Bones, water, vinegar, and simmer time for a target yield of beef, chicken, or pork broth.
Roast at 400°F for 30 min first — deeper flavor, more color.
Bones
≈ 64 oz
4.00 lb
Starting water
About 20% evaporates during a long simmer.
5.0 qt
Vinegar
Apple cider or white. Helps pull minerals from bones.
2.5 tbsp
Vegetable scraps
Onion, carrot, celery. Add in the last 2 hours.
1.00 lb
Simmer time
Barely simmering. A rolling boil clouds the broth.
18–24 h
A gelling broth is the goal — that’s collagen converted to gelatin. You get there with collagen-rich cuts (knuckles, feet, oxtail, necks), a splash of acid to leach minerals, and a long low simmer so you never boil out the flavor.
Roasting beef bones at 400°F for 30 minutes before simmering darkens and deepens the flavor. For pork, blanch first and discard the water to remove impurities. Skim foam the first hour of simmering.
Food safety: cool hot broth in shallow containers within 2 hours of finishing, refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze up to 6 months. USDA guidance, not medical advice.
starting_water = target_yield ÷ 0.8 (≈20% reduction)
bones_lb = starting_water_qt × 0.8
vinegar_tbsp = starting_water_qt × 0.5
veg_scraps_lb ≈ bones_lb × 0.25
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