The Importance of Bone Broth

[ScioAgapeOmnis]

Hello! I have a few questions and if you have any answers I'd appreciate a little advise. I'm getting ready to make my first bone broth. On this topic, I see most people here are using a slow cooker. There is some talk of using a pressure cooker but not to much. For those who have tried both methods, do you have a preference and why? At what length of time cooking do the bones disintegrate in the pressure cooker? Times given here span 2 to 4 hours. Is there a difference in taste? Maybe the slow cooker tastes better. Is time the only factor here? I'm leaning toward the pressure cooking method because its so fast. Is the amount of water added the same as the slow cooker?

Tried both, I prefer slow cooking (I use a regular pot on a gas stove). Not much difference in my case, but somehow I feel the broth is richer doing it the slow way, tho I only used the pressure cooker for about an hour so perhaps it wasn't long enough. Also, I'm a bit nervous around the pressure cooker, even tho realistically it shouldn't explode, I just don't trust the damn thing. I cook mine for about 24 hours.

I also see some make enough broth for a whole week. I can't understand how that much can be made while only using 3 marrow, beef bones for instance with a inch of water above the bones. Maybe more bones(or BIG bones) and a bigger pot are used. In a slow cooker water needs to be added sometimes I assume. Hopefully that doesn't dilute the broth because its condensed somewhat.

I constantly keep adding water as it evaporates. I don't think this changes the broth in any way, I think only water is evaporating but everything else stays in the pot, so you're just replacing lost water. I use distilled water in the broth, it makes it very clean and perhaps even helps extract more minerals from the bones because distilled water is mineral-free itself.

Also, I have a friend who is 84 years old and could really use some good nutrition. The broth with the dissolved bone may be to strong for her I'm considering. I suppose just adding extra water to her cup would thin that out.

Yup you can adjust that to taste. I do like mine fatty, but some prefer it more watered down. I also sometimes chop up some boiled eggs and put them into a broth (during serving) to eat it like a soup. If the said 84 year old isn't used to a high fat diet, I'd go slow with the broth at first - let her adjust to high fat content so she can tolerate it better, then she can have bigger servings

Also, generally it's not a good idea to mix fat with carbs. Carbs are bad, but I think they're even worse when combined with high fat. So some broth is always good - but be careful with too much fat if she's on a carby diet. If she's willing to fully switch diets, it's best for you (and possibly her) to read the diet-related books and be very well-versed in potential problems and how to prevent them. At her age her body is slow to adapt to new things, and you have to keep in mind any existing health conditions as well. Basically there's a lot to consider and it should be approached carefully. But without major diet changes, it's probably safe to add some broth, in reasonable quantities.

 

[monotonic]

A crock pot is basically for simmering. Essentially the same thing can be done by simmering on the stovetop.
Walmart has some good Tramontina all-steel stock pots large enough to fill a few half-gallon canning jars. Currently we use that. 4 to 6 hours is long enough to cook and remove the meat and fat from the bones as well as a convenient roast, but the bones and the connective tissue can be left in for up to 2 days. If you have both joint and marrow bones, then you'll have a really delicious broth. We get big brick-sized bones from a local farm.

I like the idea of the pressure cooker as well, but you need an enormous one if you want to make much broth. And when you make a good one, it goes fast! Since we have gallons of the stuff we can use it for liquid in all our recipes.

You can read an explanation about the basic way of making bone broth here:

http://thecasswiki.net/index.php?title=Food_preparation#Bone_Broth

 

[SummerLite]

Thank you again SAO!

I will need to be very careful with my friend and the broth. She is on a high carb diet and that's not going to change. She's just so weak all the time with all the meds she takes and I know isn't nourished by the foods she chooses to eat. There are nutritional deficiencies going on I'm sure.

monotonic, Wow. I was way off on the pressure cooker idea it seems. Mine is only 6 qts. so wont make much at all, not worth the time I'd say. Tremendous clarification here and thanks so much for that. A big pot and lots of bones is required for those large quantities and stove top seems the way to go. I've also been pondering my small crock pot for use and that didn't cut it either. Back to the planning phase for me on this one. I need to find a rancher around that will sell me bones cheap. The ones in our health food store are very expensive.

Also the CassWiki is another new one for me, loads of info there I need to check out. Thanks so much to you both. I've got a clue now.

Is this okay? I have 2.08 lbs of soup bones(cost me $16.00 grass finished) place in my 8qt. pot and add a lot of water, 2/3 full maybe, and simmer. Some how I thought only enough water to cover the bones was recommended, so is it ok to add this much water with only 2 soup bones and get a nutritious broth? They have a lot of meat on them. If you don't mind helping a wee bit more :).

