Learning how to make bone broth is both simple and easy, and it tastes much better than the store-bought variety! Plus, there are no added preservatives so you'll know exactly what you are eating! In this guide, I will show exactly how to make beef, chicken, and pork bone broths to use in any of your favorite recipes!
Guide To Making Bone Broth
Sure, you can buy bone broth at the grocery store, but once you know how easy it is to make, you may not want to buy it anymore. In addition to being easy to make, there are several benefits to making your own broth.
As you can guess, making your own bone broth saves you money. It is also resourceful as it uses ingredients that sometimes get thrown away.
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Beyond being resourceful it is often healthier for you. Many brands you find in the store are missing essential vitamins and minerals. These bone broths are often diluted or have been made with additives.
Learning how to make your own bone broth helps you avoid those additives and enjoy the fresh flavor and natural minerals, vitamins, and amino acids in homemade bone broth. Whether you want to make beef, chicken, or pork broth, the directions below will help you master making bone broth.
What is Bone Broth
As the name suggests, bone broth is made from bones. The bones used to make the broth will determine the type and flavor of your broth.
For example, using bones from the beef will lend itself to a savory broth with a rich beefy flavor. However, broth made with chicken bones will be lighter in flavor (and color).
Broth can be made from any type of animal bones. In addition to beef and chicken, which are the most common, you can also make pork bone broth, turkey bone broth, and lamb bone broth. Each broth will provide its own unique flavor.
The wonderful thing about bone broth is that once you know how to make one type of bone broth, you can make any type of bone broth since they all follow the same steps.
How to Make Homemade Bone Broth
The first step in making bone broth is to gather your ingredients. While the ingredients may vary depending on the type of broth that you are making and the flavor you want, there are a handful of primary ingredients.
Animal Bones
The most important ingredient for bone broth is the bones. Many home chefs make bone broth so that they can use the leftover bones from another meal.
Therefore, you may want to use the leftover bones from a roasted chicken (or turkey), a large pot roast, or a ham. You can also use smaller bones left from chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, wings, and legs) or beef steaks or pork chops.
Another great way to get bones is to ask your local butcher. The butcher will typically have large soup bones that are perfect for making bone broth.
Depending on what type of bones you use and where you get them from, they may have some meat left on them. For example, a soup bone from a large roast may be quite meaty while chicken bones might only have a few scraps of meat left over. It is important to remove all leftover meat from the bones, as this is what makes it a true bone broth.
Vegetables
While much of the flavor comes from animal bones, vegetables are added to help enhance the flavor. The three most common vegetables to use in bone broth are carrots, celery, and onions.
This base of veggies is excellent for any type of bone broth. It will create a lovely and complex flavor to help balance the flavor from the bones.
In addition to carrots, celery, and onions, you can add a variety of other vegetables. You can even add herbs. Here are some fun additional flavors you can add to your broth.
- Mushrooms (mushroom stems are great for adding an earthy flavor and a great way to repurpose a part of the vegetable that is often discarded).
- Garlic
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Bay Leaves
Keep in mind that the use of garlic and herbs will add a more distinct flavor. Therefore, if you choose to go beyond the three basic vegetables choose additions that will pair well with the type of broth you are making.
Steps to Making Bone Broth
Roast the Bones
Roasting the bones is the key to getting the flavor for your broth, so you do not want to skip it.
To roast your bones, simply place them on a baking sheet after ensuring all of the remaining meat has been removed. If you want to make it easy to clean up later, line the roasting pan with tin foil first.
Roast the bones at 450 ºF (232 ºC) for about 30-35 minutes. The roasting time will vary depending on the type of bones and how hot your oven gets.
The goal is to roast them until they are brown and begin to caramelize. Some people also like to roast the vegetables that will be used in the broth to enhance their flavor. In this case, you can easily roast them on the same baking sheet alongside the bones, but your broth will still taste great if you don't roast your veggies.
Transfer Roasted Bones to a Large Pot or Slow Cooker
If you have a slow cooker (like a crockpot), that is the easiest way to make bone broth! However, you can just as easily make this on the stovetop using a large pot.
Once the bones have cooled off a bit then, use tongs to transfer them to the pot. In addition to the bones, make sure to scrape any drippings from the roasting pan into the pot.
Add Chopped Vegetables to the Pot
If you roasted the vegetables with the bones you can toss them in the pot with the bones. If you didn’t roast them, just toss the raw veggies into the pot after adding the bones.
Since the vegetables are just being added for flavor, it is best to roughly chop them into large chunks. If using additional vegetables or herbs (like garlic or rosemary), add about 3-4 garlic cloves for a large pot and 1-2 sprigs of herbs, depending on how large the sprig is and how much flavor you want to be added.
Fill the Pot with Water
The amount of water will vary depending on how large the soup bones are and how many you use. Therefore, rather than measuring how much water you use, just add enough to cover the bones and vegetables.
Simmer on Low for Several Hours
If using a slow cooker, set the timer for a minimum of 6 hours. However, you can let it simmer for up to 24 hours. The longer you let it cook, the richer the flavor will be.
