Not long ago, I was quizzing my best friend on how she made her bone broth. I had tried many times, and ended up with bland broth that tasted more like carrots than anything else. Multiple friend interviews, google searches, and batches of bone broth later I can now reliably make a delicious and healthy batch of bone broth.
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- Take your time.
Seriously. Good bone broth takes a long time to cook. I ended up with too many watery tasting batches of broth that I just didn’t let cook long enough. I now let mine cook overnight.
- Use Your Slow Cooker.
No need to monitor a pot on the stove or temperature. Just set it and forget it. We have This One and I love it!
- Roast Your Bones
Roasting helps bring extra flavor to the bones. For me, this usually means using the left-overs from a roasted chicken. If you’re using larger bones (like beef) just roast those in the oven before you start your broth.
- Think About Your Vegetables
Most broth recipes I’ve found call for onions, carrots, and celery. Which is a fantastic combination! But, not for me. My husband detests celery and I find that a little carrot goes a long way in broth. I use a whole onion and one small carrot, or no carrots at all.
- Don’t Forget Garlic and Herbs
Adding garlic and herbs can make a huge difference in the flavor of broth! I add a few cloves of garlic and big bunch of herbs (usually parsley or basil) in the last hour of cooking.
- Don’t Skimp on the Salt
Salt and flavor are really good friends. Flavor likes to leave the party without salt. We love Himalayan Pink Salt. You can save money by buying it in bulk, I order mine from Amazon here. I generally start my broth with about a tablespoon of salt at the very beginning, and then salt to taste at the end adding about a teaspoon at a time. Taste as you go! How are you going to know how delicious your broth is if you don’t taste it?
- Get Creative
Broth doesn’t have to be basic. Get creative and add some extra ingredients. I’ve done batches with ginger, hot peppers, and citrus (not all at once) that have turned out wonderfully.
There you have it. My tips on making a tastier bone broth. Do you make your own broth? What are your tricks for better flavor?
Megan
These are great! Exactly the steps I learned as well!! Mine didn’t start as watery as much as it tasted like straight fat. Thanks for the tips! 🙂
sashamjohns
I’ve never heard of roasting the bones first! I’ll do that next time for sure! I learned a trick years ago. When you put an onion in your bone broth, stick it full of cloves first. The flavor to the broth is AMAZING and it smells just as good.
Kyla
That’s a great tip! I’ve never thought of using cloves before, I’ll have to give it a try.
Katie
I recent heard to add a tablespoon of vinegar to a full crockpot of broth ingredients (add right at the beginning) to help leach out all the health goodness from the bones. I did this on my last batch and got an even richer flavor with no vinegar taste at all!