Bone broth is simply stock simmered much longer. Roast your bones, start them in COLD water with a splash of vinegar, then simmer gently — never boil — for 8 to 12 hours for chicken or 12 to 24 hours for beef, skimming off the scum and fat as it rises. When it cools and sets to a soft wobble, you know it is rich in gelatin and done.
Bone broth is one of those things a granny made without a second thought — a pot of bones left ticking over on the back of the stove all day, filling the house with a smell that says something good is coming. It is not a fancy health product. It is just stock, simmered much longer, until the bones give up everything they have got. Here is how to make it, chicken or beef, on the stovetop or in the slow cooker (crock pot), and how to tell when you have got it right.
| Bones | Stovetop simmer | Slow cooker (low) | Sets to a wobble when cold? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken (roasted) | 8-12 hours | 8-12 hours | Yes, when well extracted |
| Beef (roasted) | 12-24 hours | 12-24 hours | Yes, when well extracted |
Bone broth is just stock, simmered much longer
Here is the plain truth: bone broth is not a special ingredient. It is ordinary stock left to simmer much, much longer, until the bones release their gelatin and the liquid turns silky. Stock is simmered from bones and sets to a wobble when cold. Bone broth is the same, only you keep it going for hours more — chicken for 8 to 12 hours, beef for 12 to 24 — often with the bones roasted first and a splash of vinegar to help draw out the minerals. Then, unlike a stock you would cook into a dish, you usually drink it on its own.
The method never changes. Roast your bones for colour and flavour, tip them into the pot, and cover with COLD water — always cold, so the broth stays clear. Add a splash (about 2 tbsp) of cider vinegar. Bring it up slowly and, the moment it threatens to boil, turn it down. A gentle simmer with a bare shiver on the surface is what you want, because a hard boil turns broth cloudy and greasy. Skim off the grey scum and the fat as they rise, and keep an eye on the water level, topping up if the bones start to peek out.
How to make chicken bone broth
Chicken bone broth is the friendliest place to start. Save the carcass from a roast, and if you can get chicken feet or wings, use them — they are pure gelatin and give you the best wobble. Roast the bones at 220C (fan 200C / gas 7) until deep golden, about 30 minutes, then tip them into the pot with cold water to cover by 5 cm (2 in) and your splash of vinegar. Bring it up slowly and hold it at a gentle simmer for 8 to 12 hours, skimming as you go. Add a rough onion, a carrot and a stick of celery for the last hour or so. Salt it only lightly at the very end if you mean to sip it — stock is traditionally left unseasoned so you can use it anywhere. Strain, cool, and lift off the fat once it sets on top.
Beef bone broth recipe, step by step
Beef takes longer and rewards you for it. Ask the butcher for marrow bones, knuckles and a meaty bone or two for flavour. Roasting matters even more here: spread the bones in a tin and roast at 220C (fan 200C / gas 7) until deep brown, 30 to 40 minutes — that browning is where the deep, savoury colour comes from. Tip them into your biggest pot, cover with cold water, add a splash of vinegar, and bring up slowly. Then simmer — never boil — for 12 to 24 hours, skimming the scum and fat as it rises and topping up the water when the bones show. Add your onion, carrot and celery near the end, then strain it through a fine sieve. Cool it right down and you should be left with something that sets like a soft jelly.
Bone broth in a slow cooker (crock pot)
A slow cooker (crock pot) is made for this job. It holds a low, steady heat all day and all night without you watching the pot, which is exactly what a long bone broth wants. Roast the bones first, just as you would on the stove, then pile them into the crock pot, cover with cold water, and add your splash of vinegar. Set it to LOW and leave it: chicken for 8 to 12 hours, beef for 12 to 24. Low is important — the high setting can tip the broth into a boil, and a boil turns it cloudy and greasy. Skim the surface when you can, add your aromatics in the last hour, then strain. This is the easiest route to a big batch of bone broth soup: start it before bed and wake up to the whole house smelling wonderful.
The wobble test: how to know it worked
Here is the granny's trick for knowing your broth is properly done. Let a cupful go cold in the fridge. If it sets to a soft, jiggly wobble — like a loose jelly — you have pulled plenty of gelatin from the bones, and that is exactly what you are after. Warm it back up and it melts to liquid again; the wobble does no harm at all, it is a good sign. If it stays watery and does not set, it will still taste fine, but next time roast the bones, add a few gelatin-rich cuts like chicken feet or beef knuckle, keep the simmer gentle, and give it more time. One thing worth knowing: vegetable stock never gels, because there are no bones in it, so do not expect a wobble from that.
Bone broth vs stock vs ordinary broth
People muddle these three, so here it is plainly. STOCK is simmered from bones, so it is rich in gelatin, sets to a wobble when cold, and is usually left unseasoned. BROTH is simmered from meat (and sometimes bones), so it is lighter in body and often lightly seasoned to sip. BONE BROTH is simply stock taken much further — simmered far longer, often from roasted bones with a splash of vinegar — then usually drunk on its own rather than cooked into a dish. In the shops the words get used more or less interchangeably, so read the body, not the label: if it sets to a wobble when cold, it is rich in gelatin, whatever the tin happens to call it.
Questions we get asked
Do I have to roast the bones first?
You do not have to, but you should. Roasting the bones until deep brown builds the colour and the deep, savoury flavour, especially with beef. For a lighter, paler chicken broth you can skip it, but a proper bone broth is almost always made from roasted bones.
What does the splash of vinegar do?
A splash of vinegar — about 2 tbsp of cider vinegar — helps draw the minerals out of the bones over the long simmer. You will not taste it in the finished broth. Add it right at the start, along with the cold water.
Why didn't my bone broth set to a wobble?
A broth that stays watery usually needs more gelatin or more time. Use gelatin-rich bones like chicken feet, wings or beef knuckles, roast them first, keep the heat at a gentle simmer rather than a boil, and give it the full stretch — 8 to 12 hours for chicken, 12 to 24 for beef. Remember that vegetable stock never gels, as it has no bones.
Can I make bone broth in a slow cooker or crock pot?
Yes, and it is the easiest way. Roast the bones, add them to the crock pot with cold water and a splash of vinegar, set it to LOW, and leave it — chicken 8 to 12 hours, beef 12 to 24. Keep it on low so it never boils, which would turn the broth cloudy and greasy.
How long should I simmer chicken versus beef?
Chicken bone broth needs 8 to 12 hours; beef needs 12 to 24. Beef bones are denser and take far longer to give up their gelatin. Whichever you make, hold it at a gentle simmer the whole time — never a rolling boil.
Is bone broth the same as stock?
Almost. Bone broth is stock simmered much longer, usually from roasted bones with a splash of vinegar, and it is meant to be drunk on its own. Both are made from bones and both set to a wobble when cold — bone broth is just the richer, longer-cooked version.