Once you use this beef bone broth recipe, you’ll never want to go back to buying store bought again! I’ve taken a lovely and decadent recipe by Rhoda Boone I found on Epicurious and adapted it to make a more affordable, bulk batch of delicious beef broth.

Be sure to visit my Chicken Broth Recipe for instructions on how to bag your broth to both store and thaw it easily!

Quality Matters when Making Beef Bone Broth at Home

When it comes to nourishment, you are what your food eats. It’s really important to source grass-fed beef from reputable farms (local is best!) to obtain the most nutrients out of what you’re feeding yourself and your family.

Optimum health requires animal foods and fats. Vitamins A, D, K2, B12, B6, Zinc, essential fatty acids, and amino acids are all beneficial nutrients. You will find some of these beneficial nutrients exclusively in sustainably raised animal products.

Conventionally Raised vs. Pasture Raised

Conventionally raised animals are typically raised in ultra-confinement conditions with little to no access to the outdoors. They are almost always fed artificially with inexpensive GMO feed. They are often given performance-enhancing drugs which causes them to be efficient and profitable. There is also usually zero regard to humane processing options available when it comes to conventional meat. Modern conveniences do not come with consequences on both the animals well-being and the health of those consuming the meat products produced this way.

Pasture raised animals are raised primarily outdoors with appropriate access to shelter to protect them against the elements. They are almost always fed expensive non-GMO feed or grass. They are not given antibiotics (mainly because it’s often unnecessary in their living conditions with no confinement). These animals are typically processed humanely with care and thanks being given to the animal. Regenerative farming is also common with these farming methods.

Making beef bone broth at home requires some homework, if you want to do it right.

Know Your Farmer(s)

The most important thing to consider when sourcing animal products we consume is not always looking for the cheapest cut. Sometimes we are in positions where we have to consider the cost of our food. I am currently one of those people. Based on what I know, though, I can no longer make a decision based ONLY on the lowest price tag.

I think what we have been conditioned to blindly do in our culture is walk up to the meat section of our grocery store and not consider it’s origination. We don’t ask questions like, “Did this animal have access to sunshine and grass over the course of it’s life?” Instead we tend to think more like, “What’s on sale this week?”

There are nutrients our bodies require to obtain optimum health. Some of those are EXCLUSIVELY found in animal products raised in the right environment (pasture raised, etc.) These nutrients are simply not found in nature outside of these conditions.

Let’s stop considering simply the cost of the meat we are buying. But, let’s also consider the cost of what looking the other way could mean for these animals, as well as our health. Are you with me?

Print Recipe

Beef Bone Broth

The best tasting beef bone broth recipe I’ve ever used, adapted from Rhoda Boone’s recipe available on epicurious.com. Makes plenty to freeze and goes much further than most beef broth recipes do!

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

12-24 hours

Passive Time

12-24 hours

Servings

quarts

Ingredients

• 4-5 lbs beef bones knuckle bones, soup bones, broth bones are all great (with some meat on them, preferably) mixed with some marrow bones is ideal
• 4 medium unpeeled carrots roughly chopped
• 2 large leeks ends trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 medium yellow onions quartered
• 2 heads fresh garlic halved crosswise, skin left on
• 4 stalks celery cut into 2 inch pieces, with leaves preferably
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 Tb apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
• 3 Tb black peppercorns
• 12 qt heavy stockpot or larger

Prep Time 1 hour Cook Time 12-24 hours Passive Time 12-24 hours Servings quarts Ingredients 4-5 lbs beef bones knuckle bones, soup bones, broth bones are all great (with some meat on them, preferably) mixed with some marrow bones is ideal 4 medium unpeeled carrots roughly chopped 2 large leeks ends trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces 2 medium yellow onions quartered 2 heads fresh garlic halved crosswise, skin left on 4 stalks celery cut into 2 inch pieces, with leaves preferably 4 bay leaves 2 Tb apple cider vinegar 2 tsp Himalayan sea salt 3 Tb black peppercorns 12 qt heavy stockpot or larger

Instructions

1. Thaw meat enough to handle each piece individually.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Place beef bones, carrots, leeks, onions, and garlic pieces on a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet lined with desired liner and roast for 20 minutes.
4. Remove pans and stir contents as best as possible and roast for an additional 20 minutes, until deeply browned.
5. Add to the bottom of your heavy stockpot and add celery, bay leaves, apple cider vinegar, salt and peppercorns.
6. Add approximately 6+ quarts of filtered water (to fill pot if 12qt pot, measure if pot is larger) and bring to a boil, covered.
7. Once boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer and continue covering and simmering for 12-24 hours. (I prefer 24 hours.)
8. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle. Strain into a large, heat-safe bowl through a cheesecloth and allow to cool more, if needed.
9. Store in flat food saver bags for best storage and quicker thawing!

Recipe Notes

Be sure to see my Making Chicken Broth at Home Recipe for specific suggestions on storing your broth using my Food Saver method!

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