Recently, I’ve had several people talk to me about bone broth. To be honest, I find it slightly irksome…maybe barely irritating. I get ruffled by trends because I don’t appreciate their twits for marketing purposes. For generations, bone broth has been known simply as broth, or stock. I guess the addition of the word “bone,” gives it a primal sound that demands a second look. Nobody ever turned their heads at stock, or chicken broth. Show your grandma a bone broth recipe and she’ll say: “What? You mean soup?”
Whether it be soup, broth or stock; I’m glad people are interested in making it themselves. It’s a small extra step to making food healthier and more delicious.
Shorthand stock recipes
Chicken Broth…the short, short version.
Begin by roasting a chicken for dinner or buy a roasted chicken. Eat the meat, then place the bones in crock pot and cover with water buy 2 inches. Turn crock pot on low. Go to bed. Wake up. Strain off bones. Cool, and refrigerate or freeze.
White Chicken Broth– Place a clean, raw yard bird in a large pot. Cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a full rolling boil. Spoon away any foam that rises to the top. Next, cover and turn off the heat and wait an hour. Remove the bird and let it cool a bit, then pull off the meat and return the bones to water. Simmer for 3 more hours, then strain, cool and refrigerate or freeze.
Beef, Veal, Pork or Lamb Broth-
Place 2lbs of bones in a roasting pan. Roast for 45 minutes in a 425° oven or, until very browned. Make sure to turn a couple times to obtain even browning. Everything else is the same as the roast chicken broth. However, you want to go for another couple hours on the simmer.
Extra info
Fish Broth-
1lb white fleshed fish, head and bones. Cover with water or white wine buy 3 inches. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer for 17 minutes. Strain and cool.
To Any Broth:
You can add a multitude of flavors to add depth. Here are the Western European classics:
1/2 – 1 onion
1 carrot
1 rib celery
salt
pinch pepper
1 large sprig thyme
1 small bay leaf
small bunch parsley stems
Asian broth tends to roll with different aromatics like, ginger, green onion, garlic, star anise, soy sauce, bonito, kombu. Different but the same idea.
Cooling and storing a large batch of broth efficiently, is usually the hardest part of broth making. Ice baths are best but are still a bit clunky.
Here is a picture of some trotters I breakfasted up the other day. Feet are always a great broth additive. They give flavor of course, but are really appreciated for adding collagen and gelatin, which adds richness and viscosity.