Beef Marrow Bone Stock

Marrow bones are just not something most of us have encountered before.  The first time I went shopping for them, I didn't even know what to look for.  When I check out with them at Whole Foods, the checker always asks "are these for your dog?".  I say "no, we make stock out of them," and they get all excited because I am the first person they have talked to that actually makes stock out of them!  Its pretty humorous.

You can find marrow bones at Whole Foods (WF) for 1.99 a lb.  They are in a plastic bag in the freezer section on the back wall.  I have also found them a few times at HEB, but it is erratic.  

Marrow bones make a very, very rich stock.  It took a  little getting used to for our family.  The following recipe is what we did a lot in the beginning of the GAPS intro and even now its what we generally do.

Ingredients:

2 bags of marrow bones
1  4 lb chuck roast
1 Tbl of apple cider vinegar (draws minerals from the bones)
water to cover

Place the bones in the stockpot
Rinse your meat and add it
Cover with water and add the vinegar
Bring to a boil and skim off the scum that forms on top
Turn down to a simmer and cover
Cook for at least 6 hours and it is better to go overnight

In the morning I pull out the roast onto a platter and pull the marrow bones out into a bowl to cool.  At this point you can do a couple of things.

1. You can strain the broth and just keep it to drink or cook with
2. You can allow the bones to cool and dump the marrow, which is the fatty center of the bone, back into the stock and use a stick or immersion blender into the stock and blend it all together until it is smooth.  It will just make your stock a bit creamy and rich.  We love it this way.  It is the basis for beef soup of many kinds.  
3. You can dump the marrow into a blender and make Paté

These are just some of the things you can do with beef marrow and one way to make stock.

Chicken Stock

Basic chicken stock can be made with one or two chickens or a package of chicken thighs or legs or wings or any combination. Stock with a high gelatin content is the most healing, so chicken pieces, such as the legs and wings make the best stock. You will need a large stockpot.

Ingredients:

2 whole chickens
cold (filtered is best) water to cover
1 Tbl of raw apple cider vinegar

Rinse your chickens well and remove the neck and giblets. Put the neck in the pot and throw out the giblets. Put the chickens, water and vinegar in the pot and put it on the stove. Bring it to a boil and skim all of the scum from the top. Turn it down to a very low simmer. Simmer for 4 hours for a meat stock and overnight or 12 hours for a good mineral-rich bone stock. Pull your chickens out and pick the meat out to be used in other recipes. We've kept the stock for up to a week in the fridge. It can also be frozen.

Additions:

carrots
celery
onions
bay leaf
sprigs of thyme, oregano, marjoram

The above ingredients are added for flavor and mineral content. They are removed from the stock when it is done. You can always feed the carrots to the kids as a snack!