How to Make Restorative Meat Stock for the Whole Family

First, let’s start with a disclaimer that this is not medical advice, and I am not claiming to be a doctor or anything else. Yes, I am a certified GAPS practitioner, pediatric occupational therapist, and mom, but not a doctor, so if you have questions about this, talk to your trusted healthcare provider.

Now, you may have seen me share some posts about it on Instagram, but meat stock is easily one of the most healing and nourishing foods I have come across! And from the get go, I will go ahead and say, meat stock is not bone broth, nor is it stock. It is a different product entirely because it is comprised of uncooked meaty, jointy bones, veg (if you’re at that stage), and limited water. Then what really sets it apart is that it is cooked for a very short time, basically until the meat is fully cooked. Meat stock aims to harness the benefits of all the collagen and gelatin through the intentional cooking methods. It is also rich in amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and elastin. Basically, it's full of all our body’s building blocks! Meat stock has the legitimate ability to heal and seal your gut lining (and I would argue that most people have some amount of leaky gut, and leaking is the beginning of the inflammatory response that can turn into autoimmune conditions, allergies, and so much more), and for babies, it mimics the work that breast milk does in helping finish the development of their immature gut.

It really is amazing to me that one food can do so much, but meat stock is truly a powerhouse and is a cornerstone for Harry’s nutrition and my own! Now, let’s get to the good part - making it!

The recipe is very basic, all you need is: 

• Heavy-bottomed pot with a lid
• Meaty jointy bones of some kind - could be shanks, thighs, ox tail, chicken backs, necks, hocks, or feet
• Water 
• Real Salt (Redmond's Real and Celtic Sea Salt are my go-tos)
• Pepper or Whole Peppercorns
• Veggies (Usually onions, carrots, garlic, celery)

1. Weigh out your bones, for every pound you want 1-1.25 quarts of water 
2. Chop whatever veg you want to add (if you’re specifically doing GAPS make sure you’re not adding any that don’t agree with you or that aren’t GAPS friendly, and if this is baby’s first stock no veg). I prefer to chop mine in pieces I can easily grab out at the end of the cook because you’re going to eat these too!
3. Add bones and veggies and salt and pepper to the pot (if this is for baby’s first no salt or pepper) and add in your water (using the recommended amount should leave you with everything covered by 1-2 inches). As you make it more often you will get a feel for what produces a final stock that gels when cooled. 
4. Bring to a boil, and you can skim off anything that comes to the top or leave it. Skimming will yield a clearer broth.  
5. Lower to a simmer and cover your pot. General cooking windows for various proteins are as follows:
   1. Chicken 1.5-3 hours
   2. Turkey 2.5-3.5 hours
   3. Beef/Pork/Lamb/Bison/Game 3-6 hours
   4. Fish 1-1.5 hours
6. While still warm, separate the broth from the bits. I do this by setting a metal (we don’t want any plastic mixing with our hot broth) colander over another metal bowl. 
7. Fill up mason jars with the broth (I use a stainless steel ladle and stainless steel funnel for this - my favorite is this one, wipe the rims, and put your lids on. Since the stock is still quite hot, this will vacuum the lid shut. Please note that while this should extend the storage life in your fridge, this is not a legitimate seal and does not make this shelf stable. 
8. After filling your jars, place all your veggie bits into a glass container as well as any meat you can pull off your bones. These are great to add into soups made with your stock or to eat directly! You can also remove the bits of cartilage/tendons/etc and blend them into your stock for a next-level punch of collagen and gelatin.
   1. When I was first starting with baby and he was only having the stock, I saved all the meat in the freezer to save for once he was ready for meat. Nothing wasted, people!
9. Don’t forget to save those bones in your freezer to use for bone broth once you and your gut are ready to consume that! 
10. Let the jars cool completely on the counter and then put in the fridge. 
11. You can also freeze it into portions if you’re not sure how quickly you will go through it. I use a silicone cube tray to make smaller portions as well to make feeding baby as well!
12. Now that it is prepared, scoop some out every morning to warm up a mug of it on your stove (don’t use the microwave because then you’re just destroying the composition of your food and counteracting all the hard work you just did). 

Now that is super simple, right? Incorporating daily meat stock is absolutely one of the best and easiest things you can do for yourself. It also doesn’t have to just be consumed on its own, it can be used for any savory recipe in place of water, put in smoothies (depending on how flavored it is - this is a good opportunity to use some without any veg or pepper), made into popsicles for teething babies, used for a nourishing hot chocolate, the list goes on! And as far as feeding it to baby goes, they can have it as a jelly from the fridge, liquid, used for veggie and meat purées, in teething popsicles, etc. 

So, add it to your list of ways to nourish yourself and your family and make some meat stock today!