A New (old) Way to Make Better Bone Broth (2024)

I have done all the bone broth tricks – long simmering, apple cider vinegar, crock pot, stock pot, beef bones, chicken bones, vegetables, no vegetables. This one’s new, to me at least. I can tell you up front that it involves an overnight sit and gave us some very gelatinous broth.

I was perusing an older cookbook called The Art of Mexican Cookingby Diana Kennedy recently. I really enjoy these types of cookbooks because, while they’re not full of the colorful magazine photos we all love, they have lots of little tidbits from home cooks that youjust can’t get anywhere else.

In one recipe for a chicken soup, she cited the following method for making chicken broth:

1. Simmer the chicken carcass for 4-6 hours, partially uncovered.
2. Cover the pot and let sit overnight in a cool location. She specifically mentions that this step helps to draw the flavor, minerals, and gelatin from the bones.
3. In the morning, scrape off the fat and bring the broth to a boil.
4. Remove from the heat and strain.

This process appealed to me because, not only is it something I’d never tried but it also fits in well with my normal rooster broth routine. Often when we are butchering chickens, I don’t get them into the pot until well after the lunch rush.With this method I can get in my 4-6 hours of simmering before evening kitchen chores like straining goat milk and feeding ferments. The next day the broth is ready to go, no refrigeration required.

I used this method last week when making chicken broth and ended up with jarsthat, once chilled, containedsome of the most gelatinous of homemade broths. After making a few tweaks of my own, I thought I’d share my process.

My New Bone Broth Procedure

1. Cover chicken carcass with water by two inches. Add 1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar.
2. Bring broth to a simmer and lower heat as low as it will go while maintaining a slight simmer. Leave uncovered or partially covered and simmer 4-6 hours.
3. Remove from heat, cover pot, and let sit on the counter overnight.
4. In the morning, skim off fat, if desired. I only do this when the animal is a very fatty one.
5. Bring the broth to a boil again. Remove from heat, allow to cool enough to handle, and strain into jars.

It was delicious when simmered alongside the okra we have been harvesting, plenty of spices, and grass-fed beef. (Gumbo, where have you been all my life?)

And now this method is the one I will be using for bone broth going forward. There are some great articles with a vast list detailing the healing constituents of bone broth. Anecdotally, we always feel better when we eat itand, in an agrarian sense,I love how it’sjust common sense nourishment.