Bone broth is a staple of my family’s diet. As with healthy fats, heirloom vegetables, grass-fed meats and a good old-fashioned fermented cod liver oil, we consume a lot of bone broths – usually aiming for one quart per person per day, at the recommendation of our nutritionist. Broth, you see, is a nutritional powerhouse. It is extraordinarily rich in easy-to-assimilate minerals, amino acids and goodies like glucosamine chondroitin. Its gelatin helps to heal the gut, which is why it plays such an integral role in the GAPS diet, and it provides powerful medicine – particularly in combating colds and flus.
And, you did read that right: we do aim for one quart per adult per day (the little one of the household gets at least a pint). That’s a lot of broth. Let me do the math for you. That’s between two and three quarts per day, averaging to about four and a half gallons of broth each week for our family. Yes, as you might imagine, soups and stews are a big part of our day, more so in the winter than in the summer. When I serve breakfast, I serve it with a mug of broth and another mug of broth sits at my desk as I work.
It’s a beautiful thing, really, and I credit good broth, fermented cod liver oil and of fermented foods with the resilient immunity my family enjoys each flu season. We also use these unconventional techniques to fight the flu and build immunity.
So how do we make enough broth?
So if you’re wondering just how I manage working at home full time, homeschooling our 6-year old with making four and a half gallons of bone broth each week, I’ll tell you. I slow cook it. I call it perpetual soup. You see, my six-quart slowcooker (kinda like this one) is my cauldron. That is, it is always on – bubbling away and ready to nourish my family with the bounty of the bones that stew away every hours of every day.
Once a week, I place the frame of a roast chicken into the slow cooker, cover it with filtered water (We use a Berkey to filter our water, and you can find them online.), toss in a few bay leaves, black peppercorns and vegetable scraps, turn it on and call it good. As I pull broth from the slow cooker, I filter it through a reusable coffee filter which helps to strain out any floating herbs, chicken skin or pieces of bone and results in a beautiful clear broth. As I remove broth, I add water and continue the process throughout the week – ensuring that by the end of the week every bit of goodness has been pulled from that chicken frame.
And, in case you’re worried about the cost of keeping your slow cooker on twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week, the estimated cost of running your slow cooker is about $0.01 to $0.03 per hour – for a total cost of $1.68 to $5.04 for the week. Undoubtedly worth it. Learn more about energy-wise cooking here.
Perpetual Soup or Bone Broth the Easy Way
By Published: December 7, 2011
- Yield: As much or as little broth as you want, my family consumes about 2 to 3 quarts of broth each day.
- Prep: Perpetual min
Perpetual soup: Bone broth can be made in a slow cooker using this simple technique.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (or the frame of a roasted chicken)
- 2 sweet bay leaves
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- any vegetable scraps you have on hand
- filtered water
Instructions
- Place one whole chicken or the frame of a roasted chicken into your slow cooker with sweet bay, black peppercorns and any vegetable scraps you have on hand. Cover with filtered water and cook on low for one week.
- After twenty-four hours, you may begin using the broth. As you need broth or stock, simply dip a ladle or measuring cup into the slow cooker to remove the amount of stock you need. Pour it through a fine-mesh sieve or, preferably, a reusable coffee filter which will help to clarify the broth. Replace the broth you remove from the slow cooker with an equivalent amount of filtered water. If you’re using a whole, fresh chicken, you may also remove chicken meat from the slow cooker as desired for stir-fries, in soups or in
- At the end of the week, strain off any remaining broth and discard or compost the bones. The bones from your chicken should crumble when pressed between your thumb and forefinger. Their softness is an indication that much of the nourishment from the bones – minerals, amino acids – have leached from the bones and into the broth you’ve enjoyed all week long. Wash the insert of your slow cooker and start again.
What about apple cider vinegar? I was under the impression that ACV is needed to pull minerals from the bones. Is it not necessary because you cook it so long?
I use ACV for the reason you mentioned and I cook the broth it for 2 days.
Does the ACV affect the flavor much?
I used the recipe in Practical Paleo, which called for 2 Tbsp. ACV (preferably Bragg’s) for 64 cups of water plus the frame of my Thanksgiving turkey – you couldn’t taste it at all! I noticed the smell at the start of the cook time, but that only lasted for a few minutes.
I use white wine for the same purpose–the acidity helps draw the minerals out of the bones. I use 1/2 cup for an 8-gal. kettle filled w/bones.
You mention using a whole chicken which is what I am doing right now. My question is, how long does it have to cook in the crockpot before the meat is done and I can take it off the bones?
I guess you haven’t had time to respond but I figured it out. It took about 5 hours; I cooled it and pulled off the chicken meat. After the bones had cooked for 2 days and were sufficiently soft, I cooled the broth and put the whole thing in my VitaMix to liquify the bones. Now my broth includes all the marrow, too, as well as every piece of bone. It is so delicious!
