5 Tips For Making The Best Nutritious Bone Broth
This article is for those new to making bone broth and those who are using an Instant Pot to make bone broth
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Helpful hints for making the most nutritious gelatinous collagen rich bone broth that everyone is talking about. It’s all about the right technique.
Making bone broth is very easy to do. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist. Believe it or not it does involve a little science though. Physics to be exact.
You don’t need to know physics as I am going to share with you in a nutshell, in layman terms, the best practice for making a healthy and beneficial bone broth.
I have learned so much about cooking bone broth that I would like to share my experience with you as I learned from my mistakes. LOL.
I found what type of bones work best, how much water to use, the best temperatures and how to get that perfect gel consistency.
If you’ve never made bone broth I have an excellent recipe I will share at the end of this article. But first, all these steps I am about to share can help you make the perfect bone broth.
If you are experienced in making bone broth I hope you can take at least one thing from this article.
Bone Broth Should Gel When Cooled
Every time you make a batch of bone broth your goal should be to end up with a gelatinous rich flavorful broth.
If your broth is not gelling up it could mean there is not enough collagen in your broth. Ask yourself these questions 1) did I use the right type of bones 2) did I use the right pot 3) did I add too much water 4) did I cook the bones long enough and 5) did I use the right temperature.
Let me say something before we move on.
If your broth does not gel up, that’s ok. It does not mean you failed at making bone broth. It just means you need to tweak your next batch. So, drink up this batch as you normally would or add it to soups but whatever you do don’t throw it out! Now, ask yourself….
Are you using the right bones?
Many people believe marrow bones are the bones to use when making bone broth.
That is not entirely true. Marrow bones are good to use when making bone broths but they are not the primary bone of choice.
You see, marrow bones lack the connective tissues that deliver the excellent collagen which in turn gives your broth the gel texture when cooled. Marrow bones should be used sparingly.
Yes, a few marrow bones are good to add when making bone broth but the bones that will provide the best collagen, just to name a few, are gristly bones like knuckles, joints, whole chicken carcasses, chicken feet and pigs feet. And most importantly make sure the bones come from healthy grass-fed animals.
Most bones can be purchased at local meat markets. If you don’t have a local meat market and you’re having a hard time finding beef bones you can always buy them on-line here.
When choosing bones it is not necessary to have meat on the bones. If there is a little that is fine but our focus is making “Bone” broth.
You will find this in my recipe, but to get the most flavorful and deep rich brown color, bones should first be baked in the oven for about 30-45 minutes prior to preparing it for its water bath.
What Pot Should I Use?
Don’t you just love those kitchen appliances that cook your meals in no time flat? I know I do! It really comes in handy when you’re crunched for time and wanting to make a good dinner quick.
I have heard that beef or chicken bone broth can be made in as little as 1 – 2 hours in a quick cooking pot compared to some recipes that can take up to 15 – 36 hours in the crock pot or stove-top method.
HOLD UP
Broths that are made commercially and that are sold on the shelves at stores or on-line are made by a slow-simmering process. There is a reason for this and you can find more information about this further down.
But for now I only recommend using the stove-top method or an appliance like this on low heat for making bone broth.
Are you adding the right amount of water?
A good recipe for bone broth should never tell you an exact amount of water to add to your pot. Why? Because all pots and bones come in different sizes.
Before adding water place your bones in the pot. Then fill in the gaps with your vegetables. Make sure everything is snug. Then add water just to the top of the bones.
It is recommended to add 1-2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to help pull out minerals and collagen from the bones. I only use 1 Tablespoon.
Cooking Bones
If you are making your bone broth in 2 hours or less more than likely you probably own some type of pressure cooker. If so, have you noticed in the manual where it talks about psi?
What is psi
What exactly does psi mean? PSI is a unit of pressure expressed in pounds of force per square inch of area. It stands for Pounds per Square Inch.
In the manuals of these fast cooking appliances it talks about cooking pressure ranges. You may find something like this:
The times indicated within the ‘Cooking Time Tables’ are based on the cooking pressure within the range of 10.15 – 11.6 psi.
I have a pressure cooker and I was stumped by all that psi talk so….I did a little research. In order to understand what psi includes you first must know the boiling point of water without pressure.
Boiling Point of Water
Boiling point is the temperature at which water begins to boil at sea level. That temperature is 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
For every pound of pressure the boiling point of water increases by approximately 3 degrees fahrenheit.
So What Does This Mean?
Sorry to do this to you but…..what it all boils down to is when it says the
cooking pressure within the range of 10.15 – 11.6 psi it means the temperature inside the device is between 242 degrees Fahrenheit and 247 degrees Fahrenheit.
Below is a diagram on how to determine the temperature in relation to psi.
Some Benefits of Bone Broth
Bone broth is rich in minerals like calcium, iron, copper, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and boron. These minerals are good support for biological functions such as the immune system.
If made properly it will also contain protein nutrients and amino acids such as collagen, glutamine, glycine and proline among others.
The vegetables added during the process of making bone broth can contribute additional nutrients such as vitamins.
The Big Question
Can Proteins Withstand 242 Degree Heat?
Not all proteins can tolerate the high temperatures found in fast cooking appliances such as pressure cookers or Instant Pots. In fact, most proteins are denatured by heat and the process is usually irreversible.
So, What Does This Mean?
Instead of getting totally scientific on you I’m going to make it short and sweet. Fast cooking appliances ARE NOT the ideal way to make bone broth nor are high temperatures.
So, if you are using a fast cooking appliance for making bone broth please be aware by doing so many of the precious nutrients and proteins are being destroyed which makes the bone broth less valuable. You may just have flavored water with less benefits.
The Ideal Cooking Time
I am not sure if I should call it cooking because when I think of cooking I think of high temperatures therefore I will call it simmer.
When working with beef bones simmer them for 24 – 48 hours or up to 3 days at the max and chicken bones for around 6 – 8 hours.
For safety reasons the water temperature should be between 165 degrees and 210 degrees Fahrenheit.
The worst thing you could do when making bone broth is to allow the water to reach temperatures above 212 degrees.
Never allow the broth to come to a full boil and you should have the highest nutrient, protein rich, and best tasting broth ever.
You can find my complete step-by-step bone broth recipe here.
Try our Chicken Bone Broth; Stock! It will give you gel every time!
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Sources
https://durathermfluids.com/pdf/techpapers/pressure-boiling-point.pdf