 

[monotonic]

I'm no good at extending broths, but if I were you I would add a 2lb roast with an onion and 1.5 cups of water, spice with 1/4tsp each of rosemary, sage, black pepper, and at the end of cooking, salt. Then give your friend the broth. Disappointing I know. Then again, I'm terrible at making broths, maybe there is a way to make a larger broth with less bones.

As far as fat goes, do we know enough to say where the threshold is for a safe amount of fat on a carby diet? Even then your body needs fat. There must be a realistic guideline somewhere.

 

[SummerLite]

My first batch of bone broth is now in the frig. I went with my crock pot for this and it was great. 24 hours and no need to add water(just a little towards the end), with 4lbs. of bones.

As a way to give back here thought I'd mention a few things I did that may be helpful for anyone new to the process.

I'm still sensitive to, to much fat in my diet so wanted to regulate the fatty content of the broth. I let the broth cool in the frig overnight to bring the fat to the top. Then scooped it out, whipped it together by hand and spooned a tsp. into each ice cube tray section and froze it. After freezing removed from tray into a glass container to remain in the freezer. Now I can add the fat in this measured amount.

Also I've freezed 3 pints. But the trick to this is leave off the lid for a glass jar so the contents can expand until its totally frozen. Its been expanding for 24 hours now! I placed a canning lid lightly on top off to the side a little to protect the contents.

So these are some of my new findings in my first experiment in making bone broth. I also found a cheaper source of good, healthy bones. :) Yum!

Tonight I will put the used bones into the crock pot again and try the second batch.

 

[monotonic]

It's mainly the marrow, gelatin, and meat in the broth that give it flavor. If there is still connective tissue on the bones, they're worth cooking again, but you'll want to add something else. Maybe use those bones for a roast or stew rather than trying to force a broth out of them.

 

[davey72]

My first batch of bone broth is now in the frig. I went with my crock pot for this and it was great. 24 hours and no need to add water(just a little towards the end), with 4lbs. of bones.

As a way to give back here thought I'd mention a few things I did that may be helpful for anyone new to the process.

I'm still sensitive to, to much fat in my diet so wanted to regulate the fatty content of the broth. I let the broth cool in the frig overnight to bring the fat to the top. Then scooped it out, whipped it together by hand and spooned a tsp. into each ice cube tray section and froze it. After freezing removed from tray into a glass container to remain in the freezer. Now I can add the fat in this measured amount.

Also I've freezed 3 pints. But the trick to this is leave off the lid for a glass jar so the contents can expand until its totally frozen. Its been expanding for 24 hours now! I placed a canning lid lightly on top off to the side a little to protect the contents.

So these are some of my new findings in my first experiment in making bone broth. I also found a cheaper source of good, healthy bones. :) Yum!

Tonight I will put the used bones into the crock pot again and try the second batch.

Personally i too use the croc pot but rather than scoop the fat off i mix it all together after it has cooled. This would also keep it all measured. Perhaps a good idea though if there may be too much fat in it.

 

[SummerLite]

It's mainly the marrow, gelatin, and meat in the broth that give it flavor. If there is still connective tissue on the bones, they're worth cooking again, but you'll want to add something else. Maybe use those bones for a roast or stew rather than trying to force a broth out of them

I've put veggies and spices in for flavor. I thought the purpose for using the bones again was to extract the minerals that where left in the bones. There isn't any of the marrow etc. left on these bones I've cooked. Can you clarify this?

Personally i too use the croc pot but rather than scoop the fat off i mix it all together after it has cooled. This would also keep it all measured. Perhaps a good idea though if there may be too much fat in it.

I'm going to do what you say here davey72 the next time. I see that I'm not having problems with the fat when I add it back to the broth. Considering the amount of total fat that this batch produced, I don't think its a problem for my digestion, I'm somewhat adapted for this amount already it seems. Thought it best to err on the side of caution though at first.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[monotonic]

I haven't yet seen a breakdown of what nutrients come out of bones over time, but as I understand the marrow is where most of the rare and powerful nutrients are. The connective tissue contains gelatin and glycine and all sorts of stuff that's very good for your joints. After the marrow and connective tissue is cooked off, I don't know what comes out of the bones in terms of minerals, but I do know that without new bones or meat added, it will be chalky.

 

[Ageeva]

Re: Bone broth reaction?

I also get a bad reaction. According to this article it's from free glutamates

Stock vs Broth - Are You Confused?

