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Meat Stock and Bone Broth: Nutritious and Healing Dietary Staples

French chefs have a term, fonds de cuisine, which literally translates as “the foundation and working capital of the kitchen.” Meat stock and bone broth provide just that, the foundation of both the kitchen and, ultimately, one’s physical health. A common question among many people is: What is the difference between stock and broth? The two words are often used interchangeably by the most educated of chefs.
For the purpose of this article, meat stock is made with meat on the bone and is cooked just long enough to completely cook the meat, and bone broth is made from bones with the meat removed and is cooked longer to extract more of the nutrients.
Meat stock is especially rich in gelatin and free amino acids, such as proline and glycine. These nutrients, which are particularly beneficial in healing and strengthening connective tissue in our bodies, are pulled out of the meat and connective tissue during the first several hours of cooking meaty fish, poultry, beef, or lamb. Properly prepared meat stock supports good digestion and promotes proper secretion of hydrochloric acid, which is needed for breaking down proteins in the stomach. The gelatin, a major component of the stock, also assists in the proper digestion of proteins. In addition, it improves the integrity of collagen, which is reflected in the improved appearance of the skin as well as in the lessening of digestive tract inflammation. The gelatin also enhances the digestibility of grains and legumes cooked in meat stock.
Meat stock is especially recommended for people whose primary focus is on healing the gut, although bone broth may be added to their diet once gut healing has taken place. This is of particular relevance to those who are following the GAPS Diet, created by Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome, which uses nutrient-dense foods to heal and seal the gut wall. Meat stock is used in the beginning stages of the diet, and bone broth in later stages, as gut healing advances.
Some people with longstanding digestive issues, such as leaky gut syndrome (excessive permeability of the gut lining, potentially leading to food allergies and intolerances and autoimmune conditions), find that if they introduce bone broth too early, prior to the sealing of the gut, they have reactions to the free glutamates that result from the longer cooking of the gelatin. Those who are sensitive to MSG will generally be sensitive to these free glutamates until their guts are healed (children who are autistic or ADD/ADHD and who suffer from seizures or tics are likely to be among that group). Free glutamates include not only MSG but glutamine and glutamic acid. These are excitoxins, which encourage inflammation in the gut and brain and can have a damaging effect on neurons. Cooking broth at a very low temperature (slow simmer) will minimize the formation of free glutamates.
Bone broth’s main advantage is its high quantity of mineral salts and other nutrients, including glucosamine, extracted from the bone and cartilage.
Rich in the minerals necessary to build strong teeth and bones, it is an invaluable addition to the diet of young children and all who desire optimal health. It also serves as an excellent replacement for milk in the diet of those who are lactose intolerant.
The recipes below are based on Dr. Campbell-McBride’s method of preparing meat stock. Excellent bone broth recipes can also be found in Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions (she refers to these as stock). This cookbook should be in every kitchen. Once homemade stock and broth are introduced, they will be welcomed staples to your diet.
Both meat stock and bone broth can be made using the same bones. It is simple to begin your meat stock and then, after cooking for several hours, remove the carcass for deboning. Reserve the meat for eating and return the bones to the pot with fresh water. Continue cooking for 4 to 48 hours, depending upon the type of bones. Stock and broth can be stored in the refrigerator for several days with the layer of fat on top to prevent oxidation or frozen in the freezer for several months. Unused stock or broth in the refrigerator may be reheated, cooled, and returned to the refrigerator for several more days before consuming.
Fish meat stock
Ingredients
- 2 medium non-oily fish, such as sole or snapper
- 4 or more quarts of purified water
- 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
Assortment of vegetables, such as:
- 1-2 medium yellow onions
- 2-4 carrots
3-4 celery stalks bouquet garni (tie together using cooking twine):
- fresh bay leaf
- fresh thyme, rosemary, sage
- Celtic Sea Salt, 1-2 teaspoons, to be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking parsley, to be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking
Directions
Rinse fish in purified water. Remove meat from the fish and reserve for cooking. Place bones, fins, tails, skin, and heads in the pot. Add remaining ingredients. Fill pot with purified water. Allow the pot and its contents to stand for 30 minutes, giving the raw apple cider vinegar time to draw minerals out of the bones. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Add parsley and salt during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the fish bones and other large parts. Strain the stock. Set aside remaining ingredients for preparing fish bone broth.
Chicken, pheasant, or turkey meat stock
Follow above recipe, substituting these ingredients for the fish: 1 whole chicken, pheasant, or turkey; 2-4 chicken, pheasant, or turkey feet (optional); and 1-2 chicken, pheasant, or turkey heads (optional).
Rinse chicken, feet, and heads in purified water, and cut whole chicken in half down the middle lengthwise before cooking. After cooking, remove the chicken and other large parts. Debone and reserve the meat for eating. It will be delicious. Strain the stock. Set aside remaining ingredients for preparing chicken bone broth.
Beef or lamb meat stock
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds of bone marrow and knuckle bones
- 3 pounds of meaty ribs or neck bones
- 1 calf’s foot, if available, cut into pieces (optional)
- 4 or more quarts of purified water
- 2 teaspoons Celtic Sea Salt
- 4 ounces raw apple cider vinegar
Assortment of vegetables, such as:
- 1-2 medium yellow onions
- 2-4 carrots
- 3-4 celery stalks
1 teaspoon dried peppercorns, crushed bouquet garni (tie together using cooking twine):
- fresh bay leaf
- fresh thyme, rosemary, sage
- parsley, to be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking
Directions
Place the bones, meat, and joints into a large pot. You may choose to roast the meaty bones in an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until well browned, for extra flavor, before placing them in the pot. Add remaining ingredients. Fill pot with purified water. Allow the pot and its contents to stand for 60 minutes, giving the raw apple cider vinegar time to draw minerals out of the bones. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 hours. Add parsley during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the beef and other large parts. Debone and reserve the meat for eating. Strain the stock. Set aside remaining ingredients for preparing beef or lamb bone broth.
Additional ingredients to consider for variety would include garlic, ginger, and lemon rind. Avoid adding starchy vegetables to your stock.
Bone broth recipes
To make bone broth, you may follow the above recipes and after deboning, add additional purified water and continue cooking the remaining ingredients according to these recommendations:
- Fish bone broth: Simmer for 4 hours.
- Chicken, pheasant, or turkey bone broth: Simmer for 12 to 24 hours.
- Beef or lamb bone broth: Simmer for 36 to 48 hours.
About the Author
Kim Schuette, CN, has been in private practice in the field of nutrition since 1999. She earned her license as a Certified Nutritionist in 2002, and established Biodynamic Wellness, now located in Solana Beach, California. Kim is a Certified GAPS Practitioner under the training of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and has been trained in hair mineral analysis, salivary hormone balancing, and blood chemistry assessment. She teaches workshops centered on the work of Drs. Weston A. Price and Melvin Page and is a member of PPNF. Visit her websites: biodynamicwellness.com and gapsinfo.com.
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Published in the Price-Pottenger Journal of Health & Healing
Winter 2012 – 2013 – Volume 36 Number 4
Copyright © 2012 Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Inc.®
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