Bone Broth in the Instant Pot
Updated: Nov 19, 2020
A few years ago, if you’d stopped by my house in the fall or winter you’d have found a stock pot of bone broth simmering on my stove more often than not. Back then, I’d roast a chicken, de-bone it and throw the carcass, some veggies, chicken feet and leftover beef bones into a pot and cook them, straining the broth and adding new water each day until the bones crumbled, about a week.
When I got my Instant Pot, I switched to making bone broth in there, and it’s made it a whole lot easier to keep homemade broth on hand anytime of the year. (Bones simmering in water during the summer is not appealing.) I use the broth to make soups mostly, but it’s also nice to have available if anyone gets sick or just to drink on a cold day. Bone broth has been linked by several respected functional medicine doctors to help heal the lining of your gut as well as provide easily absorbed nutrients to your body in times of stress. It’s also a great way to use up those scrap veggies and to make sure that you’re eating the “whole animal”.
Typically, my broth is made from a combination of chicken and beef bones, along with scrap veggies and a few feet, but if you prefer to keep your chicken and beef bones separate that’s great too. I will also note, if you’ve been making your own broth at home and haven’t had much success getting it to “gel”, try adding chicken feet, using more joint bones (high in collagen) and being mindful to not add too much water. All of these will help you be more successful. Also, just because your broth didn’t “gel” doesn’t mean it’s not good for you!
Bone Broth
The quantity will vary based on the amount of water and bones used.
Ingredients:
Beef* and/or chicken* bones
Scrap veggies (onion, carrots, celery, garlic)*
1-2 chicken feet (optional but recommended for a good gel and using the whole animal)
1-2 Tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves (optional)
Filtered water
Directions:
To the Instant Pot insert, add your bones (if any are raw see the instructions in the notes portion below for how to cook them), veggies, chicken feet, cider vinegar, bay leaves, and water. I use enough water to cover the bones or fill to the 10 cup line marked inside the insert.
Place the insert into the Instant Pot, seal it and select the soup setting (120 minutes).
When your broth is finished and you’ve allowed the Instant Pot to vent on its own, use a thick towel to remove the insert and prevent burning your hands.
Strain the water from the bones by placing a mesh strainer over a large glass bowl or empty pot.
Pour the broth through the strainer until no broth remains in the insert.
I like to let the broth cool for a bit while I get together my jars and lids, but this isn’t necessary if you’ve got yours ready to go.
Pour the broth into wide mouth glass jars making sure not to fill above the marked freeze line. If your jars aren’t marked, leave about an inch of space between the lid and the top of the broth.
If your jars of broth are still pretty hot to the touch, put the jars in the fridge to cool for a bit, or let sit at room temperature until the jars are just warm to the touch and then place in the freezer.
Store the jars in the freezer until ready for use.
At this point you can discard your bones or cook them again. I do this often, just add more cider vinegar to your water and repeat steps 2-9!
The more you cook your bones, the lighter your broth will be and also less likely to gel, so I usually don't cook the same bones more than twice.
Notes:
*I store all of my bones from roasts or steaks that have already been cooked in my freezer in a large freezer bag. If your beef bones have not been cooked, unpackage them and place them on a glass baking sheet and put them in a 350* oven to roast for about 30 minutes or until the bones become fragrant.
*Including a few joint bones (high in collagen) into your pot will help the broth to gel.
*Make sure that your chicken and/or beef bones are sourced from animals raised humanely without hormones and antibiotics.
*Avoid using vegetables from the Brassica family (broccoli, cabbage, collard greens…) as they lend a bitter taste to your broth.
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