Bone Broth

Tonya and I were watching a movie on Netflix and this one character said he had made this bone broth himself.  She tasted it and scolded him for not blanching the bones first.

We both wondered how you would know if they were blanched or not?

I also seen in one of the episodes of The Mandalorian, where bone broth was ordered for the kid.

This always peaked my interest and wondered, if I could make this myself.

Ingredients

5 pounds beef bones - preferably a mix of marrow bones (femur bones) and bones with meat on them (oxtail, short ribs, and knucklebones cut in half)
2 large carrots - chopped into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onions - quartered
1 whole garlic - halved crosswise
3 stalks celery - cut into 2-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 whole star anise
1 whole cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Stuff you will need

2 x Stock pot

Cookie sheet

Parchment paper

Colander

Directions 

Blanch the bones. Put the bones in the stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Drain and rinsing the bones with water.

Roast the bones and the vegetables. Ok, so the bones have been blanched. Now, preheat the oven to 450 F. Transfer the bones and add the vegetables (carrots, onions, garlic, celery) to the parchment lined cookie sheet. Don't pile them all on top of each other- spread them out. Roast for 60 minutes, about 1/2 way through, gently toss the bones and vegetables.

You want dark, roasted bones. Nearly to the point where you start to worry that you're over-roasting your bones.

Make sure you wash the stockpot after you used it to blanch the bones.  

Transfer the bones and vegetables back to the stock pot and make sure you get any remaining bits and juices (don't worry, all those brown bits are FLAVOR!). 

Add the remaining ingredients. The bay leaves, peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and apple cider vinegar. Fill the stockpot with approximately 12 cups water, or until bones are fully submerged. Cover the pot and bring to a low and gently boil. 

Simmer the bones. Reduce heat to low and simmer. Simmer for at least 8-12 hours, ideally 24 hours (do not leave the stove running overnight. Simply cool and store in the refrigerator and continue to simmer the next day). Add more water if needed to make sure bones and vegetables remain fully submerged.

Strain the bones. Once the bones have simmered, your broth is almost ready.  Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside the broth to cool and allow the bones to cool.

Don't forget about the meat. Whether you eat the meat still left on the bones in a bowl of soup or in sandwiches, I can almost guarantee that there is a TON of delicious meat waiting to be picked from the bones. Don't let it go to waste! Discard the meat-free bones and vegetables.

Skim the fat from your broth. Once cool enough, transfer broth to the refrigerator and allow broth to fully cool. 

You will have a hard, thick layer of fat and a bottom layer that is your bone broth (which should look like brown Jell-O). If desired use a fork to scoop off the top layer of fat. This will leave behind the healthy bone broth, minus the fat.

Store your bone broth. Bone broth stores well in the refrigerator for approximately 5 days. If you make a large batch, I recommend freezing smaller batches in the freezer for up to 6 months.

What are the benefits of drinking bone broth?

Google says: Top 5 health benefits of bone broth

May be anti-ageing. Bone broth is associated with collagen, a structural protein found in skin, cartilage and bone.

Good for digestion and gut health. Gelatin is the most abundant protein in bone broth.

May support immune function.

May support joint health.

May help promote sleep.