Gelled Bone Broth

Homemade is broth made out of healthy animal bones. If you don't make your own broth I would encourage you to try this easy method. It is a bit time consuming, but with simmering it on the back element while you are doing something else is no effort at all.  It is very healthy and very inexpensive. I do use store both broths on occasion but read your ingredient labels carefully. Not all broths are created equal. Buying a more expensive no sodium organic broth is worth the money. However you can't compare the flavor or nutrition to homemade and it is so inexpensive because you are using ingredients that you may have on hand already. 

Broth or stock is traditional food that our grandmothers and mothers made for all the good soups coming from their kitchens. It is rich in minerals and helps boost your immune system. Oma's didn't make chicken noodle soup for nothing when you felt under the weather. This is one old wives remedy that really works and is good for the body and a great comfort food. (For good measure Oma would add chicken feet, yes I know it sounds gross that but ensured gel for sure and adds lots of flavor. I have never done that). It is the joint bones with cartilage that make the broth gel.  

What you need-

• invest in a good quality large stock pot. It is worth it. 
• I use good quality left over bones from a free range roast chicken, or hormone free grass fed roast beef, ham, pork any kind of bone. You can cook it from a raw stage as well but I think that the roasted bones add flavor. Using raw bones you need to skim the scum that forms as it starts to cook, but not with using roasted bones. If I am going to pay a higher price for better quality meat you bet I am going to squeeze every possible use out of it. 
• onions left whole, washed with the peel left on, it add a richness in color and flavor.
• garlic cloves, left whole and the peel left on. 
• carrots, unpeeled, washed and cut in half or large pieces.
• celery, washed and cut in half or large pieces.
• bay leaf
• parsley
• whole peppercorns
• salt
• Check here for soup seasoning that I got from Food and Folkways cookbook by Norma Voth Jost.

For the broth in the picture I used the following ingredients.

• Bones from a whole roasted chicken
• drippings from the roast
• 1 large whole onion, washed and peel left on
• 4 cloves whole garlic cloves, peel left on
• 3 large carrots washed and cut in half
• 3 celery ribs, washed and cut in half
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 peppercorns
• about 8-10 parsley sprigs
• Place you herbs and spices in a cheese cloth or spice ball for easy removal later.
• 10 cups of water

1. Place all the ingredients into a pot large enough to hold the contents. 
2. Bring to a boil. (The nice thing about using roasted bones, there is no scum to skim off)
3. Reduce to simmer for a minimum of two hours or all day if you want.
4. Add water if necessary. 
5. Go do something else while the stock simmers and fills your home with a wonderful aroma.
6. Cool slightly
7. Poor the broth over a strainer into a smaller pot and place in the refrigerator over night. Skim off the fat after it has cooled. 
8. You can now use it right away or place in a container and freeze.

It should look like this after the fat has been skimmed off. The gel is not fat but gelatin from the bones. 

Now go ahead and make your favorite soup. I made chicken Borscht from this. You can see frozen tomatoes, spice ball and dill under the spoon already. 

Share this post