Bone Broth! So easy to make, I never knew..

Even though I own my own ranch, slaughter our cattle and eat our beef, I never realized how easy beef broth was to make..... until I ran out and it's 45 mins to the store with the broth that doesn't have soy. Now, I've stopped buying broth and just make it at home. So much cheaper and better for you - not the mention the collogen benefits!

Fair Warning - This recipe gets all the collagen out so your bone broth will be like jello when chilled but can be used the same way you use the stuff in the carton.

First, and most important to keep your costs down, keep a freezer bag of chopping bits in the freezer. Ends of carrots from your salad. Ends (without roots) of onions from your dinner sauté. Celery tops/bottom from your lunch. I keep it full for both chicken and beef broth now and alternate between them.

Next, take your bones and put them on a cooking sheet in the oven. I've seen different temps and times all over the internet but my oven is easy at 350° so I do that for 45 minutes. Sometimes I'll put the onion bits on the pan to roast up but usually I forget. I turn the bones once if they are really big to make sure all sides get some direct heat from the oven coils - this could just be a step in my head as necessary so don't fret if you forget.

Then, take the bones and put them in a crock pot or instant pot. I use 1 full sheet pan of bones in 2 instant pots with 1 bag of scraps divided between them. I scrape the cooking sheet to get all the cooked bits and pieces into the pot. If I have leftover tomato paste from pizza night, I throw a tablespoon of that in as well.

I put it in the slow cooker for 24-36 hours or the instant for 2 hours on high pressure and then i leave it to slow cook for 12 hours. Then cool to room temp in the pot. 

If your scraps start looking brown or almost burnt, stir them in as it doesn't impact the flavor that I've found. Strain the bones and bits out before passing the broth through a fine mesh strainer into jars. I put them in the frig (no water bath) for up to a month and use as needed. Enjoy!