Simple Beef Broth Recipe

The many ways of using a Bone Broth 

I like to make a simple bone broth recipe without using vegetables, salt or herbs. This way I can use this broth many ways and add other ingredients when I use it for a particular recipe. One of my favorite ways of consuming a bone broth is by adding medicinal herbs or mushrooms and drink it first thing in the morning. This is my favorite winter brew! You can also use it as a base for soups, or to cook your whole grains with. You are welcome to modify and add any vegetables (onions, carrots or celery sticks) if you like. Or keep it simple like I do.

Ingredients:

Few large beef marrow or knuckle bones

1-2 Tbs. tallow or other fat

2 oxtail or other meaty bones like shanks or short ribs

4 or more quarts cold filtered water

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Adaptogens:

Add any Adaptogens that calls to you. I like to use 1 or 2 herbs to keep it simple. My favorite is Ashwaganda and Reishi mushroom. Add your herbs in the last 4-8 hours of cooking time to your broth.

Complete list of Adaptogens:

Complete List of Adaptogens: Primary & Secondary Adaptogens

Cooking Direction:

1. Place the marrow or knucklebones in a very large pot (I like to use a Crock-Pot slow cooker) with the vinegar and cover with cold water. Let stand for one hour.
2. In a cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat the tallow over medium heat.
3. When the fat is hot, put the oxtail, short ribs, or shanks into the skillet and brown on all sides.
4. Turn off the heat and transfer the meaty bones to the Crock-Pot or your large pot.
5. Pure about 1 cup of water into the hot skillet and scrape up all the flavorful browned bits from the pan and pour that water into the Crock-Pot as well.
6. Set your Crock-Pot on high heat. After the broth comes to simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook for 36 to 72 hours.
7. You may need to add a little water each day so the bones stay covered in water.
8. Strain the broth into a bowl. Pick the meat off the meaty bones and reserve for beef soup. (You can also pull the meaty bones out of the broth earlier, after half a day or so of cooking, but put the bones back and keep cooking).
9. Store you broth in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or you can store it in mason jars, leave 2 inches of air space in the top of the jars, and freeze the broth.