Learn How to Make Broth From Bones and Scraps

Understanding Bone Broth: What It Is and Why People Make It

Bone broth is a liquid made by simmering animal bones and connective tissues in water for an extended period—typically between 12 and 48 hours. During this long cooking process, the bones break down and release nutrients, minerals, and gelatin into the water, creating a rich, flavorful liquid. This method of extracting nutrition from bones has been used across cultures for thousands of years, from traditional Chinese medicine to European cooking techniques.

The bones used in broth-making come from various animals, including chickens, beef cattle, pigs, and fish. Each type of bone produces broth with different flavor profiles and nutritional compositions. Chicken bones create a lighter broth, while beef bones and knuckle joints produce a darker, more robust flavor. Fish bones and heads make broth particularly high in iodine and selenium. The connective tissues attached to bones contain collagen, which breaks down into gelatin during cooking—this is what gives bone broth its distinctive gel-like consistency when cooled.

People make bone broth for several reasons. Some view it as a way to reduce food waste by using parts of animals that might otherwise be discarded. Others are interested in the nutritional content, which includes minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, along with amino acids such as glycine and proline. The broth serves as a cooking base for soups, sauces, and grain dishes, adding depth of flavor and nutrition to meals.

Bone broth differs from regular meat broth or stock. Traditional stock is often made with a mixture of bones and meat simmered for 4 to 8 hours, while bone broth focuses specifically on bones and extended cooking times. The longer simmering period in bone broth extraction allows more minerals and collagen to leach into the liquid. According to nutritional analyses, homemade bone broth contains approximately 15 grams of protein per cup, along with trace minerals and amino acids that accumulate during the extended cooking process.

Practical Takeaway: Before you start making broth, understand that you're essentially extracting minerals and gelatin from bones through a slow, patient cooking process. The type of bones you use will significantly affect the final flavor and nutritional profile of your broth, so choose bones based on what flavors and nutrients you want to emphasize.

Sourcing Bones and Kitchen Scraps for Your Broth

Finding quality bones and scraps is the foundation of making good broth. Many people source bones from butcher shops, which often have bones available at a fraction of the cost of meat. Butchers receive whole animals and break them down into retail cuts, leaving behind bones, joints, and other parts that are perfect for broth-making. When visiting a butcher, ask about knuckle bones, marrow bones, and neck bones—these are particularly rich in collagen and gelatin. Some butchers will give bones away or charge minimal fees, especially if you build a relationship with them and purchase regularly.

Grocery store meat departments are another source. Ask the butcher at your store if they save bones. Many stores are happy to set aside bones that would otherwise be discarded. You can also save bones from meals you cook at home—every time you roast a chicken, make a steak dinner, or prepare pork chops, you can collect the bones. Store these in a freezer bag in your freezer until you have enough to start a broth batch. Home-saved bones work well, though you may need to accumulate them over a few weeks before you have sufficient quantity.

Kitchen scraps that enhance broth include vegetable trimmings like onion skins, carrot peels, celery ends, and garlic cloves. Unlike some cooking applications where you'd discard these items, they add flavor and minerals to broth. Collect scraps in a freezer container as you prepare meals. Avoid using scraps from cruciferous vegetables like cabbage or broccoli, as they can create sulfurous flavors during long cooking. Also skip any moldy or spoiled vegetable pieces, but clean, uncooked scraps from fresh vegetables are valuable additions.

For chicken broth, backs, necks, and wing tips work particularly well. These parts contain more collagen relative to their weight than breast or thigh meat. A single whole chicken, when broken down at home, yields usable bones for broth. Beef knuckle joints, which contain a high proportion of connective tissue, are ideal for beef broth and provide visible gelatin when cooled. Pork neck bones and pig's feet are traditional choices in many cuisines. Fish bones and heads from white fish create a broth with distinct mineral content, though fish broth requires only 4 to 6 hours of cooking rather than the 12 to 48 hours needed for land animal bones.

Practical Takeaway: Build relationships with local butchers and save your own bones from home cooking. Combine these sources to maintain a steady supply of bones in your freezer, and collect vegetable scraps throughout the week to add flavor and nutrition without extra cost.

Preparing Your Bones and Setting Up the Cooking Process

Before placing bones in your pot, you have a choice between two preparation methods: roasting and blanching. Roasting bones before simmering creates a darker, richer broth with deeper flavors through a process called the Maillard reaction, where proteins and sugars brown together at high heat. To roast, spread bones on a baking sheet and place in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 to 45 minutes until they turn golden brown. This step is optional but produces noticeably different flavor profiles—roasted bone broth tends to be darker and more savory than broth made from raw bones.

The blanching method involves placing raw bones in a pot of water, bringing it to a boil, then draining and rinsing the bones before starting the actual broth-making process. This technique removes impurities and excess proteins that can make broth cloudy. Blanching takes approximately 10 minutes and produces a clearer, lighter-colored broth. Both methods are valid; choose based on your preference for broth color and flavor intensity.

Equipment needed is minimal. You'll need a large stockpot or Dutch oven with a capacity of at least 6 quarts to accommodate bones and water with room for gentle simmering. An 8-quart pot provides more flexibility. If you cook frequently, a dedicated stockpot makes the process simpler. A fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth helps separate liquid from solids at the end of cooking. A slotted spoon or skimmer removes impurities that rise to the surface during the first hour of cooking. Optional equipment includes a slow cooker, which offers hands-off cooking, or an Instant Pot, which reduces cooking time to 2 to 3 hours due to pressure cooking, though some people report that longer traditional methods extract more collagen.

Water quality matters more than many people realize. Use filtered or deanified water if possible, as minerals in hard tap water can affect flavor and clarity. Fill your pot with water until bones are covered by approximately 2 inches. A general ratio is 1 pound of bones to 2 quarts of water. Add roughly chopped onion, carrot, and celery pieces—you don't need to peel them, and in fact, the peels add nutrients and color. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar (apple cider vinegar works well) to help extract minerals from the bones, though this step is not strictly necessary. A few peppercorns, bay leaves, and fresh herbs like thyme or parsley are optional flavor additions.

Practical Takeaway: Decide whether you want lighter or richer broth, then choose either the blanching or roasting preparation method accordingly. Gather your equipment before starting, fill your pot with bones and water in proper proportions, and add simple aromatics and vinegar to enhance mineral extraction and flavor development.

The Simmering Process and Managing Your Broth

Once your pot is prepared, bring the water to a boil over high heat. As the broth heats, you'll notice foam and gray scum rising to the surface, especially in the first 20 to 30 minutes. This is denatured protein and impurities. Use a slotted spoon or fine skimmer to remove this layer. Skimming improves the final clarity and flavor of your broth