I’ve been making bone broth in my stock pot on the stove top for a couple years. The first few batches I brewed for a couple days, then squeezed the bones to reveal quite a bit of stuff that looked like it was too worthy to be thrown out, so I pinched open all the pieces that would “give” and kept on simmering. I have a Vita-Mix and after the long simmering process, I process it ALL in that, about 6 Cups at at time. I freeze it and use it as soup base later on (but never much later!). It warms the apartment nicely in winter; I don’t do it much in Texas summers. Even the VitaMix leaves some chewy “sand” in the bottom (it’s more annoying when a tiny grain of bone gets stuck in my throat), and that sometimes gets tossed. It adds SO MUCH taste to plain soups (split pea, lentil, etc. all those things GAPS restricts!).
I use beef bones, too, but they don’t boil down to grit as quickly as chicken, so I pinch open the bones that will “give” and then put the more resilient ones back in the freezer for next time, once I collect enough bones for another batch.
What a great idea! I want a Vitamix SO MUCH!!!
We started pasturing 2 cattle for beef and was wondering if the beef bones would work for perceptual soup too?
I use beef bones, too, but they don’t boil down to grit as quickly as chicken, so I pinch open the bones that will “give” and then put the more resilient ones back in the freezer for next time, once I collect enough bones for another batch. The size of cow bones keeps the goodies inside very well protected and they sound awful / unsafe in a VitaMix.
Shar wrote on April 19, 2012 at 3:42 pm, “We started pasturing 2 cattle for beef and was wondering if the beef bones would work for perceptual soup too?”
It’s perpetual, not perceptual. Perpetual is about time, whereas perceptual is about perception, how we perceive something.
I’m new at this, but you could try a Web search using beef (or veal), bones, broth and possibly recipe for search terms. I’m somewhat new to this, only having begun last month to use Web searches to try to find out how other people boil their meat bones in order to make broths and stocks. I’ve done it for some years with chicken and turkey carcasses, the skeletal remains. I just threw all of the remains, minus the skin of the birds, into a stock pot, filled it with water enough to have nearly a couple of inches of water above all of the bones, added some spices (romarin, black pepper, maybe oregano, and onion), and then cooked this at a low boil for 2.5 to 3 hours. It seemed okay, I guess, but I bought some beef bones nearly 2 months ago and wasn’t sure how to proceed with these, so did some Web searches.
Firstly, it seems that veal bones are far more recommendable than beef bones are. Same animal, only much younger. (I imagine lamb bones would also be very good to use but I haven’t begun to search about using these, yet.)
Secondly, the bones should have meat on them. Meat on or with the bones is apparently important for adding more flavor. And, I guess anyway, it also adds minerals.
Thirdly, and like this Web page says for making chicken broth, adding vegetable scraps seems to be of real value. All of the recipes I read about making beef bone broth said to add vegetable scraps, which is something I never thought of doing when I formerly boiled chicken and turkey bones.
One thing the or most of the recipes for making beef bone broth said about vegetable scraps is to NOT use, so to exclude, scraps from cruciferous vegetables. They include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, mustard and collard greens, kale, and possibly other plants. For a reason I don’t yet know, these cruciferous vegetables must be excluded when making beef bone broth and the same has to be true when making veal bone broth, since it’s the same animal.
If you check the Wikipedia page for “Cruciferous vegetables”, then you’ll see a table for a considerably long list of plants in this family. It includes the plants I named, above, plus many more; even radish, turnip and rutabaga. I’m not happy about turnip and rutabaga, for I used scraps of them for making my veal bone broth this week. There was very little of these scraps though, so the broth will hopefully be unaffected.
But it seems that someone who makes broths from veal or beef as well as fowl should freeze the vegetable scraps separately; freezing the cruciferous plant scraps in a separate bag or container. If only interested in making veal or beef broth, then the cruciferous scraps can simply be thrown out or into the compost bin right away. I’d want veal and fowl broths, and will look into lamb and probably ham; as well as fish, seafood and pure vegetable broths. All of these are healthy for us and as an old English-language expression says, “Variety is (the) spice of life”.
BTW, this Web site has a recipe for making beef bone broth or stock and it’s one of the recipes I found last month while searching the Web.
http://nourishedkitchen.com/beef-stock-recipe
The recipe uses the term “brassicas” instead of crucifers, but crucifers is what they are. Quoting from Wikipedia, “Brassica (…) is a genus of plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are collectively known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, or mustards. Crops from this genus are sometimes called cole crops, which is derived from the Latin caulis, meaning stem or cabbage.[1]“.
None of the beef/veal bone broth recipe Web pages I read through explain why the crucifers (cruciferous vegetables) need to be excluded and I’d seriously like to know what the reason is. But, when we get warnings like this, then it’s to help prevent readers from diminishing or else ruining the quality of their results. So we should heed the warnings.
Mike dear, you mustn’t use brassicas or cruciferous veg in your stocks because of the high level of sulfur in the vegetables. The longer they cook, the stronger and more unpleasant they taste. Don’t get me wrong, I love broccoli, turnips, greens, rutabagas, etc. but they make a very unsavory stock. (I tried it once. Yikes.)
