Who wants some Instant Pot bone broth?

There’s nothing I like more than a nice steaming mug of bone broth to get me through the cold winter months. It warms me from the inside out and it’s so good for you: check out why in these great posts by Mark’s Daily Apple and Balanced Bites.

I have a recipe for simmering bone broth in the slow cooker—and my mom routinely makes a pot on the stove—but sometimes I just want a bowl RIGHT NOW. If you haven’t guessed, patience ain’t one of my strong suits.

Enter the pressure cooker.

According to foodie scientist, Harold McGee, “a pressure cooker is a special pot that seals tightly and traps hot steam to build the pressure and temperature.” In other words, stocks and stews that normally take hours to cook are finished in just 1/3 the time in a pressure cooker. I don’t use my pressure cooker for everything but I do love stewing braised veggies and meaty bone broths in it. Why? Because these dishes just turn out better and faster. It’s quite remarkable how pressure cooking can transform meaty, collagen-filled cuts like oxtail and cross shanks into fork tender cuts in less than an hour.

(Although the new generation of pressure cookers are safer than the old ones, please read your instruction manual carefully and check out these helpful tips from Mr. McGee. You do need to babysit the pot and you can’t wing it.)

I’ve got great pressure cooker recipes for Welsh Beef Stew and Phở that I share in my iPad cooking app, but here’s a simple recipe for a flavorful bone broth that’ll be ready in less than an hour. And, yes, it does gel in the fridge. Just throw in a few chicken feet or joint bones and your broth will be all jiggly.

Here’s what to gather to make 8 cups of broth:

2 medium leeks, cleaned and cut in half crosswise (or 1 onion, peeled and quartered)

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into three pieces

2.5 pounds of assorted bones (I use a mixture of chicken and pork bones from the freezer or cross shanks and oxtails)

8 cups of water (enough to cover the bones but not more than 2/3rd the capacity of the pressure cooker)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (Update: I don’t normally add apple cider vinegar anymore because it doesn’t extract any minerals into the broth. I went to this lecture and afterwards, I decided it wasn’t necessary. Plus, I don’t like the flavor.)

(Update: I don’t normally add apple cider vinegar anymore because it doesn’t extract any minerals into the broth. I went to this lecture and afterwards, I decided it wasn’t necessary. Plus, I don’t like the flavor.) 2 tablespoons of Red Boat fish sauce (much better than salt, IMHO)

3 dried shiitake mushrooms (optional)

Here’s how to make the broth:

Dump the leeks and carrots in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot (make sure it’s at least 6-quarts), and toss in your bones (frozen is fine).

Then, cover with water (make sure you don’t fill more than two-thirds capacity!) and add vinegar .

Add the fish sauce and toss in the dried shiitake mushrooms (if using). Then, cover and lock the lid, and program to the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 30-50 minutes (I let it go for 50 minutes if I’m cooking meaty shanks or oxtails). If I’m not in a rush, I set my Instant Pot on high pressure for 2 hours—the broth only gets better with more time.

If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker, place the pot on a burner set on high heat. Once the indicator pops up showing that the contents of the pot have reached high pressure, immediately decrease the temperature to the lowest possible setting to maintain high pressure (low is normally adequate).

Set the timer for 30 minutes (I let it go for 50 minutes if I’m cooking meaty shanks or oxtails).

When the broth is done cooking in the Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker, let the pressure release naturally (10-15 minutes).

Remove the lid, skim of the scum (if you desire), and strain the broth. Taste and adjust for seasoning. I keep it on the blander side if I will be cooking with it.

I don’t parboil the bones to decrease the scum because I’m lazy. Plus, there really isn’t that much left after you strain it. (Check out my updated post on how I store bone broth here.)

Faster and more flavorful than other methods. Really.

Don’t have a pressure cooker? Then check out my Slow Cooker Bone Broth recipe!

One last thing: not sure what to do with all your bone broth? Check out my post on how to store the stuff!

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!

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