How to Make Gelatinous Broth

It’s that time of year — The teenagers all seem to be getting sick while Jay and I are hiding out trying to get them to keep their dang germs to themselves.

With that, I’ve been getting back on the immune support train and made a batch of healthy meat broth yesterday. Sicknesses aside, I love this time of year when we focus more on comforting warm meals.

I was posting about it on social media and I was flooded with messages asking how the heck I can make a simple pot of chicken broth turn into gel. Here’s the thing about broth, the magic is in the gel.

Gelatinous broth is not just delicious but full of collagen, amino acids, minerals, and gut healing gelatin.

But that gel seems to be a little elusive with many making broth that turns out a bit more watery than they’re hoping for. So what’s the secret? Check out my tips!

Broth Ingredients:

1. Bones and Meat: To make a gelatinous broth, you'll need a mixture of bones and meat. Chicken, beef, and pork bones, are all great choices — Shameless plug, all are available from Central Park Farms.

   Including meat with some fat will enhance the flavour.

   If you plan to use beef bones, ask your butcher to cut them open to expose more of the inside of the bones. Here at CPF we make sure ours are cut and that there’s still some meat on them to help make your broth even better.

   Personally, I use chicken wings as my star of the show because you want bones that have cartilage, tendons, skin, and ligaments to really get that rich gel.

   Remember, high quality bones and meat are important for making great broth!

2. Vegetables: You'll want aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, and garlic for added depth of flavour. I also like to toss in a few pieces of ginger for extra flavour.

3. Herbs and Spices: Bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns are common choices to season the broth but in our house, I just add some salt.

   Here’s the key though, keep in mind what your plans are for the broth so you don’t over salt it — You can always add extra when using your broth like I do.

4. Cold Water: Use cold water to cover the ingredients.

Tools:

1. Large Pot: You'll need a pot large enough to accommodate all your ingredients and water.

2. Fine Mesh Strainer: This is essential for straining out solids.

3. Optional Cheesecloth or Muslin: You'll use this to strain the broth further for clarity. I don’t do this because I’m ok with impurities in my broth and mine still comes out pretty clear.

4. Containers: Have jars or containers ready to store your finished broth.

Now, let's get started making meat and bone broth:

Step 1: Add bones, vegetables, spices, and water to the pot.

• The key here is that you don’t want a huge amount of water compared to the quantity of bones or you’re diluting the good stuff that gives you the gel texture. The water should just cover the bones.

Step 2: Simmering the Broth

• Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Don’t let it boil for long, as soon as it starts boiling reduce the heat down.

• Skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface during the initial simmer. I do this with a small mesh strainer.

Step 3: Rolling Simmer

• Ok here’s where I differ from those who always say to cook for hours upon hours. While that is true if you’re making bone broth out of only tough beef bones, if you’re making meat broth with softer bones with lots of good cartilage, ligaments, meat, skin, and fat, like chicken wings you really don’t need to cook it forever and a day.

• I cook my chicken broth when making it with wings for about 3-4 hours.

• Maintain a rolling and steady simmer throughout the cooking process. Not a heavy boil but I don’t have time for that weak one bubble every few seconds kind of simmer either.

• Keeping the lid off can help concentrate the broth due to water evaporation but to be honest, I often leave the lid on and still always get the gel I’m looking for.

• Check the water level occasionally and add more as needed to keep the bones covered but don’t overdo the water, you don’t want to dilute it.

Step 4: Straining the Broth

• Once the broth has simmered to perfection, strain it through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot or large bowl.

• If desired, for even clearer broth, strain it again through a cheesecloth or muslin.

• Don’t forget to eat the meat! I always use it for things like chicken salad for sandwiches or in any dish that calls for pulled chicken.

Step 5: Storing the Broth

• Allow the broth to cool before transferring it to jars or containers for storage.

• You can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze it for longer term storage.

What do I use my broth for?

In our house, typically we simply drink chicken broth warm from a mug but it’s also great for making soup, gravies, and to add a healthy boost to rice, quinoa, and other dishes.

Personally I love making pastina in brodo which is an Italian dish made with meat stock (traditionally made with chicken and beef), lots of super tiny noodles, and freshly grated Parmesan on top or a slice of creamy cheese. My previous mother-in-law is Italian and this was a go-to dish she would make.

There you have it, my quick tips for making wiggly, giggly, broth at home. Now for those new to making broth, you won’t know it’ll gel until its cold and once warmed it goes right back to a thin consistency. And, don’t worry if it doesn’t gel — It’ll still be healthy and delicious and you can try again next time.