How to make Bone Broth in the Instant Pot

What is bone broth?

Bone broth is liquid broth made from adding water to animal bones and simmering the liquid for an extended period of time to pull out the nutrients from the bones.  The bones are then strained out, leaving a beautiful gold liquid full of proteins, nutrients, fats, and gelatin.

What are the health benefits of bone broth?

Although the research on the health benefits of consuming bone broth is still limited, there's a lot of evidence to suggest that bone broth may be beneficial in a lot of ways.

Gut health, joint health, reducing inflammation, better sleep - just to name a few of the promising potential benefits.

Why make your own broth?

Making bone broth at home is pretty easy and straight forward.  But it does take some time.

So why is it worth it to make your own at home (or to source good quality bone broth) instead of buying store-bought "broth" for cooking?

More nutrients.  Store-bought broth is often made from simmering the meat in water for a shorter period of time.  The bones are not always used so you may be missing out on all that nutrition that comes from simmering the bones for a long period of time (gelatin, vitamins, and more).

Store bought chicken or beef broth is often high in salt.  Making your own homemade broth allows you to control the salt you add to your cooking

Weird ingredients.  Store-bought broth often has a number of additives to allow for longer shelf life or flavour.  Making your own at home allows you to know what you've added.

Where to source bones to make your own broth?

First and foremost, make sure you are using bones from high quality animals.  The healthiest animals will give you the best bone broth.  Look for a local farm with practices that align with your values. 

You can essentially make homemade bone broth for free at home.  Choose bone-in meat selections for your meals.  Then save the bones in a freezer container until you're ready to make bone broth.

If you are looking to source bones for making bone broth, make sure you are choosing a high quality source.  Check in with your favorite local farm to see if they have bones in stock.

Here at Lazuli Farms, we have beef & pork bones in stock occasionally, but they sell out quickly.  Your best bet is to get in touch with us and add your name to the waiting list.

How to make bone broth?

Bone broth can easily be made on the stovetop, slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot.

Stovetop:  Mix bones, vinegar, water, and veggies.  Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer.  With a lid on, simmer for 12 to 24 hours.

Slow Cooker:  Mix bones, vinegar, water, and veggies.  Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 24 hours.

Instant Pot:  Mix bones, vinegar, water, and veggies in the Instant Pot.  Set the Instant Pot to high pressure cook for the maximum length of time (usually 4 hours) with the vent closed.  Repeat for one more cycle (high pressure, max time, closed vent).

Straining:  Line a large colander with a cheesecloth and place over top of a large bowl or stock pot.  Pour the broth mixture through the colander to capture the bones, veggies, and meat pieces.

Note:  If using the Instant Pot, you could also place a strainer into the Instant Pot before you add the ingredients at the start.  This will allow you to lift the bones/veggies out of the Instant Pot easily at the end.  You can find strainers that are perfectly fitted for the Instant Pot.

How to store bone broth?

Transfer your bone broth to mason jars, filling them to 3/4 full.  This will allow for the liquid to expand in the freezer.  You can use zippered freezer bags or freezer containers alternatively.

Some people like to freeze their bone broth in ice cube trays and then transfer to a freezer container.  This makes it easy to add bone broth to meals.

You can store your bone broth in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.  Or in the freezer up to 6 months.

What to use bone broth for?

1. Soup.  I know, obvious, right!  Try the baked potato soup, sausage tortellini soup, or ham & potato soup recipes on the Lazuli Farms blog.

2. Substitute for water when making rice, couscous, or other grain.

3. Enchilada Sauce.  You can turn any meat leftovers into enchiladas with a little cheese, tortillas, and enchilada sauce.  Find the enchilada sauce recipe in the FREE roast beef leftovers ebook from Lazuli Farms.

4. Scalloped Potatoes.  The richness of the creamy sauce comes from the broth.  Find the recipe for Creamy Scalloped Potatoes here.

Instant Pot Bone Broth Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 lbs pork, beef, or chicken bones
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 litres of water
• optional:  onion, carrot, celery, or other vegetable scraps

Instructions:

 See instruction above.