How Can I Tell If My Bone Broth Is Good?

[DMF]

First time making bone broth. Boiled 24 hours 4 medium-sized cow bones W/some skin/fat. Refridgerated - then skim layer of fat on top, below a pot of off-white milky-opaque'ish semi gelatin-like "broth". I drank 2 cups, for health not taste. Not much, if any flavor.
Is my stuff any good - would anyone know?

 

[tara]

I've done it as you describe in the past, but I think Peat has recommended shorter cooking time, so now I limit to 2-3 hrs. I think he has said very long cooking can damage some of the proteins, and the minerals in the bones themselves can include highish lead levels. He has a recent article about meat, in which he talks about biogenic amines - breakdown products in aged meat that can have some problematic effects. I'm not sure if similar things happen with long cooking - I suspected so, and raised in another thread, but others saw it differently.
The main benefit I'm aiming for from broth is the gelatin, and I want it to taste good too (with added salt). You can distinguish a high gelatin batch by how stiff the cold broth is. I usually chew the gelatinous bits off the ends of the cooked bones, too. Yes to skimming off the fat from cooled stock. Some of the more gelatinous cuts (eg tail, knuckle) seem to be higher PUFA.