INGREDIENTS
- 2-3kg organic bones (e.g beef, chicken, lamb) or 3 chicken carcasses
- 2 chicken feet (optional, for additional gelatine)
- 5 litres cold water
- 118 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- Few pieces dried seaweed e.g kombu, wakame or 1 tbsp of flakes
- 4 cloves garlic smashed or halved
For added flavour try:
- 2 inches ginger chopped
- 1 bunch herbs such as parsley, thyme, oregano chopped
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1 stalk lemongrass chopped
- 1 small chilli chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- Leftover vegetables e.g. garlic and onion skin, celery, carrot skin, leeks, mushroom, and unused herb stalks
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F
- Place the bones with extra meat on a baking tray
- Brown in the oven for 45mins
- Place the remaining bones in a large pot or slow cooker
- Cover with cold water and apple cider vinegar, allow to sit until the meaty bones are ready
- Remove the meaty bones from the oven and add them to the pot or slow cooker
- Add the chicken feet, onions, carrots, celery, vegetable scraps, herbs and spices
- Cook on a low simmer, covered, for 24-48 hours if making beef bone broth, 12 hours for poultry or 6 hours for fish
- For a slow cooker set to low and let simmer for 24-48 hours
- Top up with an additional 2 cups of water 3-4 times while cooking if the liquid level drops below the bones, but not during the last 4 hours to allow for a more concentrated flavour
- For the last 20 mins of cooking, add the seaweed and garlic to the broth
- Skim regularly to remove foam/impurities that float to the surface to maintain a clear broth
- Remove the bones from the broth with tongs and strain
- You should be left with approximately 2 litres of broth
- Allow the broth to cool, then refrigerate for an hour
- Once chilled, remove the fat layer from the surface and discard
- Avoid removing the jelly, as this is the gelatine that provides many nutritional benefits
- Reheat to drink as a tea, or freeze into portions or ice cube trays for later culinary uses
