Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth
About the time I think spring is here to stay, Mother Nature sends along some snow and cold just as a cruel reminder she isn’t letting go of winter quite yet. I find whenever the days are chilly and grey, I usually turn to my arsenal of delicious soup recipes. Everyone knows at the base of any good soup recipe is an equally good (and healthy) broth. For a few years now, I’ve been making homemade broth and let me tell you it is a game changer! An even bigger game changer is when I started using my multicooker to make it. Let me walk you through my process for the best Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth you’ll ever find.
We raise our own cattle and usually have a steer butchered for our freezer every year. One of the greatest benefits of having your own supply of beef is you appreciate all that is produced from horns to hoof.
It’s not just about steaks and ground beef around here. We need to find ways and recipes to use up all parts of the beef animal, including soup bones.
These cuts are usually cross sections of bone (usually from the legs) that are nutrient dense, a great source of collagen, and (depending on your butcher’s processing) can be rather meaty.
Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth – The Process
I find it is best to roast the meat and vegetables first in a hot oven. This helps develop a rich flavor that then transfers over to the finished broth.
Once the meat and veggies are roasted, it’s time to break out the Instant Pot (or slow cooker) to start making the broth.
Place the roasted bones, vegetables, seasonings, and water into the bowl of the Instant Pot. Seal and set the cooker to the Soup/Broth function for 2 hours.
Once the cook time is finished and you’ve allowed the pressure of the pot to release naturally, remove the solids from the broth. I usually use a large slotted spoon for this job. If your soup bones had meat on them, go ahead and keep this. Use it in your favorite beef stews or in my Iowa State Fair Hot Beef Sundaes.
The rest (vegetables, seasonings, fat, bones, etc.) can be discarded.
What we are here for is the liquid gold.
Next, place the broth into the fridge overnight to allow the fat to rise and solidify. The next morning the fat can be skimmed from the top of the broth.
Freeze the broth or if you are like me and ‘later use’ is not your specialty- go ahead and make a delicious beef and barley soup or pot roast with gravy with your stock.
Once you’ve made your own beef broth you’ll never look at store-bought the same way.
Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth
The best recipe for Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth. It is quick, easy, and healthy. Made from roasted soup bones and vegetables in your slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Beef Soup Bones
- 1 Carrot, cut into chunks
- 1 stalk Celery, cut into chunks
- 1/2 Onion, cut into wedges
- 1 clove Garlic, chopped
- 2 sprigs Parsley
- 2 sprigs Fresh Thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme leaves)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 Whole Peppercorns
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Apple Cider Vinegar optional
- Water (about 6 cups)
Instructions
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Roast the soup bones, carrot, celery, and onion at 450℉ for 1 hour, turning and stirring every 15 minutes.
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After roasting, remove the bones and vegetables from the pan and arrange in the bowl of the Instant Pot. Add in garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, and (if you are using it) a splash of apple cider vinegar which helps to pull the nutrients from the bones.
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Slowly add in the water (about 6 cups) until you reach the max fill line of the Instant Pot.
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Seal Instant Pot and set valve to "Sealing".
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Select the "Soup/Broth" option on the pot settings and adjust time to 2 hours.
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Once cooking time is complete, let the Instant Pot pressure naturally release.
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Remove and discard the bones, vegetables and any other solid matter from the broth (keep and use the meat for other recipes).
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Next strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer (or one fitted with a piece of cheesecloth).
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Refrigerate the broth overnight to allow the fat to rise and solidify. The next morning skim the fat from the top of the broth and freeze broth for later use.
Recipe Notes
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Roast as directed, then place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on Low for 8-10 hours.
Consistency
- Bone broth will have a gelatinous (and wobbly) consistency. When it is heated it will return to its liquid form.
Storage
- I store these in 1 or 2 cup portions that can be easily defrosted and used as needed
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I made this for my husband. I do t eat beef but the stock looks amazing
Hope your husband enjoyed the beef broth!
I made this and my broth turned out weak and very watery tasting. Is it still good to use?
I would imagine it is fine to use. As it cools it should become less watery and more gelatinous, but if you are concerned about it- add the broth to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce until it reaches a more desired consistency.
I ican’t wait to make this. I have been stuck on chicken bone broth for years but really feel with the winter coming up that beef might be more nourishing……I use broth for soups and for cooking other recipes so it’s a necessity in my kitchen. This looks fantastic
I agree! I love beef broth. Usually there is so much more collagen and and extra nutrients in beef soup bones!
Do you add only 6 cups of water? To the max fill line is much more than that.
I’d fill to the max line- the 6 cups is just the estimate based on the size of my Instant Pot used.
Can I reuse the bones to make another batch?
Most of the collagen and nutrients would be extracted while making the first batch. If you kept the bones to use a second time, I would add more soup bones just to be sure you’re still getting ‘the good stuff’.
Is there a reason we need to skim the fat off?
I don’t like the fat in my broth so take the opportunity to skim it off after it has settled and risen to the top.
This may be a dumb question, but what exactly are soup bones? I’ve been hunting my local grocery stores and haven’t seen anything bearing that name. The closest thing I could find was marrow bones–would those work? If not, is there some other alternative that may be more readily available? Thank you!
Not a dumb question at all, so thank you for asking! I’d suggest looking for any beef cut with a lot of bone and minimal meat (that’s the key part for this broth). See if your store has beef shanks or a more readily available option could be beef short ribs. The bones are what you pull most of the nutrients from. Either of those cuts should be able to be prepared using these same instructions.
I used a moose neck (bones and meat and marrow) with this recipe and it was delicious. It was weak but I added more salt and spices when I made soup with it and it was delightful!
Moose neck! How awesome. I love that this recipe allows us to use every part of the animal to feed our families.