Homemade Bone Broth.

Good afternoon, today was a busy day. We have been helping out in the family butcher shop the past few months. The past month we have been butchering beef, so there is an abundance of bones left afterwards. I got this hair-brained idea to bring some home and try to make my own beef/bone broth to can. I did some last weekend and of course started more yesterday. I will tell you how I did it.

Yesterday, I threw all the bones in my large turkey fryer (biggest pot I could find other than my canners), and another 10 quart stock pot. Started cooking them at 8 am and let them cook all day long. Turned them off at night and let it cool some over the night so it was cool enough to handle.

This morning, I took the bones and meat out of the pot. Yes, good bones will still have some meat on them. Picked through them all and got the meat out. I strained the rest through an old piece of cotton fabric from an old curtain (hahaha, yes i washed it first) and a colander. Use can use cheesecloth, an old pillowcase, etc. as long as it's small enough holes. Mind you while straining, I did have to dump out the big stuff and wash out my cloth because it got clogged up and no more would go through it. I laid it in my sink and used the hand sprayer and went to town on it from the side that didn't have the meat in it.

Now that the straining is done, you can one of two things. Separate your broth from the fat by using a gravy/broth separator or wait until it cools and hardens to scrape it off the top. The last is the easiest but when I am in a hurry I will use the separator.

I then place clean off the bones. Everything off the bones, scrape some of the stuff off if you have to. Separate the meat into another bowl to use for meals or can. Pour the broth back into the pots, add your bones back (if you have them cleaned off). I then cook for another whole day.

Day 3, which will be my day tomorrow. I will take out the bones, strain through cloth one more time. Add broth back to my pot with some onion and garlic bouillion cubes and let it cook some more ( you can add whatever seasonings you want at this point to make it taste how you want). While this is cooking, I put my bones on a tray and put in the oven for 3 hours or so at 350 degrees. NO WATER with the bones (starting bone meal process).

Day 4, I can the broth into quart jars. Boil the liquid, add to hot sterile jars, put hot lids and rings on. Put in canner for processing. (I do use a water bath canner, BUT according to some this is an unsafe practice, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK).

Yes, it a long process but so worth it. The broth tastes amazing. It is going to make some amazing beef stew and gravy. MMMMM.... over mashed taters.

Happy broth making, God bless.