For the last few winters, I have been making my own lamb and beef broth and as the days have drawn in over the last few weeks my mind has again turned to broth making. When the rain is falling and the wood fire is cranking out heat, it is so easy to put a large saucepan on top of the wood heater and get some stock going.
Broth is a great addition to any kitchen and can be used as the basis for stews, casseroles, curries, soups and sauces or consumed on its own for great health benefits.
For the Best Broth, Choose the Best Ingredients you can afford
Grass-fed meat grown without chemicals or artificial hormones will provide the best health outcomes for you and will help sustain you through the dreaded winter lurgy season and help your gut microbiome fight off the nasties.
Creating a delicious broth is easy and a great way to use up left over vegetables and the end remnants of previous stews and curries.
How to start
Building a broth from scratch is the starting point. If you are growing your own vegetables (and here’s 9 reasons why you should), then this is a great way to use up any over production you have from the garden. Choose vegetables that you love – their flavours will permeate the whole broth and make it enjoyable for you to drink.
Broth is a great starter for a casserole and you can add spices and additional herbs to it as you go to enhance the grass-fed meat and garden grown vegetables even further. Below is my basic recipe – but you can add whatever you like! The goodness comes from the beef or lamb bones as well as the extras, so why not start with the basics and mix it up as you go.
Once you have a basic broth you can also use it as a starter for the next batch, layering flavours as you go can give you a rich, deep flavour which will enhance those lovely winter slow cooked dishes. This is slow food at its best!
Beef or Lamb Broth
A delicious way to nourish yourself during the cold days of winter this easy beef or lamb broth can be consumed on its own or used as a base for delicious warming casserole or curry.
- Slow Cooker
- Cast Iron Casserole
- 1 kg beef or lamb bones (Grass fed and chemical free)
- 1 kg mixed vegetables (use at least onion, garlic, carrot and celery for a basic broth. Add capsicum, swede, turnip, cauliflower or anything you want to use up as well)
- 2 litres water
- 1 pinch salt
Peel and dice the vegetables into medium size pieces.
Place them in a slow cooker with the lamb bones and bits and cover the lot with filtered tap water or rain water.
If you don’t want to leave it on your wood heater or stove top overnight, you can set the slow cooker going on a low setting and keep it going for around 24 hours. That way you will get every ounce of goodness out of the bones and the other ingredients.
After 24 hours allow the mix to cool a little, strain off the liquid to remove the remains of the bones and vegetables.
This broth is delicious and nutritious and makes a lovely warming drink on a cold winter afternoon. Personally I prefer chicken but many people love a deeply flavoured beef broth.
Or place the liquid in smallish freezer containers and place in the freezer for use later. I use 250ml containers so I know I have a cup of broth on hand when I need it.
Add them to soups, casseroles and curries for an extra layer of goodness and flavour.
The best thing for me is knowing exactly what is going into my broth and more importantly that there are no unauthorised chemicals or “numbers” going in. For a few minutes’ preparation and storage you will have broth is clean and healthy.
You can build another broth from the remnants of your first broth to give it a more complex flavour if that is what you like. Add spices, curry flavours and thicken it with tapioca flour or cornflour and you have the basis of a delicious meal.
What do you do with your meat bones? I’d love to hear your ideas – feel free to comment below!
Meanwhile, happy broth making – the weather is perfect for it!
