Bone Broth Recipe
Beef Bone Broth
Bone broth is super nutritious, can easily be made at home from beef bones and vegetables, and added to many recipes.
Bone broth is seemingly everywhere nowadays (at least where I’m looking), and is an important part of the paleo diet, and may even be a little hip (but don’t let that put you off!).
Making it is easy but takes time as the bones are simmered for 12 to 48 hours to release many of the healing nutrients it contains (see the sciencey bit below).
Bone broth is particularly healing for the gut and the gut barrier and so is an important part of any ‘leaky gut’ healing protocol. It is also great for joint health, and the glycine it contains may also help you relax and improve your sleep!
I often recommend bone broth to be eaten regularly, several times a week or even daily, as part of a healthy eating plan. It is also easy to add to other recipes instead of stock and provides a nutrient dense, additive-free addition.
Ingredients
- 2 kg beef bones preferably organic and grass fed
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tspn rock salt
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion (halved)
- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 handful fresh parsley optional
- 1 handful dried kelp/nori optional
Instructions
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It improves the flavour of the broth if you roast the bones first at a high heat. Place them in a large roasting pan, and crank the oven up to 230 degrees. Roast for around 30 minutes until browning.
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Place bones in a (very) large soup pan and cover with water (preferably filtered) and add a couple of tablespoons of cider vinegar. Leave for 10 mins.
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Turn on heat beneath the soup pan until it reaches a slow simmer
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Add vegetables, garlic, bay leaves, salt
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Turn down heat to the lowest possible setting that keeps the liquid simmering and leave for 12 to 48 hours, topping up with water to maintain the level.
You may want to scoop off some of the frothy stuff that floats to the surface as it simmers
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Two hours before the broth is finished add parsley and optionally seaweed such as dried kelp/nori
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Sieve the remaining liquid to remove the bones and vegetables, and store the remaining broth in jars or bottles. Discard the bones and vegetables.
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Store the stock in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer (but leave the top loose as the liquid will expand as it freezes)
The Sciencey Bit
Bone broth contains a lot of collagen, which, in turn, contains the amino acids glycine and proline.
Most diets in the modern world contain an imbalance in amino acids (the building blocks of protein) as we focus on eating lean muscle meat, rather than the traditional “nose-to-tail” way of eating the animal. This results in an overabundance of some amino acids, such as methionine, and a deficit in other amino acids which are found in bone broth.
This imbalance in amino acids may be having an impact on lifespan and fertility.