The important differences between stock vs broth and which to use depending on the state of your health or gut healing process.

www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com

When I first discovered the health benefits of Bone broth about ten years ago I researched a lot on how to make it and was careful to prepare it according to the instructions of several experienced health practitioners and what I found on this forum. Getting bones and joints from grass fed animals, cattle and sheep, was no problem in my part of the world. It seemed to me to be an essential part of a healthy ketogenic or paleo diet, so I prepared it and got a very good gelatinous result. So far, so good. And it tasted really delicious with some salt added at the end.
Unfortunately, every time I tried it I got a bad reaction. It was exactly as described below:

'The theory about free glutamates, which mostly comes from Russell Baylock (author of “Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills), proposes is that exposure to high levels of free glutamates causes them to reach the bloodstream too quickly, overexcite neurons, and potentially cause damage—resulting in symptoms like insomnia, migraines, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, or the aggravation of existing neurological diseases.' (Broth: Hidden Dangers in a Healing Food? ~ The Paleo Mom)

Basically, I became completely wired and couldn't sleep during the night. It's a very strange sensation to be as awake at 3pm in the morning as I am at midday. But that was followed by extreme irritation the next day that took a few days to calm down. I knew instinctively that it had something to do with the bone broth but, as I was unaware then of any negative effects of bone broth relating to glutamate I assumed it had something to do with the way I prepared it. So I tried different ways, like preparing without added veggies or vinegar and always with distilled water. Well, to no avail. The result was always the same and it only took as little as half a cup. It clearly had a negative effect on my brain. Years afterwards I came across the free glutamate connection and realized I was experiencing an excitotoxin reaction. I figured I was just one of the unlucky ones who react badly to the free glutamate in bone broth. So, anyway, I gave up bone broth after trying it a few times.
My diet at the moment is mostly fatty meats, herbs, a small amount of fruit and the veggies I can tolerate. (Found out the hard way when I was a child that my body reacts badly to the certain veggies like asparagus, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and raw or cooked cabbage. I used to retch when I was forced to eat them and got punished and made fun of as a result). Dairy always caused outbreaks of psoriasis so it's been out for a long time. And i avoid the grains of course. Some of the problematic veggies I can tolerate very well if they're fermented and I've made my own sauerkraut, which I really like.
But no bone broth, alas, I just didn't want to damage my brain despite the many reported health benefits.

I had a browse through this thread looking for any other feedback on negative reactions to bone broth and found the above post by Hoffe. I guess there are others who've also had problems too.

 

[jhonny]

Basically, I became completely wired and couldn't sleep during the night. It's a very strange sensation to be as awake at 3pm in the morning as I am at midday. But that was followed by extreme irritation the next day that took a few days to calm down. I knew instinctively that it had something to do with the bone broth but, as I was unaware then of any negative effects of bone broth relating to glutamate I assumed it had something to do with the way I prepared it. So I tried different ways, like preparing without added veggies or vinegar and always with distilled water. Well, to no avail. The result was always the same and it only took as little as half a cup. It clearly had a negative effect on my brain. Years afterwards I came across the free glutamate connection and realized I was experiencing an excitotoxin reaction. I figured I was just one of the unlucky ones who react badly to the free glutamate in bone broth. So, anyway, I gave up bone broth after trying it a few times.
My diet at the moment is mostly fatty meats, herbs, a small amount of fruit and the veggies I can tolerate. (Found out the hard way when I was a child that my body reacts badly to the certain veggies like asparagus, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and raw or cooked cabbage. I used to retch when I was forced to eat them and got punished and made fun of as a result). Dairy always caused outbreaks of psoriasis so it's been out for a long time. And i avoid the grains of course. Some of the problematic veggies I can tolerate very well if they're fermented and I've made my own sauerkraut, which I really like.
But no bone broth, alas, I just didn't want to damage my brain despite the many reported health benefits.

I had a browse through this thread looking for any other feedback on negative reactions to bone broth and found the above post by Hoffe. I guess there are others who've also had problems too.

I have had the very same reaction! And after reading this post I had an aha moment, because about 4 weeks ago my wife made too much bone broth, so I said to her, we are going to eat it every other day during the week. She made it on Sunday, and in the middle of the week we both started having the same reactions mentioned above (the bold part). At that moment I couldn't relate what was happening to us to the bone broth, because we eat it almost every week, but just once a week. These reactions were very noticeable to us, because since we have been taking melatonin, we haven't had any sleep issues.

Thanks, Ageeva, for sharing this!

 

[Uperios]

The Ultimate Guide to Bone Broth: Nature's Collagen Supplement​

Story at a glance:

• Homemade beef bone broth is a budget-friendly and nutritious dietary cornerstone, rich in collagen, healthy fats, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur, trace minerals, chondroitin and glucosamine
• Bone broth helps “heal and seal” the gut lining, which is important for optimal health and disease prevention
• Abundant in collagen, bone broth supports tissue integrity, muscle repair and overall longevity, surpassing costly supplements
• Harnessing the convenience of a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot streamlines bone broth preparation, ensuring safety and efficiency
• From sipping it warm for comfort to enhancing soups, stews and sauces to reviving leftovers, bone broth elevates dishes with rich flavor and nutritional value