Rocky Mountain Elk Bone Broth Concentrate - Pint

This is what bone broth is supposed to be.

Northstar's Rocky Mountain Elk Bone Broth Concentrate starts with a formula most producers won't bother with: 2x the bones, half the water, and 4x the cook time of a standard broth. Each kettle is packed with elk neck bones, cartilage-rich knuckle bones, and tendons — drawn from field-harvested Rocky Mountain Elk sourced across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and southern Canada. The result is a thick, gelatin-dense concentrate that sets solid when chilled. That's not a processing trick. That's collagen density doing exactly what it's supposed to do.

Three ingredients: Reverse Osmosis Water, Elk Bones and Tendons (Neck Bones, Knuckle Bones, Tendons), and Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. No added sodium, no flavor enhancers, no stabilizers, no shortcuts. What goes into the jar is exactly what it says.

What you find at the grocery store is a fundamentally different product. Standard bone broths are made from conventionally raised animals, diluted to fill a carton, and propped up with added sodium, flavor enhancers, and stabilizers to compensate for what's lost in the process. Northstar's concentrate starts with Non-GMO, field-harvested Rocky Mountain Elk — sourced from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and southern Canada — and delivers up to 4x the concentration with no enhancement needed. The broth earns its flavor the hard way: time, bones, and heat.

Use it sipping-strength at a 2:1 water-to-concentrate ratio, seasoned to taste. Go 3:1 for soups, braises, and recipes. Strength is entirely adjustable — make it as bold or as mild as your recipe calls for. Bottled and frozen in glass Mason jars, each pint holds 14 oz of concentrate with enough yield for multiple servings.

Fits keto, paleo, carnivore, and gluten-free lifestyles — it contains zero carbohydrates, no added sugars, and no plant-based fillers, making it compatible with strict versions of all four protocols. Soy-free, corn-free, Non-GMO, no added hormones, no antibiotics. Freezer shelf life: 24 months. NOT shelf stable — do not store at room temperature. Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before use; once thawed, use within 5–7 days.

Customers describe this concentrate as a daily ritual — citing noticeable improvements in joint health, gut health, and overall energy.

• "Between the gelatinous, thick viscosity and the clean taste I feel like it is a potent addition to my joint and gut health! Looking forward to tracking the changes over time!" — Jadie T., Verified Buyer
• "I've been drinking for 15 months straight now and my body is grateful." — Adam P., Verified Buyer
• "In the last two years I've been buying my produce online and Northstar Bison is one of the best." — Doru I., Verified Buyer

Hand delivered to your door by local drivers.

Ingredients: Reverse Osmosis Water, Elk Bones And Tendons (Neck Bones, Knuckle Bones, Tendons), And Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.

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Common Questions

How does this elk bone broth concentrate compare to standard bone broths sold in grocery stores?
Most commercial bone broths are made with a conventional ratio of bones to water — roughly 1:4 to 1:6 — simmered for 4 to 8 hours, then diluted further to fill a carton. Northstar's formula uses 2x the bones, half the water, and 4x the cook time, producing a concentrate that is functionally 4x denser than a standard broth before you even add water. The most visible indicator is gelatin behavior: a properly concentrated broth sets completely solid when chilled, which requires a minimum of roughly 4–5% gelatin by weight. Most grocery store broths remain liquid when refrigerated because gelatin concentration is too low to gel — many rely on added sodium and flavor enhancers to compensate for extraction shortfalls. Additionally, standard commercial products are typically made from conventionally raised cattle or chickens, not field-harvested elk, and may include yeast extract, natural flavors, or stabilizers that do not appear clearly on the label. This product contains three ingredients total, with no additives of any kind.

What is the nutritional science behind collagen and gelatin in bone broth, and why do bone type and cook time matter?
Collagen is the most abundant structural protein in mammalian connective tissue, and when simmered in water with an acid — in this case organic apple cider vinegar — the triple-helix collagen molecule hydrolyzes into gelatin, a mixture of peptides rich in glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, and arginine. These amino acids are conditionally essential, meaning the body can synthesize them but often not in quantities sufficient to meet demand, particularly for gut lining repair, joint cartilage synthesis, and skin elasticity. Glycine alone, which comprises roughly 33% of collagen's amino acid sequence, plays a role in regulating inflammation via inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines and supports phase II liver detoxification pathways. Knuckle bones and tendons are selected specifically because they carry far more cartilage and connective tissue — and therefore more raw collagen — than marrow bones or rib bones. Longer cook times (18–24+ hours versus 4–8 hours) allow complete hydrolysis of collagen into soluble gelatin peptides; undercooked broth may contain intact collagen that has not broken down into bioavailable form. The solid set of this concentrate when chilled is a direct measurement of successful, dense gelatin extraction.

