Accorrding to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) jing, or vital essence is crucial to our being able to remain youthful and vital and they say it is very difficult to replenish. Beef marrow broth is a great way to gather more jing and fortify the kidney essence that we all need for a good strong reproductive system as well as just for good overall vital engery.

I always recommended that you buy organic meat and vegetables whenever you can but for the marrow broth you want to be sure you get bones from organic, pasture raised cows. They are much richer in every nutrient that you need. If for some reason you cannot use organic, pasture raised bones, before you turn everything on low and leave it alone you’ll want to bring the full mixture to a boil and scrape off the scum that rises to the top.

You can get (organic) grass fed, pasture raised beef bones at stores like Whole Foods or you can order them online from websites like blackwing.com

Beef Marrow Broth

Beef Marrow (bone) broth

Necessary Equipment:

Crockpot

Although there has been a lot of concern over lead levels in some crockpots recent tests have shown that this is not a real threat. Even in the brands known to allow lead in their construction the lead did not leach during cooking and is safe to use. Also, as a side note here, this broth can be made in a pot on the stove but takes much more attention and again to get the marrow to break down and come out of the inisdes of the bones into the soup it will take between 2 1/2 to 3 days. If done in a crockpot you merely check it to see if it’s cooking nicely but you shouldn’t have to add more water. If you use the stove-top method you will need to monitor it much more closely and you will most probably be adding more water from time to time.

Ingredients:

3 – 4 beef bones (soup bones or neck bones)

1 – 2 teaspoons of salt (to taste)

1 – 2 teaspoons of black pepper (to taste)

1 teaspoon of vinegar (I use Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar but any vinegar will do)

Chopped up Carrots (optional but recommended for taste)

Chopped up Celery (optional but recommended for taste)

Chopped up onion (optional but recommended for taste)

Beef bones for marrow broth

Directions:

The first thing you want to do is take 3-4 bones and put them in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes, turning them over about half-way through.

After roasting the bones they’ll be nicely browned and they’ll smell fantastic. This brings out a rich beef flavor.

Roasted Bones For Beef Marrow Broth

Next put them in the crock pot add all the veggies, the salt, pepper and vinegar then put in enough water so there’s about 2” covering the bones. One quick note here is that the veggies don’t need to be cut up very fine. They can be left in medium sized pieces as they are only here to help flavor the broth and will be drained off and discarded in the end.

Crockpot set to low

At this point you just want to cover it and turn it on low.

Beef Marrow Broth

The process of breaking down the collegens and releasing the marrow inside the bones will take between 2 to 3 days. The water will cook down considerably but don’t worry. In the end the broth is super concentrated and this is one of the reasons I prefer and recommend the crockpot method over the stove-top method. Using the crockpot does not dillute your broth as would happen on the stove when you have to keep adding more water. Anyway, be sure to cook it long enough that the bones are clearly empty inside, you may have to poke gently at the centers with a chopstick or something just to check it as it gets softer.

Straining Beef Marrow Broth

Strain everything off as soon as it is cool enough that you can handle it. If you let this broth cool at this point it will turn to a gel-like substance.

Pour it into a bowl, cover it and put it in the fridge. You should be able to see it start to separate fairly quickly, with the lighter-colored layer of fat at the top and the darker rich marrow layer on the bottom.

Chilled Beef Marrow Broth

Tallow From Beef Marrow Broth

Let this cool overnight. You should then see a layer of fat on the top that should be scraped off. This is beef tallow and can be used to cook things in, just as it was in the old days, before we came up with so many other oils and fats to cook with.

Beef Marrow Broth Gel

The broth can then be stored in covered plastic containers and put in the freezer to be used as needed. Ice cube trays are practical for this, since you can then use individual cubes to add to your soup or stew, for example.

Again, this beef marrow broth is very concentrated at this point and you should only use a teaspoon or so of it mixed in with other food. As you start using it you may want to use more and more but start with a small amount in one or all of your meals every day and you will nourish your kidneys and support your jing. Rmember, jing is stored in the bones so consuming jing gives you jing.

Check out this website for a FAQ on why you should be eating beef marrow broth http://whole9life.com/2013/12/whole9-bone-broth-faq/