The Step You Can't Skip For Unbeatable Bone Broth

Bone broth is a kitchen staple that's massively grown in popularity over the past few years. You can now find pre-made bone broth in just about any grocery store; it's just as common these days as a bag of chips or a pint of ice cream. But just like most kitchen staples, you're bound to get a higher quality, more flavorful result if you attempt to make a homemade version.

If you've made a homemade beef stew, roasted pork shanks, or cooked a whole turkey or ham, you have the leftover makings for a delicious bone broth. But don't just throw all those bones in a pot and expect to come out with anything greater than watery bone soup. It's essential to roast your bones first before simmering to extract the maximum amount of flavor and nutrients from the marrow of the bones. Your bone broth will come out a much richer, dark color, which equates to a savory, luscious flavor. And if you're going to spend at least 12-24 hours letting your bone broth simmer, as is recommended for making bone broth, you might as well do it right.

The point of making bone broth is to extract the goodness from the marrow, so starting with a base of marrow-rich bones like beef marrow bones or oxtails is your best bet. But feel free to throw in any leftover bones from other meats, as well, for a mix of flavors. Make sure to start by patting those bones dry and seasoning them with salt before roasting them in the oven.

Roast for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and you should have bones with a golden caramel color, browning in spots. Just like roasting any other meat or vegetable, this caramelization process is the key to making your bone broth taste good. And while this roasting step is essential, it does not remove the impurities from the bones like blanching would. You can choose to blanch your bones before roasting for a clearer broth, but it's not an essential step, as you can also skim off the impurities from the top of the pot of broth during the first hour of simmering.

After your bone broth has simmered for 12-24 hours, you're ready to strain out the broth and discard the bones. Store it in the refrigerator to keep for 5 days or serve right away. The nutrient-rich bone broth is full of protein, collagen, and calcium that you've extracted from the marrow by roasting the bones and simmering them for hours. So take advantage of it!

Bone broth is delicious simply consumed on its own, with some even enjoying a cup of bone broth as a hearty breakfast. Or use as you would any other stock or broth as the base for your next soup, stew, or sauce. It's even perfect if you've been meaning to try making homemade pho or ramen. There are a plethora of uses for this healthy broth, including livening up your hot cocoa. Just use what you have and as long as you roast the bones first, your bone broth will be at its best in nutrients and flavor.