Original Hungry Canary Recipe · Broths and Stocks
Beef Neck & Knuckle Bone Broth
Roasted beef neck and knuckle bones, slowly simmered with a little vinegar or citrus juice for a deeply flavored homemade broth.
- Yield
- Up to 3½ quarts, depending on evaporation
- Roasting
- 1–2 hours
- Simmering
- 24–48 hours
- Oven
- 350°F
Ingredients
- 3½ pounds beef neck and knuckle bones
- 3½ quarts water, plus more as needed to keep bones submerged
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or citrus juice
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Arrange beef bones on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan and roast 1–2 hours, until well browned.
- Transfer bones to a large stockpot.
- Add water and apple cider vinegar or citrus juice.
- Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and gently simmer for 24–48 hours. Maintain adequate liquid and do not leave a stovetop flame unattended; a suitable slow cooker can be used instead.
- Strain out bones and all solids, then discard them.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Divide into shallow containers or suitable jars and cool quickly in an ice bath before refrigerating or freezing. Leave expansion room in freezer containers.
Storage and Safety
Refrigerate promptly at 40°F or colder and use within 3–4 days. For longer storage, freeze in freezer-safe containers; use within about 4–6 months for best quality. Never assume that closing a jar makes the broth shelf-stable. Safe shelf-stable bone broth requires a tested pressure-canning procedure, not a water bath or an ordinary sealed jar.
The original handwritten/typed instructions noted refrigeration for 3–5 days and freezing for one year. The updated guidance above favors conservative home-kitchen storage practices.
From The Hungry Canary Kitchen
An original recipe by The Hungry Canary’s creator. In her own batches, the broth began setting into jelly as it cooled on the counter, before refrigeration. She found she needed to remove the bones promptly because of how quickly the broth thickened. This describes the cooling stage, not a fully set jelly while boiling. Her general broth-making practice uses approximately 12-hour cooking sessions over three to five days, depending on how fully the meat, cartilage, connective tissue, and other material attached to the bones has broken down. She does not judge completion by gelatin thickness. This beef neck-and-knuckle version typically takes around 24 hours instead. Refrigerate promptly between any separate cooking sessions; never leave broth sitting unrefrigerated overnight. This recipe comes from her own notes rather than the 1990 Timesaver Christmas collection. The original specifies beef neck and knuckle bones, 350°F roasting, and a long, gentle simmer.