Happy stocking!
In my 8-gal. kettle, I put mostly chicken bones, then add fistful of organic celery tops, one carrot, an onion, and a turnip, in addition to a couple of bay leaves, a small fistful of peppercorns, a tablespoon of Celtic salt, and 1/2 cup white wine.. I consider the turnip a wonderful addition; it does not add any off flavors or smells whatsoever.
If you cook the chicken in the soup for a week, it seems that the fat would be kept at an elevated temperature (even though it’s a crockpot) for a long period. Doesn’t this render it unhealthful?
Based on Web searches performed over the past couple of months for making broth using beef bones, as well as veal (young beef) bones, the ultimate amount of cooking time, using simmer after getting the water to boil at the start and whenever more water is added, is 72 hours. Some authors of recipes said far fewer hours, but some of them added that 72 was ideal. And they all said to then let the liquid cool and then put the pot in the refrigerator. Refrigeration is for causing the fat to harden and coagulate, rather than being in an oily film form; making it easy to remove the fat. I experimented with this and found it to be true.
The same thing could be done with broth made using bones, et cetera, from chicken, turkey and other fowl; surely. It may be a very good idea to allow whatever’s not going to be consumed in a day to continue to simmer, while removing what’s going to be consumed, allowing it to cool, placing the cooled liquid in the refrigerator until the liquid is cold, and then pulling the container out of the refrigerator to see the results. If you see stiffened or hardened coagulated fat on the surface of the liquid, then remove these fat pieces. Otherwise, I wouldn’t worry about the tiny amount of fat that might be present in the liquid.
With fowl, and if the bones, et cetera, are boiled and then brought down to simmer for many hours of cooking, I doubt that you’ll find any significant presence of fat; if the skin and all visible fat underneath skin is removed before the cooking. I don’t know why someone would want to include the skin and removable fat during the cooking. I’d definitely remove it, first. After that, I wouldn’t worry about a little saturated fat that’s in such small quantity that it isn’t even noticeable after refrigeration. A little saturated fat isn’t going to kill even me, who has to be careful about triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.
If the rest of a person’s diet is good, like very low in saturated fats, then there shouldn’t be a problem, I believe anyway.
Why not go to http://www.westonaprice.org. You will find articles such as “The skinny on fats” talking about fat and biochemistry – we need more saturated fat in our diets than what the mainstream wants us to believe. Also, starches/carbohydrates is what elevates triglycerides. My husband lowered his triglycerides that way – we use full fat cheeses, milk, and don’t take off skin or skim fat off chicken soup either.
I have tried this the last couple of weeks. I was wondering why it started to smell bad after the first couple of days? I had an onion in. Is prolonged cooking ok with the fat left in? also have added egg shells for more mineral content. Is that appropriate for ‘perpetual’ stock. I gave up on the last batch and started over because I figured if it doesn’t smell good, might not be good for us.
We have a large family (9 of us), so my recipes take a lot off. Would rebuilding so often reduce the quality? I’m assuming I would start fresh every 4 days or so, though we are no to the extent of the whole lot of us just drinking it, so sometimes it sits and other days I use a lot. Thanks for your response!
How much are you taking out every day? That’s going to affect the flavor.
Some days only a cup or two. Others I will use maybe 2/3 then refill, if I’m using it for soup. It is a 6 quart.
That’s the problem. If you’re only taking a cup or two, the stock will taste burnt. If you’re using half, the stock will become watery.
Egg shells can have bacteria on them – I would be concerned about throwing those in.
Frances wrote, “Egg shells can have bacteria on them …”.
Sure, but shells from hard-boiled eggs can be used very safely. I lightly roasted some in the oven between 160-170F to get them nice and brittle and then powdered them. It’s a very rich source of calcium and based on what I read, this also is a a very easily digested calcium source, the easiest to quickly benefit from. Something like that anyway.
Shells from raw eggs can possibly be used, though how to properly clean is something I don’t know and could only guess about. We can safely consume raw eggs from healthy producers though, so there should be a way to clean the outside of the shells of raw eggs to make them safe for human consumption. On the other hand, if the shells are placed in the broth liquid when it’s going to be brought to a boil, then the boiling may be possibly enough to decontaminate shells that have bacteria; perhaps (?).
I must be a real cooking ignoramus? What is a chicken frame? Does it just mean everything but the mean, like skeleton and skin? And if the fat is hot for that long, doesn’t it get rancid?
I asked my mom, who made soup from poultry frames (the main body after you’ve picked off the meat) all during my childhood – she said that you want to leave in the skin plus some meat on the bones because that’s what gives it a good flavor. If you use a Thanksgiving turkey, it’s recommended to throw in the turkey neck if you had it roasting in the pan, too. I also threw in the wings and a drumstick whole!
