Beef Bone Marrow Broth

Winter is the ideal time for nourishing the kidneys, and Beef Bone Marrow Broth is the perfect winter food. Bone broth is prepared in cultures around the world as a tasty, healthful soup and medicinal food. The prolonged cooking of bones in water results in a broth rich in nutrition that promotes strength, tones the blood, and helps to prevent bone and connective tissue disorders. This is a great way to use the ribs of kale, that are often discarded when cooking.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

Total Time 1 15

Servings 8

Ingredients

2 Pounds Beef bones with marrow
1 Medium Onion quartered
2 Large Carrots cut in 2 inch segments
2 Kale ribs
3 Cloves Garlic
1 Bunch Fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 Cup Vinegar or lemon juice *
1 Bay leaf
6 Black peppercorns

Instructions

Gather your ingredients together.
Quarter the onion.
Put the bones and vinegar or lemon into a stock pot or crock pot.
Heat the stock very slowly, gradually bringing to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer for at least 6 hours, (12 - 72 hours is ideal).
If the bones are cut into smaller pieces first, this will reduce the necessary cooking time.
Do not allow the broth to come to a fast boil, and if more water is needed to keep the bones covered, add only hot water, not cold or lukewarm. Cooking in a crockpot on low setting is an easy way to cook broth for a prolonged time.
Though it is not necessary to remove the surface scum that arises, doing so occasionally during the cooking process will result in a nicer tasting broth.
After simmering the bones for several hours, add the remaining ingredients, the final 1-2 hours of cooking.
This adds to both the flavor and nutritional value of the broth.
When finished cooking, the bones and vegetables can be removed and discarded, and the liquid strained through a colander.
For a clear soup, it should be strained a second time through a hair sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth.
The broth should be set to cool until the fat hardens on top, then remove the fat and refrigerate the broth.
It will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator, or kept for months in the freezer.
Before re-heating, always remove and discard any residual fat from the top.
It can be re-heated and used as a simple nutritious drink, or for a more complex soup, add steamed or sautéed vegetables, meat, and/or beans.
It may also be used as a base for sauces or added in place of water in the cooking of rice or other grains.

Notes

* An acid such as vinegar is necessary in order to extract the minerals and nutrients from the bone into the soup. Lemon juice may be substituted for the vinegar.