crock pot and cover bones)

1. If you want a darker, richer broth, roast bones in a 400º oven for 30 minutes
2. Roasted or unroasted, arrange bones in a slow cooker
3. Add onions and garlic cloves
4. Add vinegar
5. Cover everything with water, leaving about an inch at the top for expansion
6. Put the lid on the slow cooker, turn on low, and let it stew for 24-48 hours
7. After a day or two, remove the big bones (save them!) and strain the liquid into a bowl through a colander or some cheesecloth
8. Let cool on the counter for a while (so you don't heat up the whole fridge), then place in the fridge
9. After a few hours, the fat will have risen to the top and solidified. Spoon out the fat and save it or toss it.
10. Pour into a container with a lid. After a few more hours in the fridge, the broth will (hopefully) have turned into a jello-like substance. It's ready! Freeze or keep in the fridge.
11. The best part? This process can be repeated with the same bones until they either disintegrate or the resulting liquid no longer turns jello-like after refrigeration.