Bone broths best prepared raw, not cooked

[Joy2012]

My experiment with raw bone broth went well for 3 days. I checked the bowl every day to make sure the bones stayed underneath the heavy glass plate. Yesterday I added a stainless steel cup on top of the plate. Today my bone broth was covered with a layer of mold. Very disappointing. I inspected the chicken feet. It does not appear they have been "eaten up" in any way. They appeared intact. So there is no way to tell if they did release nutrients into the broth. I am giving up raw bone broth for the time being. Go back to cooked bone broth. Might still do vegi fermentation.

[Projectile Vomit]

I'm sad to hear of your failure. 3 days is a very short time. I generally let mine go for weeks, and I've not had any problems with mold growing so I don't know what the deal is there. Best of luck with your cooked broth!

[Joy2012]

Thanks, Eric.  I think the stainless steel cup brought some germs into the broth. But the main thing is that the chicken feet appeared intact after 4 days of fermenting. So I could not know if the fermenting is doing anything to release the nutrients in the bones.

[Projectile Vomit]

I don't think 4 days would be long enough to see much change in bones. They take a longer time to show some degradation.

[Joy2012]

Thanks, Eric. Maybe I should try again.

[eveheart]

Joy, I've been reading about your problem and I'm still concerned that you haven't locked out air. Here's a picture of my air lock, which lets the gas above the water level be CO₂ - all air is excluded as the CO₂ bubbles up to fill the space. The science of fermentation is interesting - basically, one plays with bacteria from the soil, yeasts from the air, and a few other factors (salt, temperature, sugars in foods) that moderate that game.

[Hanna]

I successfully fermented white cabbage without salt. I use a trimmed cabbage leaf which fits exactly into the jar to keep the vegetable submerged.
I also prepared a raw bone broth. However, the raw bone broth tastes precisely like sauerkraut brine. Is there any trick to make it taste like bone broth?

[Projectile Vomit]

It won't taste exactly like cooked bone broth. If you want something that tastes like cooked bone broth, you'll need to make cooked bone broth. The raw version I noted doesn't contain as much dissolved collagen as cooked broth does, nor does it contain the array of aromatic compounds produced by heat. It just won't taste the same.

[Hanna]

Ok. I'll try again to get a better-tasting raw bone broth.
Joy, did you try to prepare a raw bone broth again?
Here are pictures of my white cabbage fermentation: http://frohkost.blogspot.de/2013/10/wie-bereitest-du-die-lebensmittel-zu.html

[Joy2012]

I am successfully making fermented vegetables, thanks to all. I plan to do this regularly.

I think I will stick to cooked bone broth for the time being. I want the dissolved collagen part, which is supposed to be good for joints and skin health.

A question: I read somewhere that once you put the fermented vegetables in the refrigerator, the probiotics in the vegi die out. Is that true?

[PaleoPhil]

I doubt it. That contradicts what I've read. My understanding is that cool/cold temps just slow microbiota growth and hinder pathogens more than beneficial bacteria.

[Joy2012]

I doubt it. That contradicts what I've read. My understanding is that cool/cold temps just slow microbiota growth and hinder pathogens more than beneficial bacteria.

Thanks!

[Bacchal]

I use a "jar in a jar method" to keep fermenting foods submerged. For example, I can fit a narrow-mouth 4 oz. canning jar into a wide-mouth canning jar (quart or larger), then  I screw a wide-mouth canning lid with an air lock, and this outer lid holds the small jar down.

I've used this method as well. I placed a tight-fitting glass within the mason jar and filled it with water to weigh it down.

[kalo]

I've been trying to consume bone broth for a while now. All the literature and websites recommend it as the holy grail to fixing the gut. But after multiple attempts, I can say it just tastes like burned water. My stomach feels heavy and worse. So I wonder what other ways I could get the gelatin.

[cherimoya_kid]

I've been trying to consume bone broth for a while now. All the literature and websites recommend it as the holy grail to fixing the gut. But after multiple attempts, I can say it just tastes like burned water. My stomach feels heavy and worse. So I wonder what other ways I could get the gelatin.

Blending tendons/ligaments?

[eveheart]

Burned water? Do you care to explain your ingredients and technique?

There are products like this one: https://www.upgradedself.com/collagelatin if you are looking for a supplement form of gelatin. It might even be sourced from grassfed cattle. (Beware of high prices on that site.)

[Projectile Vomit]

I've been trying to consume bone broth for a while now. All the literature and websites recommend it as the holy grail to fixing the gut....

Sort of. There is a pervasive misunderstanding among some bone brothers regarding the effects of this food on the gut. In the GAPS book and other literature Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride tries to be clear that meat stock is what heals the gut. Meat stock is made with bones and meat simmered at low temperatures for 1-2 hours. This is a very different concoction than bone broth, which is generally made of bones only and is cooked for much longer periods, often over 24 hours. If your goal is to heal your gut, you should be making meat stock, which dissolves the collagen from the meat, fascia within the meat and any cartilage and tendon that might be present on the bones. Bone broth dissolves the collagen too, but it damages it more because of the longer cooking time and also produces other cooking-derived toxins that can undermine the benefits of the broth.

You can also slice raw tendon and cartilage into bite-sized pieces and chew it up enough so you can swallow it. I make meat stock occasionally, but mostly do the latter. Not sure how good of an idea it would be to try to put raw tendons in a blender. Seems to me that might damage the blender. Tendons are very strong tissues!

[kalo]

Wow, brilliant comment. I buy the whole carcass so there are plenty of tendons and joints. I would put them in the crock and gently brew for a day. When I consumed the broth it tastes "burned" and I feel worse. However, I recall drinking the soup after a short boiling time (because I was hungry) and liking it much more. I just never put it together.

So Eric, do you consume the meat in the meat stock or just the broth? I bet the tendons would also be easier to chew.

Second, I have an entire front leg of a lamb. I know the knee joint is good but what about that hard, thin layer of shoulder blade. Does anyone know if that is a tendon? It seemed to hard to chew and possibly to sharp.