Easy Weekly Bone Broth

THE WHY BEHIND THE RECIPE

So maybe that’s not the most gorgeous recipe photo you’ve ever seen, but here are just SOME the reasons why I love bone broth:

• Collegan: Collegan is the glue that holds the body together (the word legit comes from kolla, Greek word for glue) and cooking breaks down collagenous protein into gelatin which provides the amino acids the body needs to make the “glue” we call connective tissue.

• Cartilage regeneration: Without cartilage we wouldn’t be able to move our joints and wiggle our ears! Cartilage rich bone broth has glycine, proline, glutamine, proteoglycans which can actually help you regenerate your cartilage.

• Protein absorption: I love swapping veggie broth or chicken broth with a bone broth because of not only the added nutrients, but added protein power. Bone broth is NOT a complete protein, but when broth is consumed as part of a colorful and diverse diet, it actually improves overall protein digestion.

• Four Key Amino Acids: In my Stanford Nutrition Course, I learned that proline, glycine, glutamine and alanine (the 4 main amino acids in broth) are nonessential amino acids, meaning the body can theoretically manufacture them. However, that’s realistically only true for people who have really really great health and eat very nutrient-dense diets (which is hard in our modern environment). It certainly does not hurt to get these amino acids in via a broth, and by adding meat, vegetables, and herbs to the broth, we can easily get all of those essential amino acids as well.

• Minerals to support bone density: Broth made from bones provides a ton of bioavailable mineral like calcium, magnesium, and other trace minerals essential for bone health. Now, the exact amount will depend on the health, age, diet and environment of the animal. This is why to get the most bang for your buck, it’s best to use organic and regeneratively farmed animal bones in your broth if possible. I know it’s more expensive, but I always think about one of my favorite Rob Lustig quotes “You’ll either pay the Doctor of the Farmer, but either way you’ll pay.”

Yields: 6-8 servings

Total time: Anywhere from 6-24 hours

• Prep time =10 minutes

• Cook time = Depends on your method, 6-24 hours

WHAT YOU NEED

• Rotisserie chicken bones (and any other bones you have around from the week)

• 6 cups filtered water

• 1/4 cup vinegar of choice (I usually do apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar)

• Leftover veggie compost like carrots, celery, onion

• 2-3 bay leaves (if you have them, not a dealbreaker)

• 3-4 cloves of garlic

• Heavy pinch of kosher salt

HOW TO DO IT

INSTANT POT METHOD - MY PREFERRED METHOD

1. Put everything into the instant pot. Make sure there is about 1 inch of water above everything (but not more!). Turn on the slow cook setting for 20-24 hours and set and forget it. At the 20-24 hour mark if you want run it again, you can put it on for another 20-24 hours.

2. Place a large bowl or pot in the kitchen sink with a colander or other strainer on top. Slowly pour the bone broth through the strainer.

3. Pour into glass containers and allow to cool before putting in the fridge or freezer.

STOCK POT METHOD

1. Put the bones, veggies, garlic, salt and vinegar in a large stock pot and fill with filtered water about 1 inch above everything (but not more)

2. Cover and simmer on low for at least 6 hours, and up to 24 hours. Place a large bowl or pot in the kitchen sink with a colander or other strainer on top. Slowly pour the bone broth through the strainer.

   • For small bones: 6-12 hours

   • Larger bones: 12-24 hours (or until bones are soft)

3. Pour into glass containers and allow to cool before putting in the fridge or freezer.

SWAPS, TIPS & TRICKS

• Storage: I use wide mouth glass mason jars for storage for the bone broth - both for the fridge or freezer. If I just want to save an individual portion of the broth, I’ll freeze it in a silcone souper cube.

• Use best quality ingredients you can find - like free range, organic chickens and organic, regeneratively raised meats

  • If you do have access to chicken or pig feet, add those in as they are the highest in gelatin and will help your broth gel! If someone brought me some pig feet as a gift I’d genuinely be thrilled 🤣

  • Ideally, you’d use raw bones, but I also use bones that have been cooked because….well life.

• Water to bone ratio: When you make broth, the water should just cover the bones otherwise it will be too water-y. If you want to make a double batch, you do re-use the bones and add more water for a take 2.

• Add aromatics: Save your carrots, celery, garlic and onion scraps (or other veggie scraps) throughout the week and add those in.

• Checking for doneness: Squeeze the bone between your fingers to see if it gives. If not, cook for longer!

• Don’t forget vinegar: Adding a small amount of vinegar helps extract minerals from the bones and vegetables, and it won’t change the flavor of the broth. I usually do 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar.

• Use bones with some meat: A little bit of meat on the bone adds flavor! This is why I use my rotisserie chicken every week!

• Keep it low and slow: If the stock goes to a boil, the heat will break down the collagen fibers and then you might get a less gel-y result. To make this easy for myself, I just do it in my slow cooker or instant pot on the slow cook setting.