Outstanding Broth Recipes

In my last post, The Secret to Making Exceptionally Delicious Broth, I explained how to use a herb sachet to attain a more rich tasting broth. I promised you in that post, that I would share my recipes for making homemade broth to put the sachets in.  Broth is not that difficult to make, but how you make it can be key.  It is important to follow the directions specifically, otherwise you might not have the truly outstanding broth that you were hoping for.

I also change up the ingredients in the sachets that I use for different broths because I think that some herbs and spices taste better with specific meats.  If you want to change up the ingredients of your sachets when making broth, don't be afraid to experiment.  You may like your own herb mix better than mine!

Chicken Broth

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of chicken bones
• 1 large onion
• 1 rib of celery
• 1 medium carrot
• salt to taste

Herb Sachet:

• 1 bay leaf
• 1 whole clove
• 2 sprigs fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 sprigs of fresh or 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
• 2 black pepper corns
  

Directions:

1. Cut onion coarsely, cut each celery rib and carrot into 4 pieces
2. In a large stock pot, put chicken bones and veggies and cover with water
3. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer
4. Skim off anything that rises to the surface
5. Add sachet
6. Simmer for 5 hours, adding liquid as needed to cover bones
7. Skim top every 30 minutes
8. Remove from heat and strain through three layers of cheese cloth
9. Prepare an ice bath in your sink, put broth back in pot and immerse in ice bath
10. When broth is room temperature, strain it through cheese cloth or a fine sieve and then return broth to the pot and put in the refrigerator over night
    
11. The next morning remove the layer of fat on the top of the broth
12. Use, or freeze immediately

Pork and Beef Broth

Pork and beef broth are basically identical to make, the only difference is the herb sachet that I use.  I have included both my sachets, you can go with mine, or make your own.

•  4-5 pounds pork or beef bones
• 3 carrots
• 3 ribs of celery
• 1 large onion
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  
• 1/2 sweet red pepper
• salt to taste

Pork Herb Sachet:

• 2 sprigs fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, sliced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large sprig basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 whole black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Beef Herb Sachet:

1 large sprig basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 large sprig rosemary or large pinch of dried rosemary
3 sprigs parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
3 whole black peppercorns
1 medium sage leaf or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage (optional)

I really like the sage, but some people don't like the taste, so it's optional

Directions:

1. Roast the bones.  This will enhance the flavor and give you broth to die for! Put the bones in a roasting pan and bake for 50 minutes at 390 degrees.  You want them browned but not blackened.
2. Remove the bones from the pan, make sure to wipe off any fat and cover with water in a large stock pot
3. On high heat, bring to a boil and skim off any scum or particles on top of the water
   
4. Add the carrots, celery, pepper and onion
5. Lower heat to a slow simmer and cook for 6 hours, skimming about every hour
6. Make sure to keep adding water as needed to keep the bones covered
7. After 8 to 10 hours, strain it through cheese cloth or a fine sieve and then return broth to the pot and put in the refrigerator over night
8. The next morning remove and discard the layer of fat on the top of the broth
9. Use, or freeze immediately

I know it seems like an awfully long time to cook something, and a lot of trouble when you could just toss in a bouillon cube or pour in broth from a carton you bought at the store.  However, you need to take a look at the ingredients in store bought stock or bouillon cubes. This is the ingredient list for Knorr's Chicken Bouillon Cubes:

Salt, monosodium glutamate, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, chicken fat, hydrolyzed soy/corn protein, dehydrated mechanically separated cooked chicken, dehydrated chicken meat, dehydrated chicken broth, autolyzed yeast extract, dehydrated onions & parsley, lactose, water, colour, spices & spice extract, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, citric acid, tartaric acid, hydrogenated soybean oil and sulphites.

The first listed ingredients are salt, MSG and fats, and that is just beginning of the unhealthy ingredients.  Look at all the additives and preservatives, as well as a bunch of stuff I've never heard of.  They also have listed on their site the nutritional information of one serving, and they try to fake you out by putting in the small print that a serving is only HALF a cube.  So that 1 gram of fat and that 1 gram of cholesterol is actually 2, for every cube you add.  Three little bouillon cubes in your soup or sauce just added 6 grams of fat and 6 grams of cholesterol to your meal.....not to mention close to 10,000 mg of salt!  Is this the kind of thing you want to serve to your family?  Or eat yourself?

I don't mean to sound preachy, but it is so important to be aware of what is in the food you eat.  No only for weight purposes, but also for many other things like the preservatives they pour into everything to make it have a long shelf life.  They are more concerned with food spoilage and profits than they are how that junk may affect our health.  This was one of my primary reasons for starting my website and blog Homemade by Jade.  We need to get back to the basics....not only for our health but also for our peace of mind.  Simpler is better, in so many ways.  If you believe as I do, then you are in the right place.

Have a great week!

Jade    :)

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My Favorite Pot for Making Broth

Non-Stick Stock Pot
10.5 Quart

• Non-stick coating
  
• Even heat distribution
• Riveted handle
  
• Tempered glass lid
• Dishwasher safe
  

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