Hi Jenny,
I am feeling really dense right now, but I can’t seem to find the note you mention in the ingredients list regarding recommended vegetables. I read this post last week, and recall seeing the note then–but can’t remember where I saw it or its contents (I have two boys, 3 and five months ha!). I am roasting my chicken today to then pop in the crock pot tonight, so I hope you see this and can point me in the right direction! Something about vegetables that slow cook better than others… ??
Hi Jenny, I also can’t find the note Elizabeth is referring to. Although the ingredient list mentions to see the note about which vegetables work best, that sentence doesn’t seem to have a link and I don’t see a note anywhere else. Did you remove that link?
I made Mark Hymen’s Ultrabroth a few times and I seem to recall him recommending not using onion or garlic because it can make the flavor weird after so much cooking. It’d be much appreciated if you can point us to the appropriate note or link!
Thank you for your post on bone broth soup. As a child, I grew up on long-simmering soups. My Chinese parents would make make long-simmering soup two or three times a week. Whenever we are sick, my parents would say we are not drinking enough soup. As an adult, I have carry on the tradition of making soup for my family. It is very nourishing and cleansing for our bodies. The slow-cooking method is new to me, but it makes sense. My father had a restaurant and the way they make their tasty chicken stock is to leave a very large stock pot on the stove simmering all day long and they keep adding chicken bones as they debone fresh chicken. The longer the stock simmers and adding more bones in, the sweeter and more rich the stock becomes. When I make chicken stock at home, I will simmer my chicken stock using skinless chicken and simmer for about 4 to 6 hours on the stove. The stock taste rich and sweet that I don’t need to add salt. I can just drink it plain. I don’t add any pepper or herbs to the broth. Just water and chicken to make my rich stock (the Chinese way). I will try the slow cooker method. I’m a bit hesitant is that I’m not use to leaving a slow cooker 24 hours a day and having to leave for work a good part of the day and hoping I don’t come home in horror to see my house burnt down to the ground because of bone broth soup.
Help, I made the broth from a whole chicken beginning on a Friday evening. Took the meat off the bones and returned the carcass to the pot about noon on Saturday. Also drank about a quart of the broth (replaced with water). Sometime during the night (Saturday), we lost power or had a power surge…anyway when I got up this morning, the crock pot had gone off. The ceramic liner was still pretty warm to the touch and broth was pretty warm (but not hot). I went ahead and strained the broth and stuck it in the fridge and tossed the bones. Is it safe to drink the broth? Thanks so much – I love your site!
This happened to me last night . I guess I have to through it out?
*throw
Just boil it for 20 min, and it’ll be fine.
So you use 1 chicken carcass per week? I was wondering how many times I could “re-use” the chicken bones to make broth. I was under the impression I could only use it once.
Thank you for sharing. I will be using this!! We’d love to have you share on our site. Go take a peek, if you’re interesed, shoot me an email. I know the ladies would love, love, love, to hear from you!!
Kind regards,
Kasse D.
I tried making this soup, but I think my crockpot is not heating high enough. I never actually get a simmer or any bubbles of any kind. I looked up how to check the temperature on the crock pot, and I checked it at about 3 hours and again at 9 hours. The broth only registered at about 150 at 3 hrs and the chicken was about 130. At 9 hrs it read 185 for the broth and I think it was more like 150 for the chicken itself. I was scared to eat it so I tossed it all. Do you see an actual simmer on your broth when it is in the crock pot? It is a long oval crock pot. I also have the basic round crock pot and it seems to always get food simmering. I think I am going to try setting the oval crock on high and test it with water only to see what happens. if it doesn’t work I am tossing the oval one.
Hi! I just found this wonderful blog and I am intrigued by perpetual soup. I started my first batch last Wednesday night with a whole chicken and the other recipe ingredients. Thursday morning I removed the chicken meat and returned the bones and organs to the pot. I have been following the instructions regarding taking out stock and adding water.
I have a quick question: Is it safe to keep the crockpot on the “keep warm” or lowest setting? I checked the broth’s temperature just now and it is about 140 degrees F.
Any feedback would be greatly apreciated.
This is the tastiest stock I have every made. My children are enjoying it with noodles!
Check the heat on your soup after it’s been heating for an hour. My crockpot is about 175F on low and about 190F on high. According to food handler’s permit training, unrefrigerated poultry needs to stay above 165F to remain safe for consumption.
Check those food handler’s temps again.165F is what poultry needs to reach before you can eat it. Holding temp is no less than 145F.
