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How to Make Bone Broth at Home

Name: How to Make Bone Broth at Home
Ingredients: 3-4 pounds mixed bones; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; cold water water

Real bone broth takes time and the right bones. Use a mix of marrow bones and knuckle bones, roast them first, then simmer covered with water and a splash of vinegar for 12-24 hours. The long, slow cook extracts everything good from the bones and leaves you with liquid that gels when cold.

Total time: 12-24 hr
Hands-on: 30 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

3-4 pounds mixed bones
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
cold water water

Step by step

Choose your bones. Get 3-4 pounds of mixed bones from your butcher. Ask for marrow bones, knuckle bones, and a few meaty bones like oxtail. Beef bones work best, but chicken carcasses or lamb bones work too.
Roast the bones. Heat your oven to 425°F. Spread bones on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. They should be deeply browned and smell rich. This step builds flavor you cannot get any other way.
Transfer to your pot. Move the roasted bones to your largest stockpot or slow cooker. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan with hot water and pour that in too.
Add water and vinegar. Cover bones with cold water by 2 inches. Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for 30 minutes before turning on heat. The acid helps pull minerals from the bones.
Bring to a gentle simmer. Heat slowly until tiny bubbles just break the surface. Never let it boil hard or your broth will turn cloudy. Skim off any foam that rises in the first hour.
Cook low and slow. Keep it barely simmering for 12-24 hours. Add more water as needed to keep bones covered. The longer you go, the more gelatin you extract.
Strain and cool. Pour everything through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the solids. Let the broth cool completely, then refrigerate. Good broth will gel like Jello when cold.

Tips & troubleshooting

Your butcher will often give you bones for free or very cheap if you ask
Fat will solidify on top when cold and lifts off easily with a spoon
Good broth keeps in the fridge for 5 days or freezes for 6 months
If your broth does not gel, you need more collagen-rich bones next time
Salt the broth only when you use it, not while cooking

Variations

Chicken Bone Broth. Use chicken carcasses and backs. Skip the roasting step. Simmer for 8-12 hours instead of the full 24.
Vegetable-Enhanced Broth. Add onions, carrots, and celery in the last 2 hours of cooking. Strain them out with the bones.
Pressure Cooker Method. After roasting bones, pressure cook on high for 3 hours with natural release. Results in less time but slightly different flavor.

Questions

Why did my broth turn out cloudy?: You boiled it too hard. Keep it at the barest simmer. Cloudy broth still tastes fine, just looks different.
Can I reuse the bones?: Yes, once. The second batch will be weaker but still good. Roast them again before the second round.
How do I know when it is done?: The bones should crumble when pressed with a spoon, and the broth should gel when cold. Taste tells you everything.
What if I do not have 24 hours?: Eight hours minimum gets you something good. Twelve hours is better. The magic really happens after 18 hours, but work with what time you have.