Bison Soup Bones

Bison Broth

Bison are huge powerful animals with strong bones. I have found bison to be refreshing and revitatilizing, so I thought that bison would make great broth. All good broths should be based on bones, sinew, and cartilage. I was delighted to find bison bones that were ideal for soup making. This broth is full of the health-giving qualities of bison. It has a suble flavor which is quite refreshing. It works great as the liquid for a bison pot roast or stew, but we like to drink this broth so much, that it is rare for us to have any left over for gravies and stews.

You will need a large stockpot for this one. Make sure that it is stainless steel, not aluminum. The long cooking time is necessary to combine the flavors, and get the nutrients out of the bones.

Makes 6-8 quarts

4 lbs assorted bison bones with cartilage and meat. Bison oxtails are excellent.
Enough filtered water to cover the bones by 2-3 inches
½ cup raw organic apple cider vinegar

Assorted Root Vegetables
                1 large organic onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
                4 stalks of organic celery, coarsely chopped
                4 large organic carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

For Simmering
                1 bunch of organic Italian parsley, each stalk cut into2 or 3 pieces
                2 tbsp. coarse unrefined sea salt

1.       Put the bison into a large stainless steel stockpot. Add the water and the vinegar. Let sit at room temp. for 1 hour.

2.       Add all the vegetables, except the parsley. Heat the pot until the water begins a strog simmer. This will take awhile due to the large volume of ingredients and water.

3.       When the water is close to boiling, remove all the scum that rises to the top with a skimming spoon. This can also take awhile, but is necessary. For some reason, bison seems to have even more scum to be removed than other meats. It’s worth the extra work.

4.       Once the scum is gone, add the parsley and the salt.

5.       Cover and simmer gently for 12 to 14 hours.

6.       Using a ladle, strain into jars, cover, and refrigerate once the bottles have cooled down. The fat will rise to the top, and will solidify in the refrigerator. This fat cap will help preserve the broth. The fat should be removed before the broth is reheated. It can be used as cooking fat in all kinds of dishes.