I have tried this several times now and have come up with a way that works for me. I have a very large, very new, Hamilton Beach, 8 quart oval crock pot. The first few times I followed this recipe (leaving out the carrots, etc) I put the crock pot on LOW and 12 hours later, the mixture was boiling and boiling. By 24 hours, the smell was overwhelming because it was actually boiling out the water and the liquid that as left was getting pretty concentrated, and strong smelling. Remember this is on LOW. But this last time, I put the crock pot on HIGH for about 30 minutes (to heat it up, but not to boiling) then turned it on WARM. I tested the temperature after 12 hours, and it was 170. (per the USDA, 40 to 140 is the “danger zone”) The mixture had an occasional bubble here and there, but it was not boiling. PERFECT. You want your stock to be on a simmer that produces an occasional bubble every 2-3 seconds. After 36 hours, I used a fine mesh strainer to get most of the liquid out (I push the bottom of the strainer down in the mixture, then scoop liquid out of the middle of the strainer), then I filled it up again with fresh water and kept the mixture going. I turned it on HIGH for 30 minutes again, then back on WARM. I expect I could do this for an entire week, removing broth and adding water, no problem. And there is no smell! The smell was so strong before, it would wake us up in the back of the house. Hope this helps some people!! I really think that crock pot makers are afraid of getting sued, so they have changed newer crock pots to run hotter than they used to.
Karen,
Great information. Do you have the white 33181 or the black 33182?
Thanks,
~Erika
i have the white one. i totally love it.
I realize this is an older post, but I just came across it and am very interested in starting this process for my family. I mentioned it to a friend and her concern was lead in the crock pot. I never thought of that. What do you think? Is it a concern at all?
I don’t perceive it as a concern as none of the slowcookers I’ve had have ever tested positive for lead.
Can you recommend a lead-free slow cooker?
I was concerned about this too after coming across this:
http://insightfulnana.com/home-garden/housekeeping-home-garden/lead-poisoning-and-crock-pots
I made the perpetual soup last Sunday and have enjoyed it immensely, but after reading this warning, am concerned. Is there a certain brand of slow cooker that’s known to be safe?
All slowcookers sold in the US are tested and are safe. The threat of lead in slowcookers is GROSSLY overrated.
I make one big pot per week. The dogs get chicken legs added to their food so I use those.
I get those “stock bags” which look like big net. Theyre very cheap, maybe a buck for bag of 4 or 5.
I then put the chicken legs in the bag with whatever veg scraps I have (yesterday’s batch was leek tops, celery tops, bell pepper scraps, onion scraps, tomato, garlic, and a handful of red cabbage trimmings). A good amount of sea salt is added then slow boiled for several hours.
I then drink the broth or make different soups (like Stracitella Romana) and give the chicken and vegetables to the dogs.
Holy crap, perpetual broth is a GREAT idea! I make broth weekly.. from a recipe.. and it never occurred to me to just use “vegetable scraps” (which I am so trying to be better about!) of which I have many, every week. I’m just going to do this from now on for sure!
My question is about organ meats ? I have never read anything about beef tripe ?
What do you think
Gilbert
Hi,
I was wondering if using the perpetual method will in any way effect the quality of the gelatin? i.e., does it break it down too much for it to be in the pot for so long? I’ve been doing the perpetual soup for about 3 months now and absolutely love it. I just want to make sure I’m not shooting myself in the foot regarding the nutrients.
Also, I’ve noticed that my chicken broth doesn’t gel (i’ve experimented, pulling some out of the pot and refrigerating it over night to see). I do use ACV in the broth. I’m wondering, is the simply because my bone to water ratio is off? Or am I still getting the benefits of the gelatin and even if it isn’t enough to make the broth gel, I’m still drinking down all the good stuff?
Thanks for any insight you have
I love your site SO much!
Julia
I have the same question regarding the gel. I had to put mine away after about 30 hours once as I needed the crockpot for something else & noticed no gelling. Does it have the same effect if the gelling doesn’t occur?
Just a quick comment o say that both me and my mother have noticed that when we do this it makes a big difference with the quality of the chicken. The more ‘organic’ / naturally raised chicken it is, the more gelatin there is present. Don’t know why but quite interesting.
I just tried this over the weekend. My only problem is, I just couldn’t drink it! It was too fatty and the taste made me want to gag. It’s still simmering away in my crockpot, I’ll just can it tonight so we can use it for soups. It’s just weird because I normally love to drink the broth from soups. How do you make it palatable?
De-fat it by putting it into a fat separator or by pouring it into a jar, placing it in to the fridge and removing the fat once it hardens.
Please help….I made the soup like above , a couple of times now, but it is SO greasy I can’t eat it. What am I doing wrong? Should I remove the skin first? I would also like to know the answers to -what the best vegetable scraps are to use -and about the broth not producing gelatin, as others have asked. Thank you so much. I absolutely love your site! Oh! and I also can’t seem to find your testimony of how real food has helped your husband…I want to pass it on to a friend.
Good idea! Thx. Also in reply to some posts:
- Incomplete sentence: If you’re using a whole, fresh chicken, you may also remove chicken meat from the slow cooker as desired for stir-fries, in soups or in [....] ?
- I usually use a 5liter ‘normal’ rvs pan and put it in the (electrical) oven. Who needs a slow cooker anyway;-)
- The fats are mostly saturated and won’t ‘break’ at this low temperature.
- i’d think the bacteria on eggshelss will die when heated close to boiling.
- beware giving cooked bones to dogs. The bones splinter as opposed to raw bones (even dogs like it raw;-))
- I usaually add only salt & pepper to the broth. When I make soup I add veggies and herbs to the broth. Garlic is best added at the latest instant so it only boils/heats very briefly.
