Bone broth! It’s all the rage right now! But I don’t recommend it for most people. Find out why, and what I recommend doing instead.
Why avoid bone broth? Bone broth is good, and contains high levels of minerals and amino acids, including glutamic acid.
But large amounts of glutamic acid can be a problem for some people, especially those who have a leaky gut. Although some people can tolerate bone broth right away, it is advisable for everyone to start with meat stock, and then slowly add bone broth.
If you want more details about the differences between stock and broth, and what things like glutamic acid are, Biodynamic Wellness wrote a wonderful article that you can read for more information!
Important note: you can get a die-off reaction from both meat stock and bone broth. This is a sign of healing, but care should be taken to slowly increase the amount as the person is tolerating. You should always discuss issues with the practitioner you are working with.
How to make Meat Stock:
Ingredients:
Meat (80%) and bones with joint(s) (20%)
Organ meats (optional, but recommended)
2-3 carrots
1-2 celery stalks (on early GAPS, remove the celery before eating)
1 onion
4-6 whole peppercorns
3-4 quarts filtered water (approximately)
1 bunch of fresh parsley
Directions:
Prepare your meat
cut up chicken to expose the joints
braise or roast the beef/buffalo/pork meat briefly (for added flavor)
Add meat and bones to stockpot or dutch oven
Add filtered water, enough to just cover the meat (3-4 quarts)
Turn on the heat, bring to a boil
Cut up onion, carrot and celery
When water comes to a boil, reduce the heat and skim the scum (foam)
the scum is impurities, dirt, blood, bacteria, etc
if you miss this, it's ok but it does make it taste better!
Add chopped vegetables and peppercorns
Simmer for 1.5-3 hrs (chicken) 2-4 hrs (lamb & pork), 3-5 hrs (beef, etc). Do not cook longer than 6 hrs, this will increase the glutamic acid
Add the parsley to the simmering stock 10 minutes before it's done
Allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge
Enjoy the delicious and nutritious stock that you made yourself!
If you are new to this, start by making a pot of stock every week, consuming a little of it daily. You could make different soups with it, or just drink some stock (hot or cold) as a beverage or snack.
Extra Tips:
Meat stock should be a meal--eat it as a basic soup, or add other vegetables and spices to change it into something completely different.
Don't throw out the best parts! If you are dealing with picky eaters (including yourself), you can blend the parts of the meat you don't want to eat (skin, joint cartilages, organ meats) with a little stock liquid. It will make your stock slightly thicker, but it will also increase the nutrition--meaning you will heal faster!
DO NOT THROW OUT THE FAT! This is a vital food for healing. You can keep it on your stock and mix it in as you consume it, or put it aside in the refrigerator and add it to your food one serving at at time.
Most people debone the meat after the stock is cooked. When you do this, you should be left with just a pile of bones--everything else is considered meat.
Store the bones in a freezer bag and when you have a full bag, you can use them to make bone broth later--when you are ready for it!
You can strain the stock into jars (it’s easiest to do this when it is warm) and use it as a base for other soups. Eat or freeze the meat. Again, meat stock is a meal, all the components can and should be eaten.
If you want to freeze meals ahead of time, it's easier to freeze soup instead of stock. Stock tends to expand and can crack the container it is frozen. Soup is less likely to harm the container it is frozen in.
This is only the basic recipe. Use other vegetables and fresh herbs to make a variety of different soups.
It is best to add salt to each serving of soup or stock, instead of salting the entire pot. Salt should be consumed as desired. Always use a whole sea salt (Celtic, Real Salt, or Himalayan).
And after you make your nourishing stock, then you can make a soup! You can read more about how to make soup without a recipe here.