Beef Bone Broth Recipe

Makes about 7qts/8 litres. Needs a large stock pot and a good kitchen fan.

INGREDIENTS

Bones: 7-8lbs of naturally-raised (pastured) beef bones (healthy bones, healthy broth); approx 50/50 mix of joints (some with cartilage) and marrow/meaty

Vegetables (all washed and unpeeled) as follows

6 carrots (cut into thirds)

1 leek (white and green parts, cuut into thirds)

4 red potatoes (quartered

1 bunch celery (cut into chunks)

2 sweet potatoes – Japanese or regular (quartered)

1 garnet yam (quartered)

5 cloves of garlic

½ bunch of parsley

Kombu (dried seaweed, found in Asian section): 1-2 strips (about 8”)

Shitake Mushrooms (dried, small package).

1 tbsp apple cider (vinegar)

12-16 Black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1 tsp salt

Water: 7 quarts

PRE-PREPARATION

Blanch the bones: in the stock pot, cover bones with cold water; bring to a boil and blanch at an aggressive simmer for 20 minutes. Skim the surface as scum will come to the surface. Drain.
Divide bones by type and do the following:
- Soak jointy bones (knucklebones etc) for I hour – cover with water and add ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar. This helps extract the collagens.
- Roast marrow/meaty bones: 30 minutes at 450 degrees F

MAKING THE BROTH

Combine all ingredients in large stock pot (16 Qt), cover and bring to a boil. Skim any further scum that comes to the surface.

Reduce to a simmer (a rolling simmer that barely breaking the surface) for 12-24 hours. This long, slow cook time extracts the nutrients in and around the bone.

Remove and discard the bones. Strain the broth through a fine sieve and discard the vegetables. Don’t over-press the vegetables but allow them to drain naturally. You want clear broth.

Cool the broth to room temperature (you can use an ice bath to speed this process). Note: Don’t put hot broth directly into the fridge as it will raise the temperature in the fridge, slowing cooling and potentially allowing bacteria to develop.

Refrigerate overnight. Skim off any fat that forms on the top of the broth. Portion into airtight containers and refrigerate or freeze. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

USING THE BROTH

Drinking and Dosing

I haven’t found much guidance on how much broth to consume. To overcome illness or for a boost, daily consumption of a robust cup or bowl. For chemotherapy and blood counts, ‘lots’.

I adopted an intensive consumption pattern leading up to the all-important blood tests ahead of each scheduled chemotherapy treatment. Assuming the blood test was on Monday, I would consume 4 (300 ml) cups on Saturday, 6 cups on Sunday and 1 or 2 cups on Monday morning (total: about 3.5 litres). Lots!

Drinking a lot of broth can become a chore. Rebecca Katz, supra, suggests “A spritz of lemon juice and some sea salt, about 1/8 teaspoon of each per cup, does a lot to bring this broth to life.” I varied the temperature from hot to cool. I also added miso concentrate sometimes or extra vegetables as a soup

IMPORTANT POINTERS"

Ensuring that the Broth Gels

As I made batches of broth using the Katz recipe, I noticed that some gelled and others did not. Gelled broth correlated with increased blood counts for me. Accordingly, I did more reading on the topic and made the following adaptations from the original.

The bones: ideally, an assortment of bones including ‘jointy’ bones with connective tissue (knucklebones, feet, joints) and ‘meaty bones’ including marrow bones and ribs. The ratio that worked seemed to be about 50/50.
The ratio: about 1 litre (quart) of water to 1lb of bones. Otherwise the broth will be too diluted to gel.
The process: the bones need to be prepared through blanching along with soaking and roasting (by type). This improves the flavor but also the extraction of minerals. Cider vinegar is an important ingredient in the soaking process.

These points are integrated into the recipe ingredients and process.

Dried Shitake Mushrooms

Note: I added dried shitake mushrooms to the Katz ingredient list. They have long been used in Chinese medicine and contain the compound lentinan which is said to help fight infection and disease. In her updated Magic Mineral Broth recipe, Katz suggests adding them “for an additional immune boost.” See http://thechalkboardmag.com/the-healing-kitchen-magic-mineral-broth. The final broth I made during my chemotherapy included shitake mushrooms and was associated with the strongest boost to my white blood cells.