Stay helathy and happy!
Cooked bones are only dangerous for dogs if they’re insufficiently cooked. If you cook them in a normal recipe, such as roasting a whole chicken, that isn’t enough time to soften the bones. However, if the bones are cooked in liquid, as in making stock, for at least 24 hours, you can break the bones easily by hand. After I make 24-hour stock, I strain it, let the meat, bones and veggies cool and give it to our dogs. (Some people reuse the bones, but I’d rather give the dogs a healthful treat.) Rooster leg bones may need to cook longer, but the bones of young chickens should get sufficiently soft after simmering for 24 hours or so. Our dogs can easily crunch these up and there are no dangerous sharp splinters.
I’ve done this a few times – thanks for the inspiration – but it’s just too greasy for me to drink even though I’m using the reusable coffee filter. I guess I could heat, then refrigerate and scoop out the hardened fat, and reheat, but that seems like way too much trouble. How do you handle the high fat content?
Use a gravy separator.
I’ve been making stock with leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving. Because I don’t have a crockpot, I have been using a big stock pot on the stove with a diffuser. I don’t want to leave the stove running all night, will the fat or meat go rancid if I let the stock sit at room temperature over night while the stove is turned off? I’ve done this for 3 nights already and it seems okay but I wanted to check.
Natalie
Please don’t leave your stock at room temperature overnight, it is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria! I doubt the fat would go rancid that quickly, but those bacteria can make you very sick. Either keep the broth hot (simmering), or refrigerate it.
Would you add the organ meats too?
No. I don’t recommend adding organ meats to stocks. It muddies the flavor, plus organ meats are rich in heat-sensitive vitamins which can be destroyed with prolonged cooking, so you have muddied stock and no consequential boost of nutrition to show for it. Better to stick to straight bones/meath/seasonings and keep the organ meats for dishes like pate, liver mousse etc.
I just finished cooking venison bones for several days. Would that be the same as beef bones?
Okay, I’ve just thrown into a giant stock pot the frozen thanksgiving turkey frame, 1 1/2 gallon ziplock of frozen vegetable scraps, 2 1/2 gallons filtered water and about 3T apple cider vinegar. The water is starting to warm and it smells heavenly due to the veggies and herbs that we’re in the turkey cavity. Do I need to skim off the veggie scraps or is it okay to let them stay in? I’m going to transfer this monstrosity to my wood stove to cook slowly (simmer only, I hope), but is there anything else I should be aware of? Any suggestions anyone?
I hardly leave a response, but after reading a few of the comments here
And, if you are writing on other sites, I would like to keep up with you. Would you list of every one of your social networking sites like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
Perpetual Soup. I actually do have a few questions for you if
you don’t mind. Could it be only me or do some of these comments look like they are left by brain dead folks?
Some of the comments are hard to read-including yours.
This recipe sounds fantastic and a real time saver. My concern is also safety–the broth really stays safe to eat the entire week? My first thought was that it would be loaded with bacteria after three days or four days.
I’ve done this with both chicken, turkey or beef bones, all with good results.
My favorite thing is to use beef shanks, remove the meat when it’s fork tender then just keep cooking the bones.
I always use a little dash of apple cider vinegar when using beef bones.
Great recipe thanks, Jenny. Wondering why you strain or filter stock before using?
My husband left for deployment around the holidays. I threw my Thanksgiving turkey leftovers in the crockpot and followed your directions. When I started freaking out about being a single mom for a few months, I was able to sip some warm broth and calm me down. When I was too tired to make a meal for myself after putting the kid to bed, I had some protein and fats from the meat to hold me over. Now that it’s been a week and I’m starting to settle down and destress, I have some broth to freeze for later use when I freak out again. I’ll likely just put in the refrigerator as I can see myself needing it before it can thaw out
Thank you for the awesome recipe that’s good for the body in many ways.
Hi Jenny! So excited to try bone broth for my new year of health! I noticed in an earlier comment a reader was having problems with her broth smelling/tasting funny and you diagnosed her problems as removing too little (causing a burnt taste) or too much (causing a watery taste). Do you have any recommendations for a single person implementing this recipe? If I am only removing a quart a day, will this cause flavor problems? If so, what should I do to avoid this? Thanks so much for all you do and I’m excited to follow you this year in my journey toward traditional foods!
I believe what you posted made a lot of sense. But, think
on this, suppose you were to create a killer post
title? I ain’t saying your information is not good, however suppose you added a title to maybe get folk’s attention?
I mean Perpetual Soup is kinda vanilla. You could peek at Yahoo’s front page and see how they write post titles to grab viewers interested. You might add a related video or a picture or two to get readers interested about what you’ve
written. In my opinion, it might make your posts a little livelier.
Hello!
I have been making bone broth for two weeks. As I love this process, I found my crockpot was boiling away, even on the low setting. After an exhaustive search, it seems there are no crockpots or slow cookers that have a temperature control setting. I did find slow roaster that allow for a low temp down to 125 degrees, but it isn’t a ceramic insert, which I prefer.
