Start with good bones from Grassfed Only cows, like ours here at Creekside Meadows. Yes good bones do matter!
I started with 4 pounds of our Meaty Soup Shanks- or 2 packages. These have a nice sized bone and quite a bit of meat which I like.
Thaw, liberally salt and pepper them and roast at 350 for about 30-45 minutes until a nice dark brown. Remove to some paper towels to blot off any liquified fat.
Don't they look yummy? All that browning will really bring out flavor in the stock.
You can also use already cooked bones leftover from meals and those don't need roasting.
Add bones to your pot. I added 3 quarts of water to my instant pot. to cover the bones but not overfilling it (see the level mark on your pot) Add more or less if you need to.
3 large carrots, sliced.
1 large onion, cut into wedges. You can use more onions but I was low on supply. If homegrown/local onions you can leave the skins as they add more flavor and have not been treated for longer storage.
1 bay leaf
3 big cloves of garlic peeled, smashed and chopped.
2 stalks of celery (optional, I didn't use for this recipe as I was out).
You can also add herbs if you want, like oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary ect..... I didn't with this batch (forgot to!)
Instant Pot. Use the soup setting for 90 minutes and let it do a natural release.
Slow Cooker- use low for 10-12 hours, longer is better..
Stove top. Bring to a boil and lower to simmer, cover simmer 8-12 hours or longer.
I do all 3 but lately the instantpot has saved me time, energy and seems to me to be a bit more flavorful. This doesn't mean go out and get one, really just wait. The price will come down and many will be found at garage sales this summer really cheap.
Strain the solids out. If any meat I remove it and freeze for soup later on and the dogs get some for treats. Discard the rest.
Let the liquid cool and refrigerate. The next day I skim off the solidified fat if any and freeze in whatever serving size portions I want. Often it's 1 cup or 2 cups.
There are lots of versions of making stock or broth and we can debate the words to use to describe it. My recipe changes often by what I have on hand. I like making a mixed meat stock with beef, pork and chicken bones in it. It makes for a complex delicious stock for all sorts of uses.
I will be using this in some beef dishes this week. Beef Stroganoff and shephard's pie!
I also reduce this down to half or more for a very concentrated product. This gets frozen in ice cube trays. I will pull these out when I make a soup or stew or gravy that seems weak flavored and needs some extra flavor oomph instead of using bullion or similar things.
I started with 4 pounds of our Meaty Soup Shanks- or 2 packages. These have a nice sized bone and quite a bit of meat which I like.
Thaw, liberally salt and pepper them and roast at 350 for about 30-45 minutes until a nice dark brown. Remove to some paper towels to blot off any liquified fat.
You can also use already cooked bones leftover from meals and those don't need roasting.
Add bones to your pot. I added 3 quarts of water to my instant pot. to cover the bones but not overfilling it (see the level mark on your pot) Add more or less if you need to.
3 large carrots, sliced.
1 large onion, cut into wedges. You can use more onions but I was low on supply. If homegrown/local onions you can leave the skins as they add more flavor and have not been treated for longer storage.
1 bay leaf
3 big cloves of garlic peeled, smashed and chopped.
2 stalks of celery (optional, I didn't use for this recipe as I was out).
in this picture you can only see some of the bones, the rest are under water. I'm using an 8 qt Instant Pot so for smaller pots you may use lesser amount of bones and water. Some people make stock with no veggies but I like the more complex flavor and extra nutrients that comes from a mixed stock.
You can also add herbs if you want, like oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary ect..... I didn't with this batch (forgot to!)
Instant Pot. Use the soup setting for 90 minutes and let it do a natural release.
Slow Cooker- use low for 10-12 hours, longer is better..
Stove top. Bring to a boil and lower to simmer, cover simmer 8-12 hours or longer.
I do all 3 but lately the instantpot has saved me time, energy and seems to me to be a bit more flavorful. This doesn't mean go out and get one, really just wait. The price will come down and many will be found at garage sales this summer really cheap.
Strain the solids out. If any meat I remove it and freeze for soup later on and the dogs get some for treats. Discard the rest.
Let the liquid cool and refrigerate. The next day I skim off the solidified fat if any and freeze in whatever serving size portions I want. Often it's 1 cup or 2 cups.
There are lots of versions of making stock or broth and we can debate the words to use to describe it. My recipe changes often by what I have on hand. I like making a mixed meat stock with beef, pork and chicken bones in it. It makes for a complex delicious stock for all sorts of uses.
I will be using this in some beef dishes this week. Beef Stroganoff and shephard's pie!
I also reduce this down to half or more for a very concentrated product. This gets frozen in ice cube trays. I will pull these out when I make a soup or stew or gravy that seems weak flavored and needs some extra flavor oomph instead of using bullion or similar things.