Ingredients
Scale
The Bones
- 2–3 lbs (900g–1.4kg) beef marrow bones, cut into rounds
- 1–2 lbs (450g–900g) beef knuckle bones or oxtail
- 3–4 chicken feet (strongly recommended for gelatin)
- 1 lb (450g) chicken backs or carcasses (optional, for extra gelatin)
The Aromatics
- 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
- 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, halved (skin on is fine)
- 1 whole head of garlic, halved crosswise (skin on is fine)
- Small bunch fresh parsley, stems included
- 4–5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
The Essentials
- 2 tbsp raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- Approximately 10–12 cups filtered water (enough to cover bones by 1 inch)
- 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil (for roasting bones)
Optional Healing Add-Ins
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 Parmesan rind
- 2-inch piece dried kombu seaweed
To Finish
- Salt, to taste (added after straining)
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Blanch the bones (optional but recommended for cleaner broth). Place all bones in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the bones thoroughly under cold water, scrubbing away any grey foam or impurities. This step produces a significantly cleaner, clearer finished broth.
- Roast the bones. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Toss the blanched bones with olive oil and spread in a single layer across one or two large rimmed baking sheets. Roast for 30–40 minutes, turning once halfway through, until deep golden brown with some caramelization at the edges. Do not rush this step — the color you develop now becomes the depth of flavor in your finished broth.
- Deglaze the roasting pan. Remove the bones from the oven and transfer to the slow cooker. Place the hot baking sheet over a burner on medium heat. Add 1 cup of water and scrape up all the dark, caramelized drippings with a wooden spoon. Pour this liquid into the slow cooker — it is intensely flavorful and should not be wasted.
- Pre-soak with apple cider vinegar. Add the aromatics to the slow cooker — carrots, celery, onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and any optional add-ins. Pour in the apple cider vinegar, then add enough cold filtered water to cover everything by approximately 1 inch. Do not turn the slow cooker on yet. Let the bones soak in the cold acidulated water for 30 minutes — this allows the vinegar to begin drawing minerals from the bone matrix before heat is applied.
- Cook low and slow. After the 30-minute soak, set the slow cooker to LOW. Cook for a minimum of 18 hours, ideally 20–24 hours. The broth should never boil — it should maintain a very gentle, barely visible simmer throughout. Do not cook on HIGH.
- Skim the foam. In the first 1–2 hours of cooking, check the broth and skim any grey foam or impurities that rise to the surface using a spoon or ladle. This is most important in the early stages.
- Strain the broth. Once cooking is complete, carefully ladle or pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl or pot. For an extra-clear broth, line the strainer with a layer of cheesecloth. Discard all solids — the bones, vegetables, and herbs have given everything they have and are now spent.
- Cool and defat. Allow the broth to cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill overnight or for at least 4 hours. A solid fat cap will form on the surface. For keto drinking broth, leave the fat and stir it back in when reheating. For a cleaner cooking broth, skim and discard the fat.
- Season and store. Once defatted (or not), season the broth to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to glass jars or airtight containers. The broth will be a solid gel when cold — this is exactly what you want and is the sign of a well-made, collagen-rich broth.
- To serve. Warm gently in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave. Pour into a mug or bowl, adjust seasoning, and sip slowly. For an enriched keto tonic, stir in a teaspoon of grass-fed butter or MCT oil before drinking.
Notes
- The gel test. After refrigerating, your finished broth should be a firm or semi-firm jelly. If it stays liquid, the collagen extraction was incomplete. Add more collagen-rich bones (especially chicken feet) next time, reduce the water quantity, or extend the cooking time.
- Chicken feet are the single best upgrade. Even if you are making beef broth, add 3–4 chicken feet to the slow cooker. They contain more collagen per gram than any other commonly available ingredient and cost almost nothing. They are the difference between a broth that gels and one that doesn’t.
- Don’t salt during cooking. The broth reduces and concentrates over 18–24 hours. Salt added at the beginning can result in an over-seasoned finished product. Always season after straining, to taste.
- The blanching step is optional but worth doing. It removes impurities, blood, and the compounds that produce grey foam during cooking. The resulting broth is cleaner in both flavor and appearance. If you are short on time, skip it — the broth will still be excellent, just slightly cloudier.
- Use filtered water if possible. The minerals and compounds in tap water (chlorine, fluoride) can affect the flavor of a broth cooked for 24 hours. Filtered water produces a cleaner-tasting result.
- Kombu seaweed is a hidden gem. A small piece of dried kombu added to the broth during cooking contributes a significant amount of iodine, magnesium, and natural glutamates that deepen the savory flavor. It is completely undetectable in the finished broth.
- Broth vs stock vs bone broth. Your finished product should gel. If it does, it is true bone broth with significant collagen content. If it doesn’t, it is a nutritious stock — still excellent for cooking, just not as therapeutically potent.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes (including roasting bones)
- Cook Time: 20 hours (on LOW)
- Category: Gut Health, Soup, Stew
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo