Equipment:

• Oven, slow cooker, large oven baking tray, baking paper, strainer

Ingredients:

• 2kg Grass fed beef bones
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
• 4 Litres of cold water
• 2 tbsp Hilbilby FiRE SAUCE ™
• 2 tBsp Hilbilby FiRE TONiC™
• 5 Fresh rosemary sprigs from the garden
• 2 celery stalks (roughly chopped)
• 1 medium onion (roughly chopped)
• 2 medium carrots (roughly chopped)
• ½ head broccoli (chopped small; optional)
• Few cloves of fresh garlic (optional)
• 1 tbsp high quality Himalayan sea salt
• Additional Fire Tonic ® to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200 deg C
• Place bones in a single layer on a sheet of baking paper on a large baking tray
• Drizzle olive or coconut oil over the bones. Roast for 30 min, turn bones over then roast the other side for an additional 30 min.
• Chop vegetables then put your feet up while bones are roasting
• Add roasted beef bones to slow cooker on LOW with 3-4 L cold water or 1.5 inch from the top, once the bones are in
• Add 2 tbsp Fire Tonic, rosemary sprigs & Himalayan sea salt
• Slow cook on LOW for 24 hours or until bones are soft and falling apart, and the broth has developed to a deep rich brown colour
• Strain bones, meat and vegetables to achieve a smooth bone broth to drink, OR leave in to create a hearty soup and just remove bones
• Refrigerate overnight (at least 12 hours) so it becomes a semi -firm gel and the lard rises to the top and solidifies
• Cut a portion of the lard off, scoop out a cup of bone broth gel to heat up in a saucepan (preferable than microwave)
• Add a dash of Fire Tonic to balance & help with mineral then swig like a cup of tea at your leisure.

 

Additional Nutritional Tips:

• For gut healing drink your bone broth on an empty stomach first thing on rising. This way the protein building blocks glutamine and gelatine reach the intestinal lining first and have a healing effect in ‘bridging the gaps’, in a leaky gut. See blog below

• Purchase beef bones from your local farmers market or organic / grass fed butcher. This is a must otherwise preservatives, hormones and other chemicals from the bone marrow will be leached out into the broth you will be drinking 

• You can throw bones straight in the slow cooker from fridge or frozen, but roasting beforehand adds a beautiful full rich flavour and colour to your broth

• Use a mix 1kg of marrow bones for the mineral goodness + 1 kg chuck bones for the delish meaty flavour. Add the beef back into your broth for a hearty soup, or set aside and reheat for sandwiches or a main meal with your favourite winter veggies.

• I like to use a spaghetti strainer (bigger holes) so it allows some of the ‘goobies’ and gritty bits into your soup. These are rich in bone marrow nutrition. You can even eat the marrow if you’re as game as most of our Fire Tonic lovers, massive gut healing hit! If you’re not into ‘goobies’ just use a smaller sifter- type strainer

• For sustainability and extra nutrition save the lard off the top to cook with. It’s minerals and beneficial properties leached from the bones remain stable in high heat

• Start and finish your slow cooker on LOW. It’s tempting to rev it up on high to get it going, but the extremely slow heating process for a long period of time is the most effective technique in extracting out optimum levels of nutrition from the bones.

• The longer the cooking time, the more minerals are pulled out of the bones.

• There are great benefits in also steeping some Fire Tonic ® in with the bones and water at the start of making your bone both.  The ACV enhances the extraction of minerals from the bones.

• Careful whacking your broth [whilst still in the slow cooker ceramic pot] straight into the fridge - it could  crack and you’ll have to buy a new slow cooker! (speaking from experience…). Strain your broth into a container that can be refrigerated.

• Keep as much lard cover as possible over your firm gelatinised broth in the fridge, cutting only as much lard off the top as you need (rather than the whole lot) to scoop out for 1 cup each day. The lard acts as a protective layer to preserve all the nutrition and healing properties inside the broth.

• The addition of Fire Tonic to your morning cup of broth will warm your cockles and add an extra zing in your step! It also provides additional gut healing, immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties from the beneficial bacteria in the mature mother of vinegar, turmeric, garlic, chilli, horseradish, fresh herbs, seasonal veggies & other nutritional goodies.

AND

• If you’ve gotten out of the wrong side of the bed and need an extra ‘kick’, substitute the Original for our Black label Fire Tonic with extra Szechuan, peppercorns and chilli – a metabolic stimulant to get that inner fire burning

 

 So… What’s all the Buzz about Bone Broth??

