I am, have always been, a haphazard person. For better or worse. I chronically neglect to read recipes in their entirety before thinking “Hey! That looks good!” and proceed with cooking until I reach that one…. Necessary… Ingredient… That I don’t…. Have….
Or, when I am desperate to try something but in order to make that something I need to make something else to go along with it and instead of it only taking like an hour it takes 3 but it was worth it in the end because I finally scratched that obsessive brain itch.
Or how about this: I’m in the middle of preparing a recipe and have a sudden curiosity of Why did they choose to do it this way? Does everyone do it this way? Well, yes it seems that they do, but why? They sort of give answers but not really, so is it important?
And then there I go, chasing the white rabbit down that internet hole and mucking around for answers until I get irritated and give up.
Well, thank goodness for my smart, go-to people who are cooks and can help out when I’m tunnel-visioned in a pinch.
And that’s where Bone Broth waltzes into this conversation.
~oOo~
Heralded as the healer of like everything, the darling of nutrition, the diva of the DIY cooking, etc etc, etc, Bone Broth is the It Girl. Basically, it’s magic, I guess.
Well anyway, I decided to try my hand at this because I have been feeling under the weather for the past bit. So all I need is bones, right? A-ok. Stop the butcher’s shop on Sunday. "We usually have them but we’re out of bones ’til Monday." Ok. Stop by the ol’ K-Roger, let’s get some cheap bones instead of grass-fed. "Yeah, we usually have ‘em but we’re out ’til Monday."
Cue grumpy face and full-on Well-let’s-try-something-anyway-‘cos-I-am-totes-motivated-to-Do-This-Thang.
I bought the cute, 5.63 lb roasting chicken not quite sure if I was to stick its raw, nude bod in the cooker or if I needed to cook it beforehand. Naturally, this led to Step One of the rabbit hole: how to roast a chicken super fast so that I could get to the recipe I actually wanted to make.
Some notes
1. I did not read the whole recipe over. I am a notorious skimmer, right? So the part about Mr. Chick being at room temperature? Yeah, didn’t happen.
2. Let’s just say (Angie Tribeca? Anyone? Anyone?) Mr. Chick went skinny dipping in a super hot water bath for 15 minutes and that did the trick (not advisable, I’m sure, related to bacteria growth, probably. But it’s almost been a week and I haven’t gotten sick yet after stuffing my face).
3. Make sure to actually note the weight. My chicken was 5.63 pounds. I originally only cooked it for 50 minutes as opposed to the suggested 57 minutes. Uh, it makes a difference.
4. I definitely did not see that you were supposed to roast the chicken breast side up until, yeah, today. But did it make a difference? Uh, no.
How To Cook A Whole Chicken on the Fly
Sort of modified from Claire Trost (original recipe: http://www.scratchmommy.com/how-to-cook-a-whole-chicken-fast/)Ingredients:
1 whole chicken at room temperature (be sure to note the weight, as it will be needed for the cooking time)
Olive oil (generous splash(es))
Sea salt (kosher sea salt, if desired), generous sprinkles
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Optional: 1/2 lemon, 1 key lime, 1/2 regular sized lime; garlic cloves (I used 4)
Instructions:
Heat oven to 500 degrees.
Optional: trim fat and remove giblets. (Note: I was using this chicken for the bones so I skipped this step because I reasoned the giblets would be added nutrients for the broth. I threw them in the cavity with the lime/garlic)
Cover the chicken in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. If lemon or garlic is desired, place in cavity.
Place chicken on a roasting pan. Cover with lid. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes per pound of the chicken, or until the juices run clear. (Example. If using a four pound chicken, roast for 40 minutes.)
Let chicken rest ten minutes upon removal from the oven.
Result: Crispy, tasty, yummy…. It is best served fresh because that luscious skin is soooo fine.
Recipe 1: Win.
~oOo~
Now onto the bone broth. Cue rabbit hole number 2.
Is it really all that it is cracked up to be?
Well, there is an incredible lack of peer-reviewed studies out there regarding this nutritious darling; not that studies don’t have shortcomings, but its nice to be informed where one can be. I did come across one study arguing that bone broth from organic chickens contained levels of lead. Uh, okay. Some snooping around yielded a helpful response article in which the author argues that the methods used in the study were faulty and led to false conclusions. Uh, okay.
The take away points from both of these articles, for me, is the importance of using healthy sources of meat. Lead, particularly, is sequestered away mostly in bone (Hutchinson TC and Meema KM. Lead, Mercury , Cadmium and Arsenic in the Environment, (Wiley, 1987) pp. 53-68.), so—common sensically—it would be a good thing to get meats that are as healthily born, growed, and raised.
