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“Instant” Bone Broth

Well, not really instant broth but certainly faster than with your slow cooker or on the stove top! I’ve been using an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker to make broth for several months and have really grown to love the convenience and time-savings. Kinda feel like I’m cheating on my slow cooker but life is BUSY, yes?

If you haven’t already heard, bone broth made from healthy pastured animals is a much-revered ancestral food and staple of a nourishing diet. In my local workshops on the topic, I teach that:

  • Broth is an “efficient delivery system” for minerals such as calcium, phosphorus magnesium and potassium

  • Prepared properly, it contains collagen/gelatin, glucosamine, chondroitin, amino acids such as glycine and proline

  • Can support the immune system … “All disease begins in the gut.” –Hippocrates

  • Is delicious and nourishing!

My wonderful contributing writer, Tiana Byers, assembled this comprehensive post, Broth is Beautiful, on the benefits of broth as well as techniques to make your own at home. Check it out! But for the busy cook – and who isn’t busy? – you will find my technique for “Instant” broth below.

Gather your ingredients, best from trusted local farmers:

  • Bones from healthy pastured poultry, beef, lamb, venison, pork, bison, goat, or mutton.

    • Save the carcass from your roast chicken, bones from steaks, roasts, etc. or purchase “broth bones” at the farmers market. You may choose to include chicken skin, feet & heads, pig feet, ears & tail for added nutrients and gelatin. Be brave!

    • Joints and other bones with lots of cartilage and connective tissue are preferred.

    • A combination of meaty-bones and “boney-bones” is ideal.

    • For bones other than chicken, roast them first for better flavor and color.

  • Cold filtered water

  • 1 – 2 T. apple cider vinegar to help extract minerals from the bones

  • 1 – 2 tsp. crushed green peppercorns to improve digestive profile of the broth

  • Organic vegetables including mushrooms, herbs & other seasonings incl. kombu, dulse, etc.

  • Unrefined salt and/or fermented fish sauce for flavoring as desired

Time for “Instant” bone broth:

 

Place 3 – 4 lbs bones in the Instant Pot container, add cold filtered water to fill line, then apple cider vinegar, and peppercorns.

 

I typically hold back the veggies and aromatics to flavor my broth later but you may choose to add yours in now. Just be aware that too many carrots may impart a sweet flavor and also know that a little garlic goes a LONG way. <wink>

 

Following the instructions for your Instant Pot, make sure the gasket/sealing ring is properly in place, close the lid until it locks, and ensure the release valve is in the sealed position.

 

Using the Manual option, select 120 minutes. The Instant Pot will start up and at the end of 2 hours, will emit a series of beeps slightly reminiscent of the the Lost hatch, signifying the cooking time has ended. It will switch to the Warm setting for, I believe, up to 10 hours but I typically let it sit for just an hour or so. This allows pressure to diminish naturally. Again following your Instant Pot instructions, you may choose to release pressure with the release valve earlier but TAKE CARE as the steam will be extremely hot!

 

Once the pressure is reduced enough to safely open the locked lid, I proceed by ladling the prepared broth through a sieve (like this or a coffee filter) into a large glass measuring cup to allow it to cool a little more. Then I pour into my favorite storage “working glasses” and allow to cool on the counter or in a water bath in my sink before transferring to the refrigerator.

 

That’s it! Just a few hours and we are stocked with nourishing broth. When you’re ready to use the broth, drink by the mugful, or use to prepare soups, stews, and other awesomeness. Just be sure to season with salt and/or fermented fish sauce for the best flavor. I always say in my class, “If it tastes like meat juice rather than bone broth, you need more salt!”

 

NOTE 1: Because of the sturdiness and shape of the working glasses, I often store some of the broth in the freezer for future use. Defrosting the broth in working jars is simple: just place the jar in a bowl of room temperature water for 15 minutes of so then the frozen broth will slip right out for reheating.

 

NOTE 2: The silicon sealing ring WILL take on the broth aroma … no matter how much you wash it. Trust me. But you can purchase an additional ring to have on hand for other dishes you may be preparing in your Instant Pot.