Why make your own broth? Lots of reasons, and here are mine: for the gut biome health benefits, to respect your food budget and reduce waste, to ensure that your broth comes from animals that were raised with better farming practices, to be able to tailor seasoning preferences and the salt level, and to skip the junk that often comes with store-bought packaged broth (i.e. preservatives and sugar). Frankly, the only downsides I can see are need to maintain some fridge or freezer space and the time spent washing dishes.

While there are only three or four brief flurries of activity, results are best if you can stick around to let it stay on a slow simmer for a number of hours. (How many hours to simmer will depend on what type of bones are used.)

Here is what I suggest as your minimum amount of kitchen tools to make this flow more easily: a stock pot with a lid, a colander that stands up properly in the sink, a metal bowl that fits in your sink, and a large slotted spoon. Some sort of kettle (or even a saucepan to boil water in) will also make things go more quickly and reduce your active time in the kitchen.

The Method

Flurry #1 (allow 15-20 minutes)

First, toss all of the bones in the stock pot, cover with water, and bring to a rolling boil. No problem to do them from frozen, but just give them an occasional poke with that slotted spoon to separate them as necessary. If they are rather stuck together as they go in, there’s a good possibility that the water may boil over, so be at the ready to dive in and avoid a big mess. Ideally, boil more water concurrently .

Once the boil happens, there will be a fair bit of foam/scum rising. Let it boil briskly just a few more seconds to get it all out of the carcasses as much as possible, position the colander in the sink, then toss the bones in it, drain and rinse. Discard that first boil’s worth of water, and turn the stovetop heat down to a high low, if that makes sense. Put the bones back in the stock pot, and cover with just-boiled water from the kettle. (Depending on the size of the stock pot and the amount of bones, you may need a second kettle’s worth of water too.)

The above assumes that the bones were either frozen in a raw state or they are fresh and raw. If you have used roasted bones rather than raw ones, it will give a much mellower tasting broth, and you won’t have all the foam/scum so you can skip that first boil, but the nutritional benefits are likely reduced.

Now comes the actual simmer time, with the stock pot lid on to reduce fluid loss through evaporation. Once you get the hang of the right temperature, all is well, and in the meantime, just check it every 10-15 minutes if possible. You want small but relatively frequent bubbles coming up.

Flurry #2 (optional — allow 10-15 minutes)

At some point, any flesh remaining on the bones can be stripped if you will be using it. Fish is extremely fast (maximum 10 minutes?); chicken or turkey might take something like 2 hours to get there; more like 2-3 hours for pork; 3 hours (ish) for beef or lamb; and perhaps 3-4 hours for duck.

Put the metal bowl in the sink with the colander standing in it, and carefully pour the whole thing into the colander. (If the bowl isn’t that big, you may need to do a first pour, put aside that liquid, and then finish the draining to really get the bones separated from the fluid so you can strip them and not burn yourself.)

If you’re brave enough to tackle pigs’ feet (because they’re an absolutely amazing course of collagen!), just stop the whole process whenever they seem ready to you. Some people will eat them after 1 1/2 to 2 hours, whereas others will prefer them simmered more like 3 hours — or feel free to let them simmer more like 4-5 hours, discard the feet entirely, and move straight to the final step.

Flavourtown

Return the bones back into the same broth for a subsequent simmer to further get the goodness out of the bones once the meat is stripped.

This is when you can personalize your broth with any additions.

Most people will salt it to taste (although if you are planning to use it as a base for other things like hot pots, you may prefer to skip this step or stay very conservative with it.)

My favourite go-to is a small handful each of goji berries (preferably organic, and not if you’re on a blood thinner or certain other medications) and fresh ginger root, plus a good-sized handful of roughly chopped carrots. This works well with pork in particular.

Another great addition, particularly for chicken or poultry, is a small handful of roughly chopped turmeric. For this one, you’ll probably want to wear kitchen gloves, and be aware that your knives or chopping board may never completely lose that orange hue afterwards!

Flurry #3 (allow 10-15 minutes)

At some point, the broth will look ready or, well, you’ll get bored of being tied to the stove. It’s time to separate any solids (which are basically refuse for the green bin, unless the carrots, for example, still look salvageable). Depending on how big the bowl is and how much stock you have, you may be able to just pour it through the colander, or you may have to use that slotted spoon and a temporary backup container as you separate everything.

To Bain-Marie or Not to Bain-Marie, That is the Question

Especially if you want to keep the benefits that natural fats bring — including that whole gut healing bit — you may prefer to just ladle some broth right away and start drinking. I figure, the less messing around with any extra dishes, the better!

For food safety, though, please don’t skip this next part if you would otherwise let the broth sit out any length of time. The “bain marie” technique usually involves a hot water bath to prepare something like a custard, but it’s also used with cold water to quickly and safely bring down the temperature of something hot. (Speaking of which, you’ve been practising good kitchen hygiene until now, right? That part is on you though. If you really need some input on this, consider taking your FoodSafe Level 1). For this, put the stock pot in the sink, and surround it with very cold water. Remember to avoid any huge spills by applying Archimedes’ principle.

Another reason to use a bain marie is that it brings fats to the top of the liquid as it cools, thereby making the fat much easier to skim and discard. If you are currently on any type of regime where you are counting either calories or macros, this may affect your decision, as will any digestive tract upsets that sometimes make it difficult to digest fat, particularly rendered fat. (Just be sure to discard it somewhere that’s not down your drain, or you may be calling the plumber in a few months.)

Then into the Fridge

I personally prefer to use glass jars due to potential carcinogens in many other substances. Do make sure, however, that the liquid is completely cool before it goes into the glass! (Because who wants it shattering? Not me, and I doubt you do either.)

This is where it can feel really lovely to make your own broth, because the more thick and jelly-like the texture once it cools, the more you know you’re getting that beneficial collagen into your own digestive system.

Let Me Know How It Goes!

I’d love to hear how your experiments go with this. Please keep in touch.