How To Make Bone Broth

Making “Bone Broth” is a labor of love. It takes hours on the stove. You have to maintain the water level, stir it so it doesn’t burn or scorch, and pay attention to it for hours and hours.

I have made Bone Broth this way for many years and it is always worth it in the long run. I will share with you how to make bone broth both ways. On the stove and in the instant pot. I find the instant pot much easier and I don’t have to watch it for hours on end. To make bone broth all you need is three ingredients. That is it. oh, and a lot of time.

We are going to start off with the more labor-intensive one… the stove. But first here are the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

Bones (chicken, beef, turkey, or pork) They can be cooked or raw. You are going to need about 1 ziplock bag full or more
water
2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

Now, Let’s get started

DIRECTIONS FOR THE STOVETOP:

1. In a large stock pot add your bones of choice. You will need a lot of bones. I typically save all of the bones from dinner and place them in a ziplock bag and stick them in the freezer until I have enough to use.
2. Fill the stock pot up with water until you cover the bones. I typically add a lot of water and stop about 3 to 4 inches from the top of the pot so it doesn’t boil over during the cooking process.
3. Add your apple cider vinegar and mix to combine. The apple cider vinegar helps remove the marrow from the bones and makes the broth even more nutritious.
4. Bring the pot of water and bone mixture to a boil. Once boiling turn the heat to low. As low as your stove can go. Now all you have to do is keep an eye on the water level and add more if needed. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching or burning. Now let it cook for about 24 to 30 hours.
5. Once the broth is where you want it, remove the bones from the broth and place them into a sieve strainer. Let the broth drain from the bones before removing the bones to a bowl to discard later. Once you have done this with all of the bones you can now strain the remaining broth through the sieve strainer. This will remove any bits that are still in the broth.
6. Discard any remaining bits and bones. You are now ready to pressure can or freeze your broth.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE INSTANT POT:

1. Place all of the bones into the instant pot. Add the water to the max fill line and add the apple cider vinegar. Mix carefully if you can.
2. Attach the lid and set it to pressure seal.
3. Press the slow cook function on your instant pot and set it to the highest setting. Mine is 20 hours on my instant pot. Let it run the full course of the time and then reset the slow cook time to either 6 to 10 hours longer. This should run for about 26 to 30 hours in total.
4. Once the broth is where you want it, remove the bones from the broth and place them into a sieve strainer. Let the broth drain from the bones before removing the bones to a bowl to discard later. Once you have done this with all of the bones you can now strain the remaining broth through the sieve strainer. This will remove any bits that are still in the broth.
5. Discard any remaining bits and bones. You are now ready to pressure can or freeze your broth.

• Now you can ladle the broth into your desired canning jars for pressure canning. *Sterilize your mason jars, lids, and rings, and then follow the appropriate directions for pressure canning. *
• You can freeze this. Leave about a 3-inch gap from the lid to the broth. This will allow expansion when freezing the broth and it will not explode your can or lids.
• You can also place the broth in freezer-safe ziplock bags. Remove any air from the bag as best as you can and zip it up. Place it on a sheet tray. Make sure you lay the bag flat so it saves space in the freezer later when storing. Let it freeze completely before storing.
• If frozen: let the broth thaw completely before using it in a recipe.
• If pressure canned: (BE SURE TO REMOVE THE RINGS BEFORE STORING THE CANNED JARS SO YOU DO NOT HAVE A FALSE SEAL) Simply remove the lid and use it in any recipe.
• You can use this broth in any recipe that calls for broth.
• Store what is left (if any is left open) in the fridge for up to 1 week. DO NOT RE-PROCESS THE REMAINING BROTH ONCE OPENED. Freeze it if you are not using it right away or store it in the fridge for 1 week.