Jelena’s Bomb Bone Broth
Nourishment through diet has always been my approach when it comes to healing.
When we are depleted of essential nutrients, the body breaks down by working harder to utilize what it can to function optimally. Then this results in chronic inflammatory disease. We can see this manifest through skin imbalances, mood disorders and autoimmune.
As a practitioner of Chinese medicine and acupuncture, I like to always start with the gut when treating any types of imbalance. When the gut lining is compromised through improper diet and lifestyle, it is important to reestablish the gut lining by reducing inflammation so that proper assimilation can occur.
Through my years of practice and recommending all sorts of elimination diets and reintroduction of food, I always find myself recommending Bone Broth because of its nutrient dense, nourishing and restoration focused properties.
The Benefits of Bone Broth
Bone broth has been, and still is, a staple in many traditional diets. In the eastern dietary approach, bone broth nourishes our essence, which is stored in our kidneys, and restores harmony in the spleen, stomach and large intestine. It provides a more bio available form of collagen, fat, and micronutrients which is essential for our bones, soft tissue, skin, hair, hormones and most importantly our gut lining.
By drinking a cup a day, you will feel grounded, stable and clear.
As intimidating as it sounds, making bone broth is very simple. Bones from grass fed animals is you ideal base and I recommend buying bones from your local butcher, if available. Some larger markets butcher their own meat, and might be happy to sell you bones, even if they’re not on display. Don’t be shy to ask the meat counter folk who no doubt would love to talk shop.
If you don’t have time to make broth, there are wonderful brands out there that utilize high quality bones, like Brodo.
But there’s nothing like DIY. I like to mix my bones and include beef bones, chicken and pork. I also include meaty bones such as beef shin and oxtails. I prefer my broth to contain a lot of collagen so I add a lot of bone marrow, chicken backs and beef knuckles. No matter what put in, ultimately you will end up with a delicious healthy broth.
How to Make Bone Broth
Ingredients
- Assortment of bones
- Beef marrow
- Beef knuckles
- Beef shin
- Chicken backs
- TCM Culinary Tonic of choice (optional)
Instructions
Roast bones in the oven at 350 for 1/2 hour. This caramelizes the bones and offers more of a complex flavor profile.
Once the bones are roasted, throw everything in a large stock pot and fill with cold water about 2-3 inches covering the bones. Turn the heat to high and wait till it gets to a full boil, this takes about 1 hour. During this hour, skim off the impurities every 15 minutes.
After it reaches a boil, turn heat down low so that it’s at a rolling simmer. After about 1 hour, add in your veggies, such as onion, carrot and celery. The best thing about this is that there’s no fancy cutting involved, just peel the onions and carrots, loosely cut, and throw in the pot. I also like to throw in a few bay leaves, a tsp of whole peppercorn and some apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar helps pull out the minerals from the bones and allows it to diffuse through the broth.
Simmer 6-13 hours, the longer the simmer, the more concentrated your broth will be, so if you can do it longer, the better. Don’t forget to skim off the impurities from time time during the duration of the simmer.
When done simmering, strain through a fine mesh strainer, and salt to flavor, and what you will end up with is a beautiful golden broth.
I let it sit out on my counter for a few hours to allow some time for it to cool. Once it cools, a layer of fat will form. Skim off the layer of fat and conserve for cooking.
I store my broth in glass jars and drink throughout the week. If you are not going to consume right away, store your broth in a silicon ice tray and heat up as needed.
However you choose to get your broth, whether making it or buying a pre-made broth, consider incorporating a cup daily and see how you feel.
I guarantee you will feel good.