So what about the benefits of bone broth? Well, lots, if you read the blogs.
Here’s the thing. I’m totally not against anecdotal evidence; conversely, I’m not 100% for its use as the be-all-end-all of why I should do something. I prefer to critically examine studies, as well (as my father says, “Any text taken out of context can be a pre-text for a proof text”). Basically, anecdotes and studies can be useful, helpful, and truthful…. To an extent. Don’t try to make its usefulness go beyond its intended limit.
PHEW. It’s a wonder I get anything done at all!
For this recipe, I’m making it specific to chicken bones because beef bones are a little more tricky, so I’ve been told.
Chicken Bone Broth
(Modified from multiple sources: see source list)Step One: Soaking
Bones4 T Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
1 Gallon COLD water (or enough to cover bones)
Put bones, water, and ACV in pot and let sit for 20-30 minutes. This step ostensibly allows the nutrients in the bones to be more available.
Step Two: Blanching (optional)*
2 lbs of organic, pasture fed/grassfed chicken bones
1 gallon cold water
Place bones in water and let boil for 20 minutes.
Step Three: Roasting
The flavor improving stage!Preheat oven to a raunchy 450*. Place bones onto baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until bones are roasty-toasty golden brown.
Step Four: Cooking
Previously soaked bones and water1 onion
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
Add roughly chopped vegetables, cover, and bring concoction to just below a simmer. Now cook. And cook. And cook. Can be anywhere for 8-24 hours for chicken bones (I cooked mine until most of the bones crumbled between pinched fingers, roughly 20 hours). Monitor closely to make sure liquids don’t run dry. I added water once and it did not affect the flavor at all.
Once done cooking, cool quickly. Or until its cooled enough to handle (it will still be hot), place in appropriate containers to freeze or refrigerate. Please note: According to this dude (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/dining/bending-the-rules-on-bacteria-and-food-safety.html), “it’s always best to strain, cool and chill it as rapidly as possible” in order to prevent harmful bacteria from colonizing. Food poisoning ain’t fun, folks.
Step Five: Eating!!! Or Freezing
Drain the bones/other stuff (I squished everything to make sure I got every single drop I could) and discard. Place in the refrigerator immediately or drink (if you want to add salt, add just before consumption. Keeps 5-7 days in the fridges.Notes:
*The jury is out on whether to blanch or not blanch. Proponents argue that blanching helps remove impurities from the bones. Based on my understanding of how toxins are stored in bones, I’m not sure how much good this step would do since you’re getting ready to cook the crap out of the bones, anyway. But I may be wrong!In this same vein, others (like this blog post) say that it is for a clearer broth.
On re-heating: different people have different opinions; some say that using a microwave converts a good amino acid to a bad one so DON’T USE IT LIKE EVER (emphasis mine). I personally re-heat mine on the stove at a low temp.
On storing: Visit the BrothWhisperer (https://brothwhisperer.wordpress.com/storing-freezing-and-reheating-bone-broth/) for an excellent step-by-step process of keeping broth.
I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed drinking the broth. Very rich and luscious (and works quite well as a lip moisturizer as you sippy-sip its wonderfulness. Warmed, salted with freshly ground Pink Himalayan Sea Salt (so fancy) and poured in a cute lil pottery mug…. Ahhhh.
Alas, my body didn’t revert to my pre-25 body-of-perfection as they were saying it would (basically), but it wasn’t bad (and I only had enough for like 3-4 days, so there’s that).
I didn’t use the broth for a soup base but I’m sure it would Rock It Out Of This World.
Recipe 2: Satisfactory Accomplishment
Done (for now).
~oOo~
Who has tried bone broth? Loved it, hated it, ambivalent?
OH MAN P.S
I’m currently making bone broth from beef bones right now. With “chicken paws.” I feel like a witch.
When I blanched the bones, OMG THE SMELL. IT WAS AWFUL. So basically, there will be a follow-up post to this post regarding bone broth from beef bones.
Peace.
Source List:
Wellness Mama (https://wellnessmama.com/5888/how-to-make-bone-broth/): Very helpful for the basic recipe for both chicken and beef bone broth recipes. The comments are helpful, too!
Holistic Squid (http://holisticsquid.com/making-chicken-bone-broth-from-basic-to-adventurous/): As the name states, bone broth from basic to adventurous. Chicken heads, chicken feet!!
Casaveneracion (http://casaveneracion.com/homemade-bone-broth-ultimate-guide/): “The Ultimate Guide.” Oh, yeah!
Brothwhisperer (https://brothwhisperer.wordpress.com/2015/01/07/myths-about-cooking-bone-broth/): Entertaining (“Welcome to the broth-erhood”), educational, and great for troubleshooting.
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