What appliance do you use and why? Does your bone broth boil away constantly all week?
Thank you,
Audrey
I have made this broth a few times and is seems after about a day I can’t stand the smell of it. It smells burned/overcooked which I find very weird as my stock does not bubble at all (maybe that is the problem). It tastes just OK. I fill the pot with 3/4 full of water, bones and a glug of ACV. I find I have to add a ton of sea salt to make it taste ok. Does adding the veggie scraps help the taste significantly? Garlic at the end sounds good. I know this is a good idea, but my family complains about the overpowering smell.
If it smells overcooked/burned, it’s because you’re not removing enough broth from the slowcooker on a daily basis. You don’t need to use ACV. And you shouldn’t season the broth in the slowcooker, just when you use it.
can someone explain the calorie content here. I read that the average calorie serving in homemade chicken stock is 4.9 calories per gram and there are over 900 grams in 32 ounces putting this at a 4000 plus calorie drink everyday, or am I missing something?
So I have made a lot of broth in the past, but not the perpetual broth. Good idea by the way.
I stumbled on your site when I was looking for a weird problem I have with my turkey broth this time. I thought I would throw this question out there because you and your readers are clearly experienced broth makers.
I had a turkey carcass with skin and some meat from family dinner, saved it until the next day when I put it on the stove in a 7 quart soup pot and added water only. I simmered it very slowly for approx 16 hours and then placed in the fridge as is. I did not get to it until 3 days later. When I opened it, it smelled absolutely awful, I wouldn’t call it rotten, but I compared it to getting your hair died, and having that same aroma that burns your nostrils. Warmed it up slightly so I could strain it easily, and it didn’t smell any better. I tasted it, and it was brown and “burnt”, but that does not account for the hair day smell. Any idea what this is? Is it just super concentrated with minerals and vitamins from sitting in the fridge for three days with the bones? Or is it some sort of rotting stage I’ve never encountered? I’ve done many soups over the years and have never had a bone broth smell like this.
Thanks for such a detailed recipe. I’m looking into making bone broth to give my 4-month-old son…I know this is fine, but I’m wondering if spices are okay? I roasted a chicken tonight and of course seasoned it. Since some seasoning will inevitably make it into the broth, I just wanted to make sure it was alright for baby. I’m talking olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh rosemary…plus I stuffed the chicken with onion and garlic. Any insight on bone broth specifically for babies appreciated…thanks!
Hi all — I posted this question already, but I don’t see it here, so I’m thinking it didn’t post…I apologize if it ends up being a duplicate.
Anyway, I’m looking into making some bone broth as one of my 4-month-old son’s first foods, and I’m curious as to whether the seasonings I use first on the chicken are okay to make it into the broth I give him? Or is it better to prepare the chicken plain and use that for bone broth? I’d just be using olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and onion, and herbs like rosemary and thyme…nothing crazy. Is all of that alright to potentially be in the bone broth?
Thanks in advance.
It’s been 3 days and my broth is getting VERY dark amber. Is this normal or should I stop the cooking process?
This happens when one of two issues occurs: 1) Your slowcooker runs too hot, or 2) you are not removing broth from the slowcooker regularly, and replacing it with fresh water frequently enough.
Just a little something extra …. We had made 2 rounds of this and decided to try something. My husband and I both really enjoy the broth at the start of the week but around the middle of the cycle the flavor gets to be lacking for us. So, this week he suggested we pull 2 quart jars right when the broth was ready to be harvested. We kept them refridgerated until about the middle of the week and then we add them back 2 seperate times… It worked! Today is our switch day and the broth that I brought with me to work this a.m. is almost as lovely as the first day.
making my first batch! started yesterday, therefore having my first cups tonight. At first i just strained the broth in a mess strainer but it was very greasy, so found a reusable coffee filter that seems to work. My question is, when using the coffee filter it seems that there is alot of fine particles being filtered out. Isn’t that part of the good stuff we want?? Just wanting to get the most out of it.
I’m in the food business for many years now.
Started learning how to make various broths or stocks from my grandmother with either chicken, beef, lamb or pork when I was around 8 years old.
I still prepare them weekly from the 2 turkey carcasses I get from the restaurant I work at.
I make easily over a gallon weekly. The bones I take and crack open with a hatchet to expose the marrow.
By the time the soup is done and chilled, it sets like jello.
I add onions, celery, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, summer squash, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano, marjoram, bay leaves and black and white peppercorns that are cracked.
To strain the stock, I simply use a fine strainer to filter out the bones and vegs. The idea of using a coffee filter to remove everything to me is not practical. I don’t mind some bits of herbs or vegs in my broth.
I couldn’t imagine spending a good hour if not more waiting for any broth to drip its way through a coffee filter.
I suppose if you have that kind of time, go ahead. Many times I will pull the vegs out and chop them up for the stock to make a soup. If there is any meat on those bones, they get utilized too.
