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Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs of mixed beef bones (oxtail, knuckles, neckbones and/or short ribs)
- 2 medium carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 medium onions
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 10-12 cups water
Preparation
Step 1
To start, preheat your oven to 400°F; place the bones in a single layer on a baking sheet or roasting pan and roast them for 60 minutes, flipping each bone over half way through cooking.
Personally, I prefer not to add any salt or pepper to my bone broth and to season it only when I actually use it; I find it gives me better control over how much to add, depending on what I use it for.
Make sure that you DO roast the bones, though; this is an absolute crucial step! Not only will it give the bones a beautiful golden color but it will also fill them with TONS of flavor, two highly desirable characteristics that they will make sure to pass down to the broth…
While your bones are in the oven, roughly chop the vegetables and place them, along with the bay leaf and apple cider vinegar into a
As for the apple cider vinegar, fear not: it will not confer a vinegary taste to your broth. In fact, you won’t even be able to taste it at all. The reason for adding it is that it helps in drawing more of the good stuff from the bones.
As soon as your bones come out of the oven, add them to the pot so they can join the party…
Don’t be afraid to let that water level get fairly high! The broth will never get to boil violently; rather, it will simmer very gently for a very, very long time, so there’s no danger of it boiling over.
A simmering time of 24 hours is recommended to draw the maximum amount of goody good stuff out of the bones, but if that’s too long for you, 18 hours will still yield very satisfactory results.
Once the broth is done to your liking, carefully remove the larger pieces with a slotted spoon and place them in a strainer set over a large bowl to collect the excess broth.
Although if you’re anything like me, you probably won’t be able to resist munching on one or two of those WAY overcooked and so-super-mushy-makes-you-wonder-how-it-is-that-they-can-still-hold-their-shape carrots. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about them that I just can’t seem to resist…
You don’t even need to put a lid on at this point, as the fat will float to the surface and form a protective barrier that will prevent air from getting in contact with your broth.
Of course, you’re going to want to reheat your broth before you use it or drink it.
Now, despite it being super easy to make, sometimes you just don’t have the time to whip up a fresh batch of bone broth.
So stock up on some of the pre-made stuff for emergencies, but when time permits, make some of your own!