Meat & Bones: A crockpot marathon!

It's been bone broth mania lately! What's all the fuss? Whatever the trend is based on, I've been keeping a mason jar of goopy stuff (concentrated stock) from all of my meat meals ever since I gave up my 18 year identity as a vegetarian. So there! I was bone-brothing when bone-brothing wasn't cool! The idea makes all kinds of sense, and I have an easy way of doing it. It involves an appliance that I once thought was a complete waste of counter space. Things change!

My goop is getting low, but my bag is filling up!

If she hasn't been plugged in for months, dust off your crockpot and let's run with it!

My family goes about once year to a farm two hours away to pick up our order of fresh organic meats in bulk. It's MUCH cheaper and tastier. Plus, it's very gratifying to take the farm tour and understand exactly how our meat lives and dies. I am especially proud of exposing my daughter to this process so that she is connected not only physically with her food, but also mentally. This year we got airline chicken breasts, bone-in porch chops, and ground beef. Two out of three of those provide us with extra bones, fat, and skin to make use of! One of the easiest ways to prepare the chicken and chops is to rinse them and drop them into the crockpot on low all day, with or without seasonings and sauces. Of course, I have to check on it after about 4-6 hours to make sure it isn't cooking too long and losing all it's flavor and texture. But, even when I've been at work and only gotten back to it 9 hours later, I can still get big flavor and nutrients from it by making stock. The only thing wasted is the fiber of the meat itself.

So whether you are making use of meat after leaving it in the crockpot too long or you have bones (and icky stuff) leftover after your meals, you can treat your crockpot like a marathoner and just keep it running for another 24 hours or so!

Here's how...

Keep meat scraps (bones and such) in a freezer bag at all times. When it gets full, or when you are wanting to use the meat scraps that are currently still hot in your crockpot, dump the frozen scraps into the crockpot and cover with water. Now, you can find all sorts of advice about adding a splash of vinegar to bring out the nutrients, spices, onions, celery, carrots, herbs, etc. Feel free to experiment if it tickles you, but I tend to add no additional flavor than whatever seasoned the meat I ate when I originally cooked it. This way, I can use the versatile stock to make all kinds of dishes. And if I make a soup broth from it, I can easily season it at that time to my taste. 

Once you are satisfied with the contents of your crockpot for making stock, cover it and turn it on high for about an hour, then low until the bones are soft (depending on the type of bones this could be 4 hours or 24 hours!). Just make sure to keep enough water to cover the solids in the crockpot if it's a long marathon! When your bones are soft (or you are simply ready to call it done) you can turn off your crockpot and let her rest! Strain out all the solid bits and bones, then pour it in mason jars and keep them in the fridge until the next time your are cooking something savory and want to add nutrients with a rich, meaty flavor (ex. rice, pasta, soup). Here's my current straining and storing method you can steal: I put a large stainless steal bowl in my sink. I put a slightly smaller colander inside the bowl. I carefully pour the still very warm contents of my crockpot into the colander. I stir and mash the solids in the colander with a large spoon until I'm satisfied that the juice is fully separated into the bowl. I dump the used solids from the colander into a bag to tie up and dispose of. I pour the stock into my mason jars, let cool, lid up, and place in the fridge. Be aware that it make be very thick or even solid when cold. That's fine. It just means it's very concentrated. The consistency will depend on how much water you used and how long you let it simmer.

Clearly, my version of bone-brothing is a product of experimentation rather than a standard of the current trend. And this is the point I want to make...you are the BOSS of your kitchen and you are plenty capable enough to manage food according to your senses, intuition, and a bit of common sense. If you feel you are lacking in these, keep reading my blog and your kitchen prowess will eventually awaken. Meanwhile, don't let notions of complicated cooking procedures steal your chance at pleasure and ease in the kitchen. Preparing the stuff we put inside our bodies is primal. Make use of those bones!

Next up...staple foods...that's what Big Mamma called them.