How to Make Bone Broth from Grass-Fed Bones

Bone broth comes down to bones, water, a splash of vinegar, and time, simmered anywhere from 12 to 24 hours depending on your method. A mix of marrow bones and joint bones gives the richest result, since marrow adds fat and flavor while joints add the collagen that turns into gelatin. Roasting the bones first deepens the flavor, and you’ll know it turned out right if the cooled broth sets into a soft gel.

How to make bone broth from grass-fed bones starts with the same basic process people have used for generations, just with more attention to sourcing than a store shelf usually offers. I’m Tray, and bone broth is one of those things we keep a steady rotation of at Sugar Hill Farm, especially once the weather turns.

The process is simple, but a few details make the difference between a thin, watery liquid and a rich, gelled broth worth building meals around.

Why the Bones You Start With Matter

Bone broth pulls flavor, minerals, and collagen out of the bones over a long simmer, which means the quality of the starting bones shows up directly in the final result. Bones from cattle raised on pasture their entire lives carry a different mineral and fat profile than bones from grain-finished cattle, the same underlying reason grass-finished muscle meat differs from grain-finished.

Beyond that, a long simmer is an efficient way to use parts of the animal that would otherwise go to waste. It’s one of the more practical, low-cost ways to stretch a beef order further.

Choosing the Right Bones

A mix of bone types gives the best broth. Marrow bones contribute rich fat and deep flavor, while joint and knuckle bones are loaded with the connective tissue that breaks down into gelatin, the thing responsible for that thick, silky texture good broth is known for.

Using only marrow bones gives you a flavorful broth that stays thin. Using only joint bones gives you a broth that gels well but can taste a bit flat. A combination of both is worth seeking out if you have the option.

Our Grass-Fed Marrow and Soup Bones include a mix suited for exactly this, ready to go straight from the freezer into your stockpot.

Roasting the Bones First

Roasting bones before simmering isn’t required, but it makes a real difference in flavor. Spread the bones on a sheet pan and roast at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, until they’re deeply browned.

This step builds the same kind of flavor a good sear builds on a steak, through browning reactions that a plain simmer can’t replicate on its own. If you’re short on time, you can skip this step, but the difference in the final broth is noticeable enough that it’s worth the extra half hour when you have it.

Building the Broth

Place the bones, roasted or not, into a large stockpot and cover with cold water by a couple of inches. Add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar, which helps draw minerals out of the bones during the long simmer.

Bring the pot to a low simmer, not a rolling boil, and skim off any foam that rises to the surface in the first hour. Add aromatics like onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and a bay leaf once the initial skimming is done.

Let it simmer gently, partially covered, for as long as your method and schedule allow. Longer generally means more collagen extracted and a richer final broth, up to a point of diminishing returns.

How Long to Simmer

Stovetop and slow cooker methods both benefit from the longer end of their ranges if you have the time. A pressure cooker gets you most of the way there in a fraction of the time, a good option if you want real bone broth without dedicating an entire day to it.

Straining and Storing

Once the simmer is done, strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the bones and vegetables. Let it cool slightly before transferring to storage containers, since hot liquid can crack glass jars if poured in too quickly.

Bone broth keeps in the refrigerator for about a week and in the freezer for several months. Freezing in smaller portions, like ice cube trays or small containers, makes it easy to pull out exactly what a recipe calls for without thawing the whole batch.

How to Tell If It Turned Out Right

Good bone broth sets into a soft, jiggly gel once fully chilled in the refrigerator. That gel is a direct sign of the collagen that converted into gelatin during the long simmer, and it’s the clearest indicator that the process worked.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t gel as firmly as store-bought bone broth concentrate, which is often reduced further than a homemade batch. A gentle wobble is a good sign. Once reheated, the broth returns to a liquid state either way.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Boiling instead of simmering is the most common mistake. A hard boil breaks down fat and creates a cloudy, greasy broth rather than the clean, rich result a gentle simmer produces. Keep the heat low enough that you see occasional bubbles, not a constant rolling boil.

Skipping the vinegar is another mistake worth avoiding. It plays a real role in helping draw minerals out of the bones over the long cook, even though the amount used is small.

The third mistake is not simmering long enough. A broth pulled after just a few hours on the stovetop won’t extract nearly as much collagen as one given the full 12-24 hours, and the difference shows up clearly in whether it gels once cooled.

Adjusting the Recipe to Your Taste

Once you’ve made a basic batch, there’s plenty of room to adjust. Adding extra aromatics like fresh ginger, star anise, or a parmesan rind toward the end of the simmer can shift the flavor in a direction that suits how you plan to use the broth.

Salt is worth leaving out entirely during the cooking process. Since broth often reduces and gets used as a base for other salted dishes, salting at the end, or in the recipe you’re using the broth for, gives you more control over the final result.

If you prefer a more concentrated broth, you can simmer it uncovered for the final hour or two to reduce it further. This intensifies both the flavor and the gel strength once it’s chilled.

Using Your Bone Broth

Bone broth works as a base for soups and stews, a cooking liquid for rice or grains, or simply warmed and sipped on its own. It’s also a natural companion to some of the other cuts and organ meats we’ve covered, rounding out a nose-to-tail approach to cooking.

If you’re building out a broader organ meat and bone rotation, our Grass-Fed Organ Meats Benefits guide covers the nutrition side of that approach, and Beef Heart for Beginners covers another approachable starting point if organ meats are new to you. For help putting together a first order that includes bones alongside more familiar cuts, Best Cuts for a Beef Box walks through how to build a balanced mix.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does bone broth need to simmer?
Anywhere from 12-24 hours on the stovetop or in a slow cooker, or 2-4 hours in a pressure cooker. Longer simmers generally extract more collagen, up to a point.

Do I need to roast the bones first?
It’s not required, but roasting builds noticeably more flavor through browning. Worth doing when you have the extra 30-40 minutes.

Why didn’t my bone broth gel?
This usually means not enough joint or knuckle bones were used, or the simmer time was too short to fully extract the collagen. A mix of bone types and a longer simmer both help.

How long does bone broth last in the fridge or freezer?
About a week in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer, especially if frozen in smaller, recipe-sized portions.

Can I reuse the bones for a second batch of broth?
Yes, though a second batch will be lighter in flavor and gel less than the first. It’s still worth doing to get the most out of the bones before discarding them.

Bone broth from grass-fed bones is a simple, low-cost way to stretch your order further while getting real nutrition and flavor out of parts that would otherwise go to waste. Once you’ve made a batch or two, it becomes one of those staples that’s always worth having in the freezer. Shop our grass-fed marrow and soup bones and start your first batch this week.