Pasture Beef Bone Broth
Beef broth has long been used as a healing beverage. Beef bones are filled with
collagen and minerals the body uses to build connective tissues, such as calcium,
magnesium, and phosphorus. It’s a perfect sipping medium for people who are trying
to figure out how to get five or six hits of nutrition a day. I’ve had clients with eating
difficulties who have literally lived on this broth for days or weeks at a time.
MAKES 6 QUARTS
- 3 pounds marrow bones from grass-fed organic beef
- 6 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds
- 2 unpeeled yellow onions, cut into chunks
- 1 leek, white and green parts, cut into thirds
- 1 bunch celery, including the heart, cut into thirds
- 4 unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
- 2 unpeeled Japanese or regular sweet potatoes, quartered
- 1 unpeeled garnet yam, quartered
- 5 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved
- ½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 8-inch strip of kombu
- 12 black peppercorns
- 4 whole allspice or juniper berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 8 quarts cold, filtered water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the bones on a baking sheet or roasting pan and roast until the bones are well
browned, about 30 minutes.
Rinse all of the vegetables well, including the kombu. In a 12-quart or larger
stockpot, combine the bones, carrots, onions, leek, celery, potatoes, sweet potatoes,
yam, garlic, parsley, kombu, peppercorns, allspice berries, bay leaves, and vinegar.
Pour in the water, cover, and bring to a boil.
Remove the lid, decrease the heat to low, and skim off the scum that has risen to the
top. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 8 to 24 hours. As the broth simmers, some of the
water will evaporate; add more if the vegetables begin to peek out.
Remove and discard the bones, then strain the broth through a large, coarse-mesh
sieve. Stir in salt to taste. Let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate overnight.
Skim off as much fat as you can from the top of the broth, then portion into airtight
containers and refrigerate or freeze.
PREP TIME: 25 minutes COOK TIME: 8 to 24 hours
STORAGE: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or
in the freezer for up to 4 months.
PER SERVING: Calories: 50; Total Fat: 0 g (0 g saturated, 0 g
monounsaturated); Carbohydrates: 11 g; Protein: 1 g; Fiber: 2 g; Sodium:
140 mg
REBECCA’S NOTES To make a short-cut version, roast the marrow bones as directed and
place in a 6½-quart slow cooker. Cover with Magic Mineral Broth and add the
vinegar. Set the slow cooker on low for 8 to 24 hours, and allow the broth to simmer
away. Strain the broth and refrigerate it overnight, then skim the fat, and add 2 more
quarts of Magic Mineral Broth.
CULINARY RX While Western medicine hasn’t reached definitive conclusions about
many aspects of how nutrition may affect cancer and treatment side effects, Chinese
medicine has a longer and more extensive body of scientific literature. Acupuncturist
Michael Broffman notes the foods he suggests to patients facing certain challenges.
For loss of taste, Broffman says, “We like Chinese pears and papaya. They’re high in
enzymes. Also pineapple, because it nicely enhances taste and the sense of smell.” For
dehydration, Broffman likes vegetables and fruits with high water content, such as
chestnuts and cucumbers. For fatigue and anemia, he suggests figs, grapes, herring,
barley, and a little fresh honey. And for those dealing with blood cancers, he
recommends “foods that speak to bone marrow production: soups and stocks that use
bones from beef, chicken, lamb, or fish.”