Does grass-fed, pasture-raised elk have a meaningfully different nutrient profile than conventionally raised beef?
Research comparing grass-fed to grain-finished ruminants consistently shows differences in fatty acid composition and fat-soluble micronutrient levels. Grass-fed ruminants typically show omega-6 to omega-3 ratios in the range of 1.5:1 to 3:1, compared to 7:1 to 15:1 in grain-finished beef — a difference driven primarily by higher alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and longer-chain EPA content in pasture-grazed animals. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a naturally occurring trans fatty acid associated with improved body composition and anti-inflammatory effects in animal and some human studies, is present at roughly 2–3x higher concentrations in grass-fed versus grain-finished fat. Grass-fed animals also show higher levels of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), beta-carotene, and glutathione. Because bone broth is derived primarily from bones and connective tissue rather than muscle meat, the primary macronutrient difference in broth form is in the fat fraction — the marrow and periosteum fat that renders into the broth carries the fatty acid signature of the animal's diet. Field-harvested elk, which forage naturally on native grasses, forbs, and browse, have never been finished on grain, so their fatty acid profile reflects lifelong pasture nutrition rather than a feedlot transition.

How does this broth fit into keto, paleo, or carnivore eating protocols, and what are the relevant macros?
Bone broth concentrate is well suited to all three protocols. For keto, the product contains no carbohydrates, no added sugars, and no starch-based stabilizers — the only macronutrients are protein (from gelatin peptides) and trace fat from bone marrow residue. Gelatin-derived amino acids do not raise insulin meaningfully in the way that complete proteins can, and the broth contributes no glucose precursors, making it compatible with maintaining ketosis even at sipping strength. For paleo and ancestral eating frameworks, bone broth is explicitly encouraged as a source of the nose-to-tail amino acids largely absent from modern muscle-meat-only diets — glycine and proline in particular, which were historically abundant when whole-animal consumption was standard. For carnivore protocols, this product is all-animal-derived with the exception of organic apple cider vinegar, which some strict carnivore practitioners accept as a processing acid and others omit; the vinegar serves to acidify the water and facilitate mineral and collagen extraction during simmering and does not remain in quantity in the final product. The product is soy-free, corn-free, gluten-free, and contains no plant-based fillers or lectins.

Can this elk broth concentrate be substituted for beef or chicken stock in standard recipes, and are there any adjustments needed?
Yes, and the substitution is straightforward in most applications. Because this is a concentrate, begin at a 3:1 water-to-concentrate ratio when replacing stock in soups, braises, risotto, pan sauces, or gravy — this approximates the strength of a standard commercial stock. For reductions, glazes, or applications where the stock is further concentrated during cooking, start at 4:1 or 5:1 to avoid over-intensifying the flavor. Elk broth has a clean, mildly gamey baseline flavor that is less assertive than venison or bison broth and comparable in depth to a well-made beef stock; it will not overpower herb-forward dishes like French onion soup, mushroom risotto, or braised short ribs. Because this product contains no added sodium, you will need to season with salt at the recipe stage — a meaningful practical difference from commercial stocks, which are typically 500–900 mg sodium per cup and pre-season the dish. In slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes, reduce added liquid by about 20% when using concentrate to account for the fact that it releases water as it heats.

How can I verify Northstar Bison's sourcing and certification claims — what do their certifications actually mean in practice?
Northstar's certifications include Non-GMO, no added hormones, no antibiotics, and raised regeneratively. Non-GMO in this context means the animals were not fed genetically modified feed — relevant primarily for domestic livestock; elk sourced from Rocky Mountain field harvest and wild-range populations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and southern Canada are naturally non-GMO as they are not subject to commercial feed programs at all. No added hormones and no antibiotics are claims that apply to the animal's full life cycle — USDA regulations already prohibit hormones in bison and are inconsistently applied in elk, but Northstar's direct sourcing and regenerative framework create an additional layer of accountability beyond baseline regulatory compliance. Regenerative raising practices refer to land management protocols that build soil health, manage grazing rotation, and maintain native plant diversity — these are auditable through third-party regenerative certifiers such as Savory Institute or Land to Market, though specific audit status should be confirmed directly with Northstar. The clearest independent signal of product integrity for a broth is the gel test: refrigerate a portion of the concentrate and observe whether it sets firm. A product that gels solid contains a minimum of approximately 4–5% gelatin by weight and cannot be faked through additives without disclosing those additives on the ingredient label — which this product's three-ingredient list rules out entirely.

Why does the broth set solid in the refrigerator, and is that normal and safe?
Yes, completely normal and in fact the intended result. Gelatin — the protein extracted from collagen in bones and connective tissue during simmering — forms a thermoreversible gel: it solidifies when chilled and returns to liquid when warmed. The gel point for gelatin in water is typically between 59°F and 68°F (15°C to 20°C), so the concentrate will be fully solid at refrigerator temperature (38°F) and will begin softening as it approaches room temperature. The density of the set is a direct function of gelatin concentration — a broth that gels into a firm, sliceable block contains far more extracted collagen peptides per unit volume than one that gels loosely or not at all. This product is designed to set solid by using neck bones, knuckle bones, and tendons — the skeletal structures with the highest collagen density in the animal — combined with extended cook time to ensure complete hydrolysis. To use, simply spoon the desired amount from the jar while cold (it scoops like cold butter), then add hot water. There is no quality concern if the gel is firmer or softer between batches, as slight natural variation in bone collagen content will affect gel strength.