Beef Bone Broth

Beef bone broth is a nutrient-dense, collagen-rich, flavor-packed super food! You can use it as the base for soups, stews, gravies and sauces. Also, as a braising liquid for roasts or ribs...yum.  And, if you cook rice or other grains in beef bone broth, it will add more flavor, nutrients and protein. Make sure you are sourcing beef bones that are from grass-fed, grass-finished cattle, from a ranch that does not use hormones or antibiotics. It's not a super food if it's laced with herbicides, hormones and antibiotics!

Yes, cooking bone broth takes a long time.....but it's hands off time, and using an electric pressure cooker like an instant pot makes it really easy and flexible. Here's why: 

1. Cook the broth under pressure for a shorter time or slow cook for a longer time, or a combination of both. Making it fit to your schedule. 
2. Brown the soup bones right in the instant pot on the sauté setting instead of roasting them in the oven. 
3. A sealed lid means your house won't be smelling like beef for 24 hours (don't get me wrong... I love the smell of beef cooking, but not for 24 hours straight!)
4. A sealed lid also means no evaporation, so you won't be needing to add more water as it cooks. 

If you don't have an electric pressure cooker, that's fine. It is still very easy to make using a stock pot on the stovetop. Just keep an eye on it and add more water if needed. 

This recipe is using Grassfed Goodness soup bones but you can also use any leftover bones from steak, roasts, ribs, ext. When we have any bones leftover from a meal I put them in a ziplock bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, I make a batch of bone broth.

Use whatever veggies you have on hand, or what your family likes. I almost always use onions, garlic and carrots. Sometimes I add herbs like oregano and thyme, which can help fight off colds and flus. Turmeric has great anti-inflammatory properties, just don't add too much, a little goes a long way!

The beef bone broth will store in the fridge for up to 5 days if stored in an air-tight sealed container. If you leave the fat in the broth, it will harden on the top and create an air-tight seal which will make your broth last even longer. The broth also freezes well. 💡 Here's a tip for freezing broth:  Put the broth in a PINT SIZED WIDE MOUTH mason jar up to the freeze line (or at least 1" below the top of the jar), to allow for expansion and let it cool in the fridge first. DO NOT use regular mouth jars or jars that are curved at the top, they will break!

Keep in mind beef bone broth is going to have a richer flavor than chicken broth and may not be suitable in recipes  requiring a lighter flavor. However, having nourishing, homemade beef bone broth on hand is essential in adding that deep, rich flavor to so many meals. 

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. Grassfed Goodness Soup bones (or other beef bones)
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 3 celery stalks/leaves, cut in half
• 2 carrots, cut in half
• 2-4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• herbs like thyme or oregano (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric (optional)

Instructions:

1.   Roasting the soup bones first adds more flavor. (Skip this step if you are using left over bones with little meat on them). Rinse the soup bones and pat dry with paper towels. Place them in a pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, until browned. Alternately, if you are using an instant pot, you can brown the soup bones in the instant pot.
2. Place all the ingredients in the pot, including any juices from roasting the bones. Add water to the pot until all the meat and veggies are covered. 
3. If using a pot on the stove top, cover and simmer on low for about 12 hours, adding more water if necessary. If using an instant pot, you can chose to pressure cook for 1-2 hours or slow cook for 12-24 hours. I usually pressure cook for 1 hour. Then turn it to slow cook until I have time to strain it. 
4. Remove the soup bones from the pot and take the meat off the bone. You can use the meat in anything from sandwiches to soups like Vegetable Beef Soup. 
5. If there is still marrow left in the bone, place them back in the pot after removing the meat and cook the broth longer, extracting more of the Goodness! 
6. When done, use a ladle to remove the hot broth and strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Pour the broth into mason jars, cool and refrigerate. Once cooled the broth will firm up and have a jelly-like consistency.