A Simple Way to Make Nourishing Bone Broth
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone
A close relative of stock (some might say indistinguishable), bone broth is often used as a base for soups and stews—but it can also be enjoyed as a nourishing beverage. As a drink, it’s praised as a rich source of protein and calcium, often touted for its ability to aid digestion and boost joint health, among other benefits.
With a certified chill in the air, the season of sipping bone broth is upon us. While this particular fad has simmered hotly in recent years, the act of making bone broth spans centuries—some cite its creation to Paleolithic times.
If the premise of boiling animal bones and aromatics to extract their nutrients seems straightforward, good news: It is. But there are a few things you should keep in mind to ensure the most delicious, nutritious bone broth.
1. Start with good bones
Whether you’re using a leftover roast chicken carcass from the grocery store or heading to the butcher to pick up grass-fed beef bones, it’s important to consider what you’re making your broth with. Technically, you can use any bones to make bone broth, but having an array ensures a more complex and flavorful stock.
According to Marco Canora, chef and owner of Brodo in New York City, “Bones with more joints are better than those without (think feet, necks, back, and knuckles). Multi-joint bones typically have a fair amount of meat attached, which adds flavor and protein to the broth.” While many use marrow bones (femurs) for broth, Canora warns, “Femurs tend to be fully stripped of meat due to their long and smooth nature and are filled with fat that melts and floats to the top of your broth. Most will skim it off, but if you boil the broth too aggressively, the fat will emulsify into your broth, making it cloudy.”
Meanwhile, chef and certified nutritionist Karlee Rotoly suggests adding in chicken feet for “an extra silky collagen-rich broth.”
2. Blanch your bones (or don’t)
If you’re wondering whether you need to boil the bones and strain them before using them to make broth, the answer is somewhere in the middle. The thought is that blanching removes impurities, giving you a “cleaner stock.” However, molecular biologist-turned-cookbook-author Nik Sharma says it’s not always necessary: “If you’re buying meat solely for the purpose of making broth,” he says, “and there might be animal hair or dust on it, I’d blanch it.” This could mean if you’re buying a freshly slaughtered farm chicken or soup bones straight from a butcher. But if you’re making broth using the bones from a piece of meat that’s been cooked—such as the carcass of your Thanksgiving turkey—Sharma says there’s really no need to blanch them.
Another reason a cook might blanch bones for stock is cultural preference. Sharma notes the practice is preferred by some as a means of preparation that omits roasting altogether, thereby creating a broth with a more delicate flavor.
3. Roast before you simmer
Roasting the animal bones before simmering them is the surest way to coax out their flavor. And this simple step doesn’t take long. Sharma only roasts bones for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on what type of animal bones he’s using: 30 minutes for small bones like chicken or fish, 45 minutes for pork ribs, and 60 minutes for beef bones. As the bones roast, the marrow becomes caramelized while the outside turns golden brown, adding both flavor and color to your stock. To do this, place the bones on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them at 375˚F until aromatic, tossing gently at 20-minute intervals.
4. Be concise with add-ins
While it’s tempting to add all the herbs, alliums, and veggies from the bottom of your crisper drawer, it’s best not to complicate the flavors of your bone broth. Other supplements like ginger and turmeric might boost the benefits of bone broth incrementally, but it’s important to remember the impact should really come from the bones. Adding an onion, a few cloves of garlic, a spoonful of peppercorns, and a bay leaf won’t hurt, but be judicious with seasonings.
5. Season with future you in mind
If you’re making broth exclusively for sipping, you can add some kosher or sea salt for balance, but if you’re planning to use the broth as an ingredient for soups or braises, be mindful of overseasoning. Sharma steers clear to keep his options open. “Most often, I’m using broth for another preparation,” he says. “Bones are the biggest reservoir for sodium in the body, so I don’t want to add any extra salt to mess with the flavor.” It’s the same reason why many recipes call for low-sodium broth and unsalted butter.
6. Go low and slow (or hot and fast)
The goal of making bone broth is to break down the connective tissue in the bones. For the stovetop method, this means placing bones and any aromatics in a large pot and covering them with cold water. You can bring the lot to a boil over high heat, but then you’ll want to reduce the heat and let the pot simmer gently until you’ve reached your desired flavor and color. According to Canora, the time required to break down the bones depends on the size, health, and strength of the animal: “A poorly raised chicken from a feedlot with minimal movement will break down much faster than an old stewing hen that’s spent its life moving and foraging for food. Plan on anywhere from 3 to 7 hours for poultry and 12 to 18 hours for ruminants like cows and lamb.”