Maybe this is a dumb question, but is the broth supposed to taste like chicken at all? I made the easy roast chicken recipe, then put the carcass in the crockpot with water. There was still a good deal of meat left on the carcass (thought it would help) but when I tasted the broth after 24 hours it really just tasted like water and something else (maybe bone?). I put garlic and some salt/pepper but that didn’t help much either.
The only thing I can think of changing is the quality of the chicken. I did not use an organic chicken (decent chickens are really hard to find here in Hawaii) so I wonder if that would make a difference.
Hello!
I’ve recently starting making my own bone broth and I’m loving it! I struggle with several food sensitivities, so I’m hoping that a good quality homemade bone broth will help with the healing process
Quick question, and perhaps this was already addressed: can I skim the fat off (once it cools) and keep all the beneficial nutrients intact, or do I need to leave it? The gelatin will remain in the broth even if I skim it, correct? Thank you for your help!
I really want to try this recipe. Do I need to worry about having the crockpot on that long, though..like a fire?
Please include broths and other recipes that come out as nutritious. by cooking them in an electric pressure cooker.
I don’t recommend using pressure cookers.
It hasn’t been an issue in our home.
One thing the recipe doesn’t mention is whether you leave the crock pot *covered* or *uncovered*? Since the author doesn’t seem to be responding, anyone want to chime in? I’d feel strange going out and leaving the crock pot on, but even stranger leaving it uncovered.
That’s why we use crockpots instead of, say, the stove! The new ones are all safety tested. If you have an old one, check the length of the cord for frays or nicks and make sure the inside of the burner is very clean. Be vigilant the first time you try it. If you smell burning plastic, shut it down! Other than that, it should be fine! This is what they are made to do!
I read this yesterday, I bought a crock pot today. Is it safe to leave a crock pot on (low) for 72 hours?
Is the reply function working?
When have you ever come across a recipe in which a slowcooker was left uncovered?
cover the crock pot it helps maintain the liquid levels. I use the recipe from Nourishing Traditions for my broth. I have cooked it in the crockpot for a little over 24 hours but not for a week or perpetually. It is really good! the recipe suggests carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, ACV, celtic sea salt.
Slow cookers won’t work properly if left uncovered; they won’t retain enough heat. It’s completely contrary to the way they were designed to operate.
Why don’t you recomment using a pressure cooker? I have heard people say that they turned out some amazing broth with them.
Pressure cooking is not a traditional practice and as this site is focused exclusively on traditional foods, I avoid their use.
hi, love the broth ideas, I would like the ideas for beef bones and turkey. I think I would prefer to can my broth . only because it is only me at home most of the time and, I am gone alot. your broth sounds so delicious and healthy, and I do use alot of stock at 3.00$ a pop, it gets very costly. looking forward to your responses! thank you.
I’m more worried about safety issues, myself. I know the modern pressure cookers are supposed to be a lot safer but it only takes one glitch.
No no no… not pressure cooker. SLOW COOKER or CROCK POT (whichever you want to call it.) I think someone mentioned pressure cooker up top and it kind of derailed the comments.
As for safety, there’s little chance for a fire. There is no flame, only heat. As long as it’s not near anything flammable that could ignite (I leave mine on my electric stove), the wire isn’t frayed, and you don’t let it boil down to nothing, there’s little chance that anything could happen.
Cooking mine right now! Can’t wait to see how it works out!
You leave the lid off or offset or propped up with chopsticks when making fruit butters.
Love that site, Yummly.com, for its recipes and associated search engine.
My crock pot will automatically turn off after 12 hours. So I start it in the morning and in the evening, I turn it off and start it again just to reset the clock. I don’t want it to automatically turn off during the night!!
But yes, I just finished simmering a chicken frame in my crockpot for 72 hours – no fire. The heat is contained in the pot. AND KEEP THE LID ON!! Otherwise the water will boil out and it might burn. PLUS Crockpots are NOT EVER / NEVER designed to be used with the lid off. They will be unable to maintain a correct temperature if the lid is off.
Has anybody CRACKED their crockpot? This is the 3rd time I did perpetual soup and I noticed that on day 2, the soup level had really gone down. Well, just cleaned up my crockpot (I only go for 3 days at a time) and my crockpot is now CRACKED! So I guess it really isn’t a good idea to leave the crockpot on perpetually for 3 days at a time. It probably cracked when it was left on HIGH overnight. (I made the mistake of starting the soup near bedtime, so the next day when I took a quart out and put new water in – it was bedtime. And I figured it would never get back to boiling on low, so I put it on HIGH and went to bed. From now on, (IF i can get a new crockpot) I will start the soup mid-morning so I can turn it from HIGH to LOW after it starts boiling. Even better, I will probably preheat the water I’m about to add on the stove so it’s near boiling anyway.
BUT I AM SO BUMMED, My handy-dandy
Hamilton Beach Crock Pot with the meat probe is now CRACKED! (DH is not going to be happy about this)