How long do you simmer bone broth

One sip of this homemade beef bone broth and you’ll be hooked! Learn how to make it at home using The Ultimate Guide to Making Bone Broth. The results are rich, nourishing, and savory, and perfect for soups and stews!

Here it is: the perfect, most delicious, and nutritious broth to add to all of your soups and stews! The Ultimate Guide to Making Bone Broth will show you how to make it from start to finish on your stove. Never suffer through bland soup broth ever again!
Making beef bone broth at home is a lengthy process but all you need are simple, budget-friendly ingredients. A mix of beef marrow bones, vegetables, herbs, and spices will simmer on the stove for 8 to 12 hours before it turns into pure liquid gold. You can use it in anything, from homemade gravy to a Hearty Beef Stew to Wild Rice Soup.

What is bone broth?

Bone broth is a savory, meaty broth made by simmering animal bones and aromatics together with water. Cooking the bones along with herbs and vegetables infuses a rich flavor profile to compliment the protein and collagen-rich broth. It’s a perfect fit for soups, stews, sauces, and gravy. 

The amount of gelatin in bone broth typically leaves it with a jello-like texture once it cools. This gel helps it stand out from other stocks and broth. Plus, it’s hard to find a broth that’s as nutrient-dense and flavorful as homemade bone broth.

Bone broth benefits

It’s true – bone broth is hugely popular nowadays! This is because it’s loaded with protein, collagen, vitamins, and minerals. All of these things can be hard to get through regular food, so why not take it right from the source?

Check out these other benefits of beef broth:

• It improves digestion – Bone broth contains lots of gelatin, which congeals as it cools, thus helping to push food through your intestines.
• It’s a great source of vitamins and minerals – You can find vitamin K, vitamin A, iron, manganese, and other great vitamins and minerals in each cup of bone broth.
• It’s great for your skin and hair – Bone marrow is a great source of collagen and gelatin, which can make your hair, skin, and bones stronger.

Click here if you’d like to learn more about the extensive benefits of bone broth.

Beef bone broth ingredients

• Beef bone marrow – While you can make bone broth from almost any kind of animal bone, I chose to use beef bone marrow. They’re first roasted in the oven to help bring out those savory, meaty flavors.
• Vegetables – The aromatics from carrots, onion, garlic, fennel, and celery are released into the broth to give it a well rounded flavor.
• Herbs and seasonings – You can use almost any fresh or dried herbs you like but I particularly love the combination of bay leaves, ginger, thyme, rosemary, and turmeric.

How to make beef bone broth on the stove

Making beef bone broth in the oven and on the stove takes several hours, so be prepared to put in some work! The delicious results are so worth it in the end:

Roast the bones and vegetables

Place the beef bones, carrots, onion, and garlic on a sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil over the garlic, then roast everything for about 40 minutes.

Simmer on the stove

Place the bones and veggies in a large stock pot along with the fennel, celery, bay leaves, ginger, turmeric, and herbs. Add the water, cover with a lid, and bring up the heat until the mixture is simmering.

Bone broth needs to simmer on the stove between 8 to 12 hours. The longer it cooks, the more flavorful it will be. I cooked mine for 10 hours which yielded one 32 oz. jar.

Once it’s done, let it cool completely.

Strain the fat

Place a large fine mesh basket over a large bowl. Carefully pour the broth through the basket and lift it up, letting every last drop drip out.

Transfer the broth to a large jar. Let it sit for a while so the oil can separate and it’s easy to get rid of the excess fat. Alternatively, you can place the jar in the fridge and wait for the oil/fat to solidify. This makes it easy to scoop out.

Use a turkey baster to remove the excess fat and transfer it to a separate jar.

Store or use it right away

Finally, the broth is ready to use! Go ahead and use it right away or seal the jar and store it in the fridge or freezer for later.