Bone broth is one of the biggest health trends of late, particularly in the paleo/primal/wholefood world. But not without good merit. Slowly simmering organic or grass- fed bones releases all the goodness from the marrow, making bone broth one of the most nutritionally rich foods going around. High in so many important minerals and healing compounds, drinking this nutritional gem each day on an empty stomach is one of the best ways to heal or maintain a healthy gut.

Homemade bone broth, as opposed to ready-made dehydrated bone broth, is more compatible with the body and therefore an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, gelatine, and glutamine that are extremely bioavailable. However, if you are time- poor like many of us you can also buy ready-made dehydrated bone broth from your local wholefoods or health store. Most brands are of high quality, using only organic or grass- fed beef and ingredients, and the flavours are fantastic. However, as we are all about ‘farm to table’ here at Hilbilby, we like to make our own rich savoury bone broth from scratch from oven roasted grass fed beef bones.

Nutritional Gems in Bone Broth

Bone broth is rich in gelatine which is the digestible form of collagen. Gelatine is a connective tissue that contributes to the integrity of the gut lining, and is responsible for strong nails, shiny hair, and some say even for reducing cellulite – hallelujah.

Glutamine is an extremely beneficial amino acid or protein building block for healing the lining of the intestines so that our digestive system can function optimally to extract and absorb the nutrition we need.

Bone broth is also high in important minerals such as magnesium, zinc, calcium, and amino acids glutamine and proline. Magnesium is responsible for about 300 chemical reactions in the body, and is commonly known as a muscle relaxant and tonic for the nervous and digestive systems. Zinc is another major mineral, also an antioxidant and particularly important in the immune response, wound healing, cell division and the breakdown of carbohydrates. Calcium supports our skeletal structure and function, and is an important mineral in muscle contraction and nerve function. Proline is crucial in healing cartilage and cushioning our joints, containing the precursors hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine which the body utilises to synthesise collagen, ligaments, tendons, and cardiac muscle of the heart.

What Is ‘Gut Health’ Exactly?

The term ‘gut health’ refers to the general health and functioning of the digestive system. This includes the absorption and assimilation of nutrients, the balance of beneficial and non-beneficial bacteria in the intestinal microbiome, and the integrity of the gut lining.

Fermented foods such as Fire Tonic may help increase the good flora in the microbiome and improve the functioning of the gut. Bone broth is found to support the gut lining and provide highly bioavailable vitamins, minerals and protein-based healing compounds.

Altered intestinal permeability commonly known as ‘leaky gut’- which is primarily caused by stress, food intolerance, caffeine and alcohol - is found to have a significant negative impact on our immune system and inflammatory responses. The large protein molecules of gluten and dairy can irritate the gut lining and cause ‘holes’, so to speak, allowing the food particles to permeate though the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream, instead of remaining within the gut for digestion and absorption. The body recognises these food particles in the blood as foreign bodies, and triggers an inflammation response to fight off these so-called unwanted strangers. Click the following link for more science on leaky gut.

How Can You Tell If Your Gut Is Healthy?

Poor gut health is not only associated with gastrointestinal symptoms such excessive flatulence, abdominal bloating, intestinal pain, diarrhoea and constipation, but may also play a serious role in compromised immunity and the development of autoimmune and other serious diseases.

You may have poor gut health if you suffer ongoing coughs and colds, autoimmune disease such as fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis, and food intolerance inflammatory symptoms after eating certain foods, commonly gluten and dairy. These may include fluid retention or inflammatory weight gain, puffy eyes or face, PMS, period pain, headaches, anxiety and depression, as well as poor memory and concentration, just to name a few.

Futhermore, long term inflammation and compromised immunity proves to be the most problematic, as opposed to the discomfort of acute symptoms, as it can lead to the development of auto-immune disease. The integrity of digestive system is therefore paramount for an optimally functioning immune system (as 80% of the immune system resides in the gut wall), reducing inflammation in the body and therefore disease. A healthy gut also helps reduce muscle soreness and joint pain, promotes strong, shiny hair and nails, and leaves your skin glowing.

Gut health is a mammoth topic that we could waffle on about forever, but you probably get the drift by now – a healthy gut means low inflammation, a strong immune system and therefore a happy and healthy body! So pop on down to the organic butcher, get your slow cooker out of the bottom cupboard, and slap up a Hilbilby bone broth with a splodge of Fire Sauce ® & splash or 3 of Fire Tonic ®.

Written by Leanne Rowbottom Revive Holistic Health Nutritionist for Hilbilby Cultured Food