Cassie One of the first things I learned to make when I started the paleo diet a few years ago was how to make bone broth. I started the diet out by doing a three-day bone broth reset which allowed me to jump right into changing my diet.
When I started my journey, I committed myself to four weeks of strict paleo eating. I had the mindset that I can do anything for four weeks and I’ll know after four weeks if this is the diet for me. I’m not going to lie, the three day bone broth stint was by far the hardest part, followed by learning how to cook. I had never made any kind of broth let alone this new concept of “bone broth” but I was determined to figure it out.
Nowadays, homemade bone broth is the only broth I will use when I’m cooking. It’s so much better than store bought, plus no preservatives. There are so many health benefits to using bone broth instead of stock as well; animal bones are rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and other trace minerals – the same minerals needed to build and strengthen your own bones! It’s also easy to digest, aids in digestion, and can help heal leaky gut. By healing my gut using bone broth, I haven’t contracted the common cold or flu in over two years!
To make bone broth you first want to start with your cooking method. The easiest and fastest way of making bone broth is in your pressure cooker, it only takes two hours. You can also use a pot and simmer for around 12 hours. For mine, I use my Ninja Foodi because it can hold a lot of broth!
For your bones, you can use any bones. I normally will save any beef or chicken bones I use in my normal cooking by putting them in a bag and storing in the freezer. Once I have 1-2 pounds of bones, I make broth!
Some of my favorite additions to the broth are onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, oregano, salt, pepper, black seed oil, ground cloves, cayenne pepper, dandelion greens, and carrots.
Add your bones along with all your favorite bone toppings into the pressure cooker and cover with water (I normally fill to the max fill line). Close the lid, seal, and pressure cook on high for 2 hours. Once done, you’ll want to let your pressure cooker release manually then let the broth sit and cool on the counter. Once cool enough, strain your broth and let your broth cool completely in the refrigerator.
Don’t worry if your broth becomes congealed in the fridge, this is a good thing! Gelatin comes from bones and has so many health benefits, if you cook your broth long enough then it will congeal in the fridge and turn back to liquid when warmed up. Sometimes you will get a layer of fat on top of the broth as well, it’s your choice if you want to take off this layer or not. I typically will skim it off and save it for other cooking.
Store bone broth in the freezer and defrost as needed for your cooking! I like to put mine in different sized jars so I can easily grab 1, 2, or 3 cups worth of broth.
How to Make Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds bones of choice
- 1 Onion roughly chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic sliced
- 1 inch Fresh ginger sliced
- 1 inch Fresh turmeric sliced
- 4 Carrots peeled and chopped
- ½ tbsp Oregano
- ½ tsp Ground cloves
- ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tbsp Sea salt
- 1 bunch Dandelion greens washed and chopped
- ½ tbsp Black seed oil
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to pressure cooker.
- Fill with water to cover, I will normally go to the max fill line.
- Place lid on pressure cooker, seal, and cook on high for two hours.
- Once done, let it naturally release and allow the broth to cool down.
- Once cool, strain and store!