If you are cooking on the stovetop, bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer on low for at least 8 hours, making sure to keep an eye on the stovetop so that it doesn’t overflow or burn.
*1 hour is the absolute minimum if you need bone broth in a hurry
Skim the Broth
After the bones have finished simmering, place a colander over a large bowl and strain the broth into it. This will remove the veggies, bones, and any herbs.
Let the Broth Cool
If storing the broth for future use, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to air-tight containers (I like to use glass jars). If you are using the broth right away, carefully measure it from the bowl and use it as needed.
How to Make Beef Bone Broth
Beef broth is probably the most popular bone broth. The rich deep flavor of beef broth adds warmth to several different types of dishes.
It can be used as the base for stews, soups, and even sauces. It is also a delicious way to add flavor to a roast.
It can be made following the directions above and using any type of bones from beef. This can be a large soup bone from a leftover roast, an assortment of bones from steaks, or even rib bones. I recommend coating the bones in tomato paste before roasting for some extra flavor!
How to Make Chicken Bone Broth
After beef, chicken bone broth is the next most common type used in cooking. Chicken broth has a lighter flavor but is still savory and slightly salty than beef broth.
Chicken broth is a popular base for soups (chicken noodle soup, anyone!) In addition, it can also be used in sauces or to make gravy for dishes like a chicken pot pie.
Since chicken bones are often not as large as beef bones, you may need to use several of them. You can even gather some up over time and store them in the fridge or freezer until you have enough to make. However, if you roast a full chicken, you can use the whole carcass as a base for your bone broth.
How to Make Pork Bone Broth
Pork bone broth is less common than beef and chicken but is just as easy to make. It has a savory flavor that is richer than chicken but not as deep in flavor as beef bone broth.
However, the flavor of pork bone broth may vary a bit depending on what type of bones you use. A large ham bone will provide a slightly different flavor than bones from pork chops.
To make pork bone broth, start with your bones and three main veggies and follow the steps above.
How to Choose What Bone Broth to Make
The bone broth you choose to make will depend on what bones you have available and what recipes you plan to use the broth in.
If you want to repurpose the bones left over from a previous meal, make a bone broth from them and save it until needed. However, if you have a specific recipe in mind, you may need to get bones from the butcher to make the correct broth.
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Now you know how to make bone broth using any kind of bones you may have on hand! Which type of bone broth is your favorite? Leave a comment and let me know!
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How To Make Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 4-8 beef bones (or pork or chicken bones)
- 6 oz tomato paste (for beef bones)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon each, salt & pepper
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 3 medium carrots (roughly chopped)
- 4 ribs celery (roughly chopped)
- ½ small yellow onion (roughly chopped)
- 2 bay leaves
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) and remove any excess meat from your beef or pork bones (you'll want to remove the meat from chicken bones as well, but it is easier to be more lax because you need to add more bones.)
- If using beef bones, coat them with tomato paste, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme. (Or your preferred herbs). For chicken and pork, you can add the seasonings when you transfer the bones to the pot and cover them with water.
- Place the bones on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. (You want the bones to be browned but not black). Remove the bones from the oven and place them into a large stockpot as well as any drippings that may have been on the pan.
- Add your roughly chopped vegetables to the pot along with the bay leaves. Then, add enough water to cover the bones. Place the lid on the pot and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours.
- Use a colander to strain the broth into a large bowl in order to remove the bones, herbs, and vegetables.
- Use immediately or allow the bone broth to cool completely before storing.
Notes
- To make in a slow cooker, roast the bones as directed and cook in a crockpot overnight. Then, strain the broth and use it immediately or store it for later.
- Adjust your herbs and seasonings based on whether you are making pork, beef, or chicken broth.
- Beef broth is rich, and deep, and adds warmth to several different types of dishes. It can be used as the base for stews, soups, and even sauces. It is also a delicious way to add flavor to a roast.
- Chicken broth has a lighter flavor than beef broth but is still savory and slightly salty. Chicken broth is a popular base for soups. In addition, it can also be used in sauces or to make gravy for dishes like chicken pot pie.
- Pork bone broth has a savory flavor that is richer than chicken but not as deep in flavor as beef bone broth. However, the flavor of pork bone broth may vary a bit depending on what type of bones you use. A large ham bone will provide a slightly different flavor than bones from pork chops.
- To store: You can keep any leftover broth stored in an airtight jar in the fridge for 4-5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze it (I recommend using ice cube trays) for up to 1 year.
Robbert says
Ik heb een bouillon van varkensbotten gemaakt, maar vond deze wat zurig qua smaak. Enig idee hoe dat komt?
"I made a stock from pork bones, but found it a bit sour in taste. Any idea how that happens?"
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Als je groenten in je bouillon gebruikt, dan zijn deze de meest waarschijnlijke oorzaak van deze zure smaak. Om bottenbouillon te maken, gebruik je botten die zijn ontdaan van het vlees en bij voorkeur geroosterd. Laat de groenten weg.
"If you use vegetables in your stock, then they are the most likely cause of this sour flavor. To make bone broth, you should use bones that have been cleaned of the meat and preferably roasted. Omit the vegetables."