This is basic bone broth at its best. Make with any type of bones: beef, chicken, turkey, goat, lamb, pork (or a combo!). It’s balanced by the classics—carrot, celery, onion, and seasonings—and pairs best with savory dishes, including mains, sides, soups, and many of the blends and infusions from the Better Broths cookbook. The proportions are spot-on for creating rich, gelatinous broth. The optional chicken feet support your skin, bones, and joints. Along with cancer-fighting and immune health–promoting garlic, we could drink it every day (and we nearly do!).
Longevity epinutrients spotlight:
Bay leaf (folate, anthocyanin), beef (choline, B12, folate), carrot (luteolin), celery (luteolin), chicken (B12), garlic (sulfur), kombu (choline, B12, folate), onions (sulfur, fisetin, quercetin).
This recipe is designed for a 6-quart pot; see notes for sizing up and variations for specific dietary patterns (e.g. Low-FODMAPs).
This recipe is adapted from Better Broths & Healing Tonics: 75 Bone Broth and Vegetarian Broth-Based Recipes for Everyone co-authored by Dr. Kara Fitzgerald and food-as-medicine expert Jill Sheppard Davenport, CNS, LDN
| Longevity-Boosting Savory Meat Broth |
| Prep Time | Cook Time |
| 10minutes | 2.5-20hours, depending on cooking method |
| Prep Time |
| 10minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 2.5-20hours, depending on cooking method |
- 2–3 lbs. organic beef or chicken bones raw, previously cooked, or roasted
- 2–2.5 qts. Filtered water 8–10 cups
- 2 tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar optional
- 2 medium carrots cut into thirds, unpeeled
- 2 stalks Celery cut into thirds
- 1 medium Onion quartered, skin on
- 2 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp. salt Celtic, Himalayan, or sea salt
- 10 peppercorns or 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 chicken feet optional, for a more gelatinous broth
|
Ingredients
Servings:
Units:
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- Add bones to a large stockpot with a thick bottom (such as stainless steel or Dutch oven), slow cooker, pressure cooker, or multicooker. Pack bones well to minimize space between them and add water to cover the bones.
- Optional step, add vinegar and let the bones sit for 30 minutes to release the most minerals from the bones.
- Meanwhile, gather and prep remaining ingredients and add them to the pot. Add additional water, if needed, so all ingredients are just barely covered. To produce the most gelatinous broth, avoid adding extra water.
- Next, follow directions for your equipment type:
- If using a slow cooker: (1) Cover with lid and bring to a boil. For a slow cooker with multiple settings, it is best to use the higher temperature option. For a multicooker, use the Sauté function to heat to boil. After coming to a boil, roughly skim any scum/foam that rises to the surface and discard. Then change the setting to Slow Cook. This step is optional; it helps eliminate potential pathogens by boiling. (2) Then slow cook for about 4 hours for vegetable broths or about 20 hours for bone broths. If you use a multicooker, turn on the Keep Warm function so that the broth stays warm until you are ready to move on to step 8 below.
- If using a pressure cooker: (1) Cover with lid. If you use a multicooker, move vent to Seal to keep the pressure in, then select Pressure Cook. Note, some models may have a Manual button instead of a PressUre Cook button. (2) Adjust setting to high pressure and allow your cooker to heat to pressure, about 30 minutes. Pressure-cook for 45 minutes for vegetable broths or 2 hours for bone broths. (3) When done, let the pressure release on its own. If you use a multicooker, you may have the option to quick release by adjusting to Venting to allow steam to release. (4) Turn off and move on to step 8 below. NOTE: Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for the minimum amount of water to add to your pressure cooker. Be careful not to fill over the Max line. You may need to reduce ingredients listed depending on your pressure cooker size.
- If using a stovetop oven: (1) Preheat to 240F (2) Cover pot and bring to a boil. After boiling, roughly skim any scum/foam that rises to the surface and discard. This step is optional; it helps eliminate potential pathogens by boiling. (3) Move pot to oven, covered, for 2 to 3 hours for vegetable broth or 6 to 20 hours* for bone broth. You can refrigerate the pot overnight and resume cooking the next day. Just preheat oven to 240°F again, then place the pot directly back into your oven and continue cooking. (4) Add water, as necessary, to keep the bones or vegetables covered, by taking a peek from time to time. (5) Turn off and move on to step 8 below. NOTE: *Longer cooking yields a more gelatinous or nutritious broth. This method may make a more concentrated broth than other methods, yielding more flavor though less liquid, due to evaporation during the cooking process.
- Once cooked, set a fine-mesh, stainless steel sieve over a large pot. It’s helpful to strain your broth into a pot with a pouring spout, if you have one. Strain the broth and discard the slow-cooked ingredients.
- Pour the strained broth into glass containers, such as large mason jars, for storage in the refrigerator or freezer.
- If using as a simple drinking broth rather than in another recipe, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes:
Sizing up: Recipe is designed for a 6-quart pot (equivalent to about 5.5-6 liters). If you use a larger pot, you can increase your quantities. Just remember to tightly pack the bones, and add water just to cover all ingredients. Beef bones are denser and heavier than chicken bones, so you can fit more pounds of them in the pot.
Variations:
Low-FODMAPs: Omit the celery, garlic, and onion—trust us, it will still be tasty.
Keto: If not yet keto adapted, omit the carrot. When using the broth in recipes, include the naturally occurring fat from the broth, if needed, for your targets.
Lower histamine: Pressure-cook 2 hours instead of slow cooking. Use immediately or freeze. Alternative: Savory Whole Chicken Base Broth (page 50 of the Better Broths book) is a broth recipe lower in histamine.