Serving suggestions

If you’re planning on drinking the broth by the glass, I recommend adding acid while it cooks, like apple cider vinegar or white wine. The acid will help break down the protein and collagen in the marrow to increase the overall level of protein in each serving.

The herbaceous and light flavors in bone broth make it a great addition to soups, stews, and sauces. Use it as the hearty broth in any of these recipes:

• Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
• French Onion Soup
• Beef and Vegetable Soup
• Keto Beef Stew
• Beef Pot Pie
• Homemade Gravy

Guess what? The leftover fat you strained from the broth is easy to store and use as well! Keep it in a sealed jar in your fridge and use it to fry high heat recipes or for baking.

Frequently asked questions

Which bones should you use to make bone broth?

If you don’t want to use beef marrow bones, you can use this recipe to make bone broth from almost any kind of animal bone. Use only one kind or a whole variety! All of these are great options:

• Chicken, turkey, or duck bones – You can use the whole bird or a combination of feet, neck, or wings. This is a handy recipe to have when the Thanksgiving turkey is done!
• Beef or lamb bones – Knuckles, neck, short ribs, and shanks are especially good. Younger bones will contain more collagen, making veal and lamb bones perfect for a collagen-rich broth.
• Pork bones – Like the hocks, feet, ears, and neck bones.

How long should it simmer?

Beef broth needs to simmer for as little as 8 hours or up to 12 hours.

Can you drink bone broth? 

Bone broth is great to drink not only for the protein and collagen, but it’s also warm and soothing! One cup a day should be enough to indulge in all of the delicious benefits.

How long does it last? 

Bone broth will stay fresh in a sealed jar in the fridge for about 4 days. 

Can you freeze it? 

Absolutely! It freezes really well for up to 6 months and reheats beautifully.

More uses for bone broth

• Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup
• Classic Pot Roast
• Balsamic Braised Short Ribs
• Instant Pot Oxtail

How To Make Bone Broth

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Bone Broth, Broth, Soup

Servings: 1 jar

• 4 grass-fed beef bone marrow
• 3 lb organic carrots, chunks
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 1 head garlic, whole head, top chopped
• 1 whole fennel bulbs, thick slices
• 4 celery stalks, chunks
• 4 bay leaves
• ginger knobs, sliced
• turmeric, whole or sliced
• 12 cups filtered water
• a bundle of fresh/ dried herbs like rosemary and thyme

• Place bones, carrots, onion and garlic in a sheet pan, drizzle a little oil over garlic head and roast at 450F degrees for 40 minutes.

  

• Transfer roasted bones and veggies to a big stock pot or large dutch oven. Add in fennel, celery, bay leaves, ginger and turmeric as well as any herbs you are using. Cover with filtered water* (see notes).

  

• Cover and cook on low-simmer for anywhere from 8-12 hours. The longer the broth cooks the more flavorful it will get, however the broth will reduce the longer it cooks. I cooked mine for 10 hours which yield one jar (32 oz)

• When done cooking the broth, allow it to cool down completely

• Carefully pour the broth through a fine mesk basket that is large enough to hold the solids. Be sure to also have a bowl that is large enough to collect the broth. Lift mesh basket carefully allowing for the last few drops to fall, afterall this is liquid gold!

  

• Transfer broth to a large jar and let it sit for a few minutes for the oil to separate, so that you can get rid of the excess fat. Alternatively, when you refrigerate the broth and the oil/fat will create a thick layer on top and you can scoop that out too.

  

• Once the oil/ fat separates you can use a turkey baster to remove the excess fat contents, which is the top layer (as seen here)**

  

• Once all the fat has been removed, close lid to your jar and refriegerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

  

*mine took about 12 cups of filtered water. Depending on the size of the pot you are using you may need more or less water. Be sure to use enough water to cover the bones and veggies.

**fat can be used in future cooking

Can you simmer bone broth too long?

Should bone broth simmer covered or uncovered?

Is 1 hour enough for bone broth?

Can you simmer bone broth overnight?