? About bone broth

[Grahm]

I have fixed this several times. It has never gelled. Am I not cooking it long enough? About 3 or 3 1/2 hrs is what I've cooked it. When it cools I always take off the fat and freeze it as soon as possible. I've put good salt and a touch of vinegar in it. If you do it differently please share your method. I had trouble finding beef bones but we have a new butcher shop and he got some neck bones in for me.

Thanks, Connie

[JFR]

Connie,

My understanding and experience is that it depends on the kind of bones you use. There are meaty bones and there are joint bones. It is the jointed bones that add the connective tissue to the broth and allow it to gel. Recently I made turkey broth using a variety of turkey pieces (backs, drums, wings) and it gelled beautifully. When I make lamb broth using only meaty bones it does not gel even though the method is the same in both. Even without gelling bone broth is filled with nutritious minerals. I cook my bone broth for around 24 hours in a slow cooker. Supposedly more of the minerals are leached from the bones that way. I also add a little vinegar to help in the process. If you can eat chicken (which I can't), a sure fire way to get well gelled broth is to make it with chicken feet, although using chicken feet can take some getting used to. Some people find the long cooking times of bone broth lead to histamine issues but that doesn't seem to be a problem for me.

Jean

[Gabes-Apg]

My experience is the same as jeans, using joint bones.
I use lamb shank, chicken drumstick. Beef wise I have used osso buco

I don't take the fat off, as that is where all the amino acids and goodness of the animal fat, ie Vit B9 (frolic acid) is. We need a moderate fat intake for good digestion.
And you might be taking away some of the gelatin

[Grahm]

Thanks to both of you. Right now I can't do chicken (I did originally) but my test showed intolerance to chicken and eggs( borderline). I'll cut them out while healing.

I'll keep cooking my neck bones and hope this will help heal my gut. I'll add potatoes and carrots and this will b my lunch for now.

Thanks,
Connie

[kd025]

You might also make sure you're just covering the bones with water. Too much water can also keep it from gelling. I think I used pork neck bones one time and got great results. I try to let it simmer for at least 12-24 hours. I have heard that even if it doesn't gel, that's not a huge deal. You'll still get good stuff from it. :)

Kristen

[BusyMom]

Hi,
Can I get some basics on making bone broth?

Thanks!

Michele

[JFR]

Michele - Bone broth is simple. All you really need are meaty bones, water and salt. Use enough water to jut cover the bones, add salt. I use about a tablespoon of salt for a half gallon of broth and let is all simmer. I simmer it for around 24 hours plus I add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar because it is supposed to help leach the minerals out of the bones, but other people use no vinegar and simmer it for shorter periods of time. You can also add vegetables to the broth. Traditional vegetables are onions, carrots and celery. You can season it any way you want, but all you really need are the water, salt and meaty bones. If you are going to add vegetable add only those that you know you can tolerate.

Jean

[Zizzle]

I've had good success with "Ox Tail" bones. I add a few tbspns vinegar, sea salt, garlic, onion, celery and lots of herbs. I simmer for at least 4 hours. It doesn't gel until it's cold in the fridge. At that point I sometimes take off some excess hardened fat, but certainly not all. I've had terrible luck with chicken carcasses.