Ingredients
Method
- 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.