Homemade beef broth is the quiet workhorse of a paleo kitchen: roasted beef bones simmered with onion, carrots, celery, thyme, and apple cider vinegar for up to 24 hours until the liquid turns rich and nourishing. Roasting the bones first is what gives the broth its deep, aromatic character. Make a big batch and freeze it — every soup and braise you cook will taste better for it.
MAKES 10–12 CUPS/2400-2840 ML
Adding roasted bones and vegetables to broth makes it more aromatic and flavorful. If you are in a hurry, throw your bones in to the slow cooker with filtered water and apple cider vinegar. You will still make a nutritious broth that will be much more flavorful than any store-bought variety. When you do have the time, I recommend taking the extra steps.
INGREDIENTS
4 lbs/2 kg beef bones
1 medium onion, quartered
2 carrots, peeled and cut in half
2 stalks celery, cut in half
4 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
8–12 cups (2880 ml)/2–3 L filtered water
1 tbsp/15 ml apple cider vinegar
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 450°F/232°C. Place the bones in a roasting pan and roast uncovered for 30 minutes. Transfer the bones to the slow cooker. Add the vegetables, thyme, bay leaf, water and apple cider vinegar. Cook on low for 8–24 hours. Remove all vegetables and bones, and put broth through a strainer. Refrigerate overnight. The fat will have solidified by the next day; remove it and discard or reserve for another use. Discard thyme and bay leaf. Refrigerate broth and use within a few days or freeze.
CHEF’S TIP
Freeze some broth in wide-mouth mason jars to use for soup. Freeze some in muffin tins and, once frozen, transfer to a plastic bag and store in freezer. These ½ cup/120-ml portions are the perfect slow-cooker recipes!
Pro Tips
- Roast the bones at 450°F for 30 minutes before they go in the slow cooker — the browning is what makes this broth dramatically more flavorful than a no-roast version.
- The apple cider vinegar helps draw minerals from the bones; it doesn't make the broth taste sour, so don't skip it.
- Cook as long as you can within the 8 to 24-hour window — the longer simmer extracts more gelatin and body from the bones.
- Refrigerate the strained broth overnight and lift off the solidified fat cap in one piece; save it for cooking rather than discarding.
- Freeze in muffin tins for perfect half-cup portions, or in wide-mouth mason jars for soup-making convenience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does beef broth keep?
About four days refrigerated or six months frozen. The muffin-tin portions mean you can pull exactly what a recipe needs without thawing a whole jar.
Do I have to roast the bones?
In a hurry, you can put raw bones straight into the slow cooker and still get a nutritious broth. When you have the time, roasting is well worth the extra step for depth of flavor.
What kind of beef bones are best?
A mix of marrow bones and joint bones gives the best of both worlds — richness from the marrow and body from the collagen. Ask your butcher for a variety.
Why is my broth cloudy?
A hard boil during cooking emulsifies the fat and turns broth cloudy. Keep the slow cooker on low and strain gently for a clearer, cleaner-tasting result.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- COOKING INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 450°F/232°C.
- Place the bones in a roasting pan and roast uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the bones to the slow cooker.
- Add the vegetables, thyme, bay leaf, water and apple cider vinegar.
- Cook on low for 8–24 hours.
- Remove all vegetables and bones, and put broth through a strainer.
- Refrigerate overnight. The fat will have solidified by the next day; remove it and discard or reserve for another use.
- Discard thyme and bay leaf.
- Refrigerate broth and use within a few days or freeze. CHEF’S TIP Freeze some broth in wide-mouth mason jars to use for soup.
- Freeze some in muffin tins and, once frozen, transfer to a plastic bag and store in freezer. These ½ cup/120-ml portions are the perfect slow-cooker recipes!
