Basic Bone Broth

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I can’t stress enough how much bone broth makes everything taste good. It’s like bacon. If I make a meal with bone broth, even if it’s as simple as cooked ground beef, cassava pasta and bone broth my kids will love it. How much do they love it? Like this much:

In fact, that’s often their lunch with a good amount of chopped frozen spinach or kale thrown in. Not only does it make all your meals delicious, it’s also incredibly good for your gut and overall health.

It takes so little effort to make. I use a large slow cooker for mine because I like to let it cook for a full 24 hours. I’m really terrible at giving exact recipes because I kinda just like to wing it. I’ve become my mum, who when asked for a recipe will tell you, “Oh, I just put some of this, a handful of that… .” When you’ve been making certain things for so long you can do it in your sleep you just stop thinking in exact measurements. Besides, I’m willing to bet to you’re a pretty darn good chef (or that you have it in you to be one) so just go with it! Or to paraphrase a wise if over marketed Disney character, let it go and enter into the unknown.

Here’s what I use:

-Grass-fed Beef Bones (or chicken or lamb bones).

-1 large onion cut into wedges

-about four cloves of garlic, sliced

-around three carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

-3-4 celery stalks cut into chunks

-sea salt and pepper (omit pepper if you have not reintroduced it)

-water

You can add other herbs/spices that are AIP compliant if you want. I just like mine really basic. I also do not add apple cider vinegar, which most recipes use. Slow cooking the bones for 24 hours breaks them down really well so I find there’s no need for adding vinegar.

Stick everything in your slow cooker. Fill the cooker with water so it covers everything and almost to the top, leaving about a half inch below the rim. Turn on your slow cooker to low. Walk away and forget it for the next 24 hours!

After 24 hours, strain the broth and then pour it into mason jars to store in your fridge and freezer.

Be sure to leave two inches of space at the top of the jar if you are freezing to allow it to expand!

The picture on the left is of fresh broth I just jarred. The one on the right is a frozen far. You can see some sediment on the bottom of the frozen jar. You could strain out all the tiny bone marrow particles, etc. but I figure, why waste those nutrients? I leave it in.

Basic Bone Broth (AIP, Paleo)

Author: Elaine Drake, chpmom.com

Yields: Approx. 4 medium sized mason jars

Freezer friendly

Ingredients:

• beef bones, preferably from grass-fed cows (or chicken or lamb bones)
• 1 large onion cut into wedges
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 stalks celery, cut into chunks
• sea salt
• pepper (omit for AIP)
• water
• *Optional: 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar. (Many bone broth recipes call for apple cider vinegar to be added. Sometimes I add it, particularly if I’m going to be cooking it for a shorter time than the 24 hours. Other times I don’t bother because the bones break down on their own over the 24 hours of slow cooking. In short, if you are cooking the bone broth for less than 24 hours definitely add the apple cider vinegar.)

Instructions:

Stick everything in a large slow cooker. Fill the cooker with water so it covers everything and until it reaches about a half inch below the rim. Turn on your slow cooker to low. Walk away and forget it for the next 24 hours!

You can add other herbs/spices ( if you are on the AIP just make sure they are compliant) I like mine really basic. I also do not add apple cider vinegar, which most recipes use. Slow cooking the bones for 24 hours breaks them down really well so I find there’s no need for adding vinegar.

After 24 hours, strain the broth and then pour it into mason jars to store in your fridge and freezer. Be sure to leave about one and a half to two inches of space at the top of the jar if you are freezing to allow it to expand!