Bone Broth, Crockpot Method

Marrow Bones

by Cat, June 11, 2017 (image, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

I’ve always made my stocks/broths in a stockpot on stovetop. But I will soon be doing a dietary protocol to help me heal from an autoimmune disorder, that requires drinking bone broth every day. Using a crockpot makes it very simple to make and requires little of your own time doing prep work.

To make the broth, you can use marrow bones stripped of their meat, or  leave the meat on. Adding veggies and herbs is optional, but definitely enhances the flavor.

About ingredients and equipment for bone broth

  • Bones: Chicken bone broth can be made with fresh bones or leftover bones from chicken previously cooked (leg, thigh and wing are best because they are richest in bone marrow). Another option for chicken bone broth is whole chicken legs, bone-in and skin-on. For beef bone broth, use marrow bones (as pictured above), or you can use oxtail and/or short-ribs with the meat attached. IMPORTANT: Always use bones from pasture-raised and finished livestock.
  • The veggies (onion, carrot and celery) are simple but should be organically grown (especially celery because commercial celery is heavily treated with pesticides/herbicides). You can coarsely chop them or leave them whole to save time (if using a crockpot).
  • A small amount of raw apple cider vinegar (ACV) is added to draw the nutrients out of the bones. Unrefined sea salt is added just before drinking, to bring out the flavor.
  • You can add herbs and spices if you wish, but if doing an autoimmune protocol, be sure not to include any of those on the ‘avoid’ list. It is best not to use herbs/spices from seeds (like mustard, coriander, cumin, etc.)
  • It is very important to use filtered water (the best is reverse-osmosis filtered water which removes problematic chlorine and fluorine, especially for your thyroid).
  • Use unrefined sea salt, such as Himalayan, Celtic or Redmond (Real) salt. If these are not available, use table salt that has NOT been iodized, or Kosher salt.
  • You can use any crockpot for the chicken or beef bone broth, as long as the crock is lead-free ceramic, and the lid is glass. Most crockpots have at least two settings: low and high.
  • A mesh stainless steel strainer lined with a loose-weave cotton (like good-quality cheesecloth) is used to strain the broth; you can also use tongs or a slotted wooden spoon to remove the large chunks before straining. If you want to stir the broth while cooking, use a wooden spoon.

Crockpot Chicken Bone Broth Recipe

This recipe is adapted from Izabella Wentz’s video: Bone Broth in 1 Minute with a Slow Cooker (1)

You can wash and then coarsely chop the veggies, or just wash and trim them, then add to the pot whole.

Ingredients & Equipment

  • 3 – 4 chicken legs (drumsticks), or 2 whole chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks); bone-in and skin-on; OR leftover bones from previously-cooked leg, thigh and wing pieces
  • 1 whole yellow or sweet onion
  • about 5 whole carrots (green tops removed)
  • about 5 stalks celery, with or without leaves
  • half-bunch of parsley (optional)
  • 1 – 3 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
  • 2 quarts (half-gallon) filtered water
  • unrefined sea salt
  • Equipment (see notes, above)
  • crockpot, 4-quart or larger size
  • wooden spoon (optional)
  • strainer

Method:

  1. Wash and trim the veggies. Chop coarsely if you wish, or leave them whole
  2. Place veggies and bones or bony-pieces in crockpot (except parsley). Add apple cider vinegar (ACV). Pour water over.
  3. Cover with lid and turn crockpot on, and cook until done (see recommended timing, below.
  4. Remove large chunks with slotted spoon (optional), then strain. I like to line my strainer with a piece of loose-weave cotton (such as good-quality cheesecloth).
  5. Season strained broth with unrefined sea salt (or at least with salt that has not been iodized).

Cooking times using crockpot:

  • Low setting: 10 – 12 hours
  • High setting: 6 – 10 hours

Crockpot Beef Bone Broth (or bones from Bison or Lamb)

This recipe is adapted from several recipe blogs: Wellness Mamma (2), Dr. Axe (3), Healthy Maven (4) and The Healthy Foodie (5).

Ingredients & Equipment:

  • 1 pound (or more) of marrow bones from pasture raised and finished livestock; I like to use oxtail (meat-on) for part of the bones
  • 1 chicken feet for extra gelatin (optional)
  • 1 onion
  • 2 carrots (green tops removed)
  • 2 stalks of celery, with or without leaves
  • half-bunch of parsley (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic (optional)
  • 1 bunch of parsley (optional)
  • herbs (optional) such as bay leaves and/or thyme
  • 2 quarts filtered water
  • 1 Tbsp or more of unrefined sea salt
  • Equipment (see notes, above)
  • crockpot, 4-quart or larger size
  • roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet (optional, for roasting raw bones)
  • wooden spoon (optional)
  • strainer

Method:

  1. If  using raw bones, especially beef bones, place them in roasting pan or on baking sheet and roast in preheated 350° – 375°F oven for 30 minutes. This greatly improves the favor of the broth.
  2. Wash and trim veggies; leave whole or chop coarsely.
  3. Place bones in large bowl and cover with filtered water. Add vinegar, then let sit in cool water for 30 minutes.
  4. Place veggies and herbs (except parsley and garlic) in crockpot; place bones on top and pour water over (from bowl plus extra to cover the bones).
  5. Cover with lid and turn on crockpot to ‘low’ setting.
  6. Cook for 8 – 10 hours. You can skim off any ‘gunky froth’ after 1 hour, if desired, and repeat every 20-30 minutes until it no longer produces the froth).
  7. Add optional parsley and garlic for last 30 minutes of cooking.
  8. Remove large chunks with slotted spoon (optional), then strain, using a ladle to transfer broth to the strainer. I like to line my strainer with a piece of loose-weave cotton (such as good-quality cheesecloth).
  9. Season strained broth with unrefined sea salt (or at least with salt that has not been iodized).
  10. The broth will look like a chunky jello after it has cooled. Store in fridge for a few days and in freezer for several months.
  11. To reheat: ladle the chunky jello into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove to cup and sip!

References:

  1. Izabella Wentz’s video: Bone Broth in 1 Minute with a Slow Cooker (youtube.com/watch?v=NlLxerXGfOo)
  2. Wellness Mamma: Beef Bone Broth (wellnessmama.com/5888/bone-broth)
  3. Dr. Axe: Beef Bone Broth (draxe.com/recipe/beef-bone-broth)
  4. Healthy Maven blog: Bone Broth (thehealthymaven.com/2015/03/how-to-make-bone-broth-in-your-slow-cooker.html)
  5. The Healthy Foodie: Beef Bone Broth (thehealthyfoodie.com/slow-cooker-beef-bone-broth)

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