Spicy Ginger Bone Broth

Since ancient times, humans have boiled bones and other animal parts to make broth. It’s in our DNA! Every culture has its own unique permutations of the basic concept,  utilizing different animal components and including additional ingredients for flavor and healing properties. 

There’s just something inherently comforting and soothing about a warm bowl of broth. Autumn is the perfect time to join the tradition. Get out your crockpot and learn how to make your own bone broth with our simple recipe. 

Let’s unpack some common questions about bone broth as we go. 

What Makes Bone Broth Different from Other Broths and Stocks? 

Home cooks and professional chefs around the world use animal carcasses and scraps from cooking to make stocks and broths, but bone broth is a little different. The emphasis is - unsurprisingly - on bones, meaning fewer meat scraps are included. 

Bone broth is cooked for longer than other broths, and vinegar is often included as an ingredient. Both the longer cooking time and the vinegar are meant to help break down bones and extract minerals from them. This creates a nutritious broth with a delicious, subtle taste.

You can get creative with your broth add-ins as you craft your own ideal blend. In our recipe, we add warming ginger and hot peppers for a nourishing, tasty broth that soothes your stomach. 

How Can You Use Bone Broth? 

No well-stocked kitchen (pun intended) is complete without homemade broth or stock on hand. It’s easy to freeze bone broth in freezer bags or jars for use throughout the winter months. Here’s a few ways to enjoy bone broth every day:

• Sip a mug of warm broth before bed 

• Use it as a base for a homemade soup, stew, or ramen

• Cook grains or beans in it (instead of water) for additional flavor

• Use it as an ingredient in sauces and casseroles

Benefits of Bone Broth

In recent years, bone broth swept the country as the latest superfood trend. It was said to purportedly heal your joints, fix your gut, and promote weight loss. While it’s not a magical panacea, it is a good addition to a well-rounded, healthy diet. (1) Let’s look at the main (research-supported) benefits of homemade bone broth: 

1. It’s a great source of potassium and selenium. In fact, two cups of homemade beef bone broth contain more potassium than a banana! Potassium and selenium are essential minerals that support cardiovascular health, strong bones and muscles, and thyroid function. (2)

2. Bone broth is a good source of electrolytes. This is especially true if you add some salt after cooking! If you’re dehydrated or depleted, bone broth is an excellent way to restore electrolyte balance in your body. 

3. Bone broth contains protein. Neither bone broth or collagen is a complete protein (like meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy), but like any protein source it may help improve satiety and support weight loss efforts. (3)

4. Utilizing meat scraps reduces food waste. Nose-to-tail cooking creates more balance in your diet and in the world. 

5. You can control what goes into your bone broth when you make it at home. Use bones from humanely-treated animals, if available, and filtered water. Experiment with add-ins until you find a unique combination that you love! 

Benefits of Ginger and Hot Peppers

For a spicy, warming kick, we include fresh ginger and dried poblano peppers in our bone broth. Not only is ginger delicious, but also it can soothe an upset stomach and improve digestion. (4) If you want to improve your gut health, look for ways to incorporate ginger into your cooking. 

Research supporting the health benefits of hot peppers is promising as well. (5) Dietary capsaicin (this is what makes hot peppers hot!) may improve metabolic function, support fat loss, and bolster liver health. 

Is Bone Broth Safe?

On the heels of the hype promoting bone broth as a superfood came reports that it was filled with lead and other toxic minerals. Rest assured -- this fear-mongering is unjustified. Homemade bone broth is quite safe, as demonstrated in a thoughtful study by Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, a functional medicine practitioner. 

Dig into the study for yourself through her bone broth report download. The study demonstrates that homemade beef bone broth falls well under government guidelines for safe toxic mineral content for even drinking water. 

How to Make Your Own Spicy Ginger Bone Broth

Ready to roll your sleeves up and make your own batch of bone broth? You’ll need a large roasting pan, a crockpot, and the following ingredients: (Click here to print!)

• 2 lbs mixed large and small bones, rinsed and dried (a small butcher shop or a health food store with a meat counter are good places to find high-quality animal bones)

• Filtered water

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 yellow onion

• 1 large carrot

• 1/4 cup peeled, roughly chopped ginger root

• 2 dried poblano peppers 

• 1 tablespoon freshly ground ground black pepper 

Step 1: Roast the bones. This step is important for rich, umami flavor. Preheat the oven to 450°F and place bones in a large roasting pan. Roast until just shy of burnt, approximately 30 minutes. 

Step 2: Soak the bones. Transfer the bones (along with any crispy bits from the roasting pan) to your crockpot. Add the vinegar and cover with water. Let sit for 30 minutes before turning the crockpot on.

Step 3: Simmer your broth. After the bones have soaked, turn your crockpot to high and bring the broth to a simmer. During the first hour of cooking, check your broth regularly and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Continue simmering on high, adding water as needed to keep the bones covered, for 24 hours. 

Step 4: Add remaining ingredients and simmer some more! Add the onion, carrot, ginger, peppers, and black pepper. Simmer on high for another 12-24 hours, or until the bones are falling apart and the broth is a rich, dark color. 

Step 5: Strain, cool, and store. Strain your broth thoroughly and bring it down to temperature as quickly as possible. You can do this by transferring the broth to a glass jar and placing the jar in an ice bath, or you can just add a couple cups of ice to the broth. It should be quite reduced at this point, so dilution shouldn’t be an issue. 

Store your broth in the refrigerator for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Glass jars or freezer bags are great storage options. (Don’t fill to the brim if freezing!)

Note: Salt your bone broth to taste when you use it. This way you can control how much salt you want in the broth you drink vs. the broth you use in soups, and so on. 

Conclusion 

Bone broth is a nourishing comfort food, especially as we move into a chillier time of year. I love to make bone broth, but I also keep cartons stocked so it’s always on hand.

A company that offers a very high-quality bone broth with several flavor options is Kettle and Fire. A couple of my favorite flavors are the Butternut Squash soup and the Turmeric Ginger broth for flavoring vegetable stir-fries. 

You can get 10% off your order by using my exclusive coupon code: BRIDGIT10. Try Kettle and Fire bone broth here!

Make broth when you can but always keep on hand!

---

Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.

---