Have you ever wondered the difference between bone broth and stock? Regardless of whether it is chicken, beef, pork or even fish, bone broth is made from long simmering bones and a few other ingredients to extract the marrow and tasty goodness out of the bones and create a deep flavorful broth. A stock is simmered for less time and sorry vegetarians but you can’t get a bone broth without bones so a vegetable stock doesn’t ever count as a bone broth, so the advantages of bone broth can’t be found in veggie stock.
Bone broth is a wonderful flavorful liquid that can be used to add flavor to soups, stews, pasta and rice but it’s also great if sipped all on its own.
How can you tell if a broth you bought at the store was slow cooked long enough to really be considered a bone broth? The main difference is when you make a bone broth at home and simmer it for a long period of time (6 hours up to 24 hours or an hour and a half in an instant pot or pressure cooker) the broth will become gelatinous in the refrigerator. When you make a stock from bones but don’t simmer it as long it doesn’t become gelatinous. I know the organic store-bought broth I buy when I’m pinched for time or don’t have the ingredients for bone broth is labeled bone broth but it is not gelatinous when refrigerated, so is not full of all the wonderful nutrients found in the bones.
So what are the benefits and advantages of bone broth? Let’s explore.
Have you heard about collagen? Collagen has been touted as beneficial for hair, joints and skin. There are miracle powders shouting the benefits of collagen for all of the above. I started using Collagen powder years ago to help with hip pain that runs in my family and saw a significant improvement in my pain. My hair and skin also have a happy boost from collagen. I went plant strong for a while and saw my hair start to fall out and my skin shriveled so I know for a fact collagen benefits my joints, hair and skin. Did you know bone broth is full of collagen, easy to make and can be made from meat scrap and bones often thrown away? Why pay for expensive powders when you can make a tasty bone broth? There are lots of ways to extract all the goodness from bones to benefit your skin, hair and joints. Collagen produces several types of amino acids otherwise known as the building blocks of protein. The body requires amino acids in order to build proteins used through the human body.
Bone broth can help with gut issues? Why yes it can. A pubmed article found here (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27749689/) sites glutamine, one of many amino acids available in bone broth, is a “major nutrient to maintain intestinal barrier function”. I also found an article from The Canadian Digestive Health foundation here (https://cdhf.ca/en/is-bone-broth-healthy/) listing a bunch of nutrients available in bone broth that are beneficial to digestive health. There are also a few research studies available online if you do a google search of your own.
What are the benefits of daily use aside from the previous listed benefits? According to webmd.com you can reap all kinds of benefits from daily use of bone broth including reducing inflammation and increasing muscle with added exercise of course.
Which bone broth is best? According to some, chicken broth has the best support for your immune system giving credence to the homemade chicken noodle soup being good for you when you’re sick.
Are there any downsides to bone broth? Some experts worry that bone broth may increase our exposure to heavy metals from the bones of some animals. The upside is if you make your own you can know where the bones come from. If you have access to a local farmer or butcher you can know exactly where your bones are coming from. Ruminant animals such as cows have 4 stomachs and can filter out a lot of toxins before they ever get into their systems. I’m getting my beef from my nephew who works on a ranch and when that isn’t available I’ll buy from a local butcher, same goes with chickens or pork.
One of the best ways to get enough bone for chicken broth is to get a whole chicken and use the bones for a broth. The best part of making it yourself, aside from knowing all the ingredients, is you can control the sodium content.
Bone Broth
Homemade slow cooked bone broth
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 lbs of Beef, Chicken or Pork Bones and pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 3-4 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- celery, carrot, onion and garlic scraps if you feel like it
- 1 Tablespoon pepper or peppercorns
- Salt to taste after completed
- Enough water to cover the bones in the pot
Instructions
- Roast the bones and pieces in the oven at 350 decrees for about 30 minutes
- Put the bones and pieces, vinegar, vegetables if using and spiced in the instant pot, large stock pot or slow cooker.
- Cover the ingredients with filtered water.
- Set your instant pot to pressure cook for 1.5 hours, set your pot on the stove for 6-24 hours or set your slow cooker to cook on low for the longest time available.
- If you're using a pot or slow cooker make sure to check your broth to ensure enough water remains in you cooker for the time remaining.
- Allow broth too cool and strain out the bones and scraps.
- Store in your fridge for up to a week or freeze in freezer containers until used.
Notes
You can use a combination of chicken, beef and pork but it will effect the flavor. I love beef broth for almost all hearty dishes For lighter dishes such as rice pilaf or lighter soups I use chicken. I will use pork bones in with beef more often than with chicken.
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