Eventually, the collagen—a large part of that connective tissue—will break down, converting to gelatin. If you have the time and patience, you can simmer the broth for a few days on the stove, but it really isn’t necessary. If you must, make sure you have someone to monitor the pot so that your broth doesn’t run dry; alternatively, cool and store the bone broth overnight, then return it to the stove the next day, bring it back to a boil, and continue cooking.
You could also make bone broth in a slow cooker or, as Sharma recommends, an Instant Pot. “A pressure cooker has a higher rate of producing collagen from the bones in less time than it takes on the stove.”
7. To add acid…or not?
Many recipes will tell you to add some acid to your broth, such as apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, or wine. The thought here is that adding acid helps loosen tough bits of meat stuck to the bone, creating a more flavorful broth. However, both Sharma and Canora debunk that notion. “After a certain amount of time, the acid is no longer functional,” Sharma says. “You’ll have to keep adding in more acid, destroying the flavor in the process.”
Canora seconds that acid will just contribute an unwanted flavor with the gentle reminder: “It’s the long cooking time that breaks down the bones—no acid required!”
Rotoly adds, “While there is some evidence that a splash of vinegar early in the cooking process can aid in the demineralization of bones and encourage the release of collagen and minerals, the effects are minimal.” So, if you like to drink bone broth with a touch of acidity, add some to finish, but remember it doesn’t really help the broth-making or nutrient-building process.
8. Let it chill
Once your bone broth is finished cooking, let it cool slightly, then strain it through a colander or fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof large bowl or storage container to remove the solids. It’s important to chill the broth as quickly as possible since hot broth can be a breeding ground for bacteria, but you don’t need some crazy set-up. In fact, you can transfer the warm broth straight to the fridge. Once chilled, the fat will rise to the surface, and you can scrape it off and discard it or use it as a cooking fat. The chilled bone broth will have congealed into a jellied texture but will liquefy when warmed, which you can do in a small saucepan over medium-low heat just until it’s hot enough to…well, warm your bones.
Beef Bone Broth
By Rhoda Boone
This recipe was first printed on Epicurious in December 2014; it was retested by the BA test kitchen in 2025. While we found the inclusion of vinegar inconsequential, we know some readers have grown accustomed to its inclusion, so have made it optional here. We also reduced the cooking time from its original 24 hours, following the advice of our experts above. In testing, we found the sweet spot for a rich, gelatinous, full-flavored broth to be 8 hours simmering time. Find it in on Epi.
Total Time: 6–12 hours
Yield: About 8 cups of broth
Ingredients
4 lb. beef bones, preferably a mix of marrow bones and bones with a little meat on them, such as oxtail, short ribs, or knuckle bones (cut in half by a butcher)
2 medium unpeeled carrots, cut into 2" pieces
1 medium leek, end trimmed, cut into 2" pieces
1 medium onion, quartered
1 garlic head, halved crosswise
2 celery stalks, cut into 2" pieces
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. black peppercorns
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place 4 lb. beef bones, 2 medium unpeeled carrots, cut into 2” pieces, 1 medium leek, end trimmed, cut into 2” pieces, 1 medium onion, quartered, and 1 garlic head, halved crosswise, on a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Toss the contents of the pan and continue to roast until deeply browned, about 20 minutes more.
Stovetop method: Fill a large (at least 6-qt.) stockpot with 12 cups of water (preferably filtered). Add 2 celery stalks, cut into 2" pieces, 2 bay leaves, 2 Tbsp. black peppercorns, and 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar (if using). Scrape the roasted bones and vegetables into the pot along with any juices or browned bits stuck to the pan. Add more water if necessary to cover bones and vegetables. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook with lid slightly ajar, skimming foam and excess fat occasionally, at least 5 but up to 12 hours—the longer you simmer it, the more gelatinous your broth will be. (Do not leave on stovetop unattended.) Add more water as necessary to ensure bones and vegetables are fully submerged.
Instant Pot method: Combine 2 celery stalks, cut into 2" pieces, 2 bay leaves, 2 Tbsp. black peppercorns, and 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar (if using) in an Instant Pot. Scrape the roasted bones and vegetables into the Instant Pot along with any juices or browned bits stuck to the pan. Add 12 cups water and, using sauté function, bring liquid to a simmer, spooning off any foam that rises to the surface. Lock lid and cook broth on high pressure for 2 hours; release pressure manually. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly. Strain broth using a fine-mesh sieve and discard bones and vegetables. Cool broth until barely warm, then refrigerate in smaller containers overnight. Remove solidified fat from the top of the chilled broth and discard or reserve for another use.
Do ahead: Broth can be stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.
Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit
