I've been on an Instant Pot tear ever since the Beloved threatened to hide it because I was ruining perfectly good food. One thing I knew it was good for absolutely was stock. I'd found a few pounds of beef bones at the store and 1-½ pig's trotter, and having promised my lofthold beef stroganoff this week, wanted to have good. I've got a simple 1 hour beef stock in the new book (using ground beef and gelatin), but the best fast way for stock is the Instant Pot or a pressure cooker.
I learned this when I reviewed Modernist Cuisine for the NYTimes (see the attached recipe for chicken stock). It's brilliant.
For this stock though, I roasted the bones (this adds flavor and eliminated the protein-blood scum that comes from raw beef bones), put it all in the instant pot (no measuring), added, onion, carrot, parsley, covered it with water, and pressure cooked for 2 hours. Important to let it cool for a natural release, other wise it boils furiously when pressure is manually released.
Strained, I had 8 cups of very rich beef stock.
Of course if you don't have a pressure cooker or instant stock, you can combine all and put it in a 200˚F oven overnight, another great method.
They don't call stock the le fond de cuisine for nothing. It makes everything better. It may even call for that old fashioned cocktail my mom used to have at lunch when she worked the garment district in NYC long ago: The Bull Shot.
Note, I'd have put celery in there if I'd had it. I like celery in beef stock (not in chicken or veal). Long ago when I was a cook at Sans Souci in Cleveland, my chef told me to leave the skin on the onion I was using for stock (unless it were dirty). It adds flavor color and nutrients to the stock. Now I always leave the onion skin on when making stock.
Happy cooking, one and all!
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Combine all ingredients in an instant pot or pressure cooker. Cover with water.
- Pressure cook for 2 to 3 hours. Allow to cool, then remove lid and strain.
Hey Michael - one of my go-to chicken stock recipes is one from Bobby Flay. Since then, I've always roasted my veg before making any stock, beef or chicken. Would you recommend roasting the veg in this Instant Pot recipe before adding them in?
Roasting adds more complex flavors. So generally yes! But depends what you're looking for.
I know this is an old post but wondered if it is best to roast the beef bones before making the stock....also, for chicken stock, is it better to cook the chicken bones and carcass in water before adding the veg and how long for each?
yes on both counts. roast the bvones if you want a deeper roasted flavor. chicken bones need to cook about 4 hours, I add the veg during the last 45 mins of cooking. Subscribe to my newsletter for a quicker response! ruhlman.substack.com
I've had great success with your ratio of 2:3:1 (chicken bones, water, veg), plus enough water to cover, at high pressure for 45 minutes. If I ever accumulate a couple pounds of been bones, I'll try them for the time given above.
beef usually takes a little longer. 45 mins even for chix bones seems short!
if you don't have celery in the fridge, would celery seed be a good substitute?
worth a try!
I was amazed at the stock that the Instant Pot makes from a rotisserie chicken. Cooking my way through Scratch while I'm working from home - although I'm keeping the Heinen's trips down to once a week. My grandfather used to color Easter eggs from saved up onion skins - that's where I learned to keep them in the stock.
great tips! love rotisserie chix stock!
TGIF! .... ahem....
did you forget what day it is? Easy to do when every day is Saturday. Hope your all well.
Cheers
Ruhlman, you nailed it. I was a latecomer to the Instant pot party and only acquired one a few months ago. We've made other things with it that came out OK Good withing the limitations of using that method of cooking) but for us in any case stock is what we use it for almost exclusively. Chix, Beef, Pork (RAMEN!!) stock whatever it is perfect for that task.
thanks, and yes, stock and quick braises seem to be its strength.
Your fried chicken youtube video with le creuset was great but cut off before you said how to use the back of the chicken for stock?! its raw so I am wondering if it is used the same way as the roasted carcass? thanks
that's too bad! just put it in a pot that just fits the bones, cover with water, add an onion carrot bay leaf, maybe a couple teaspoons tomato paste. Put it in a 200 degree oven for 4 to 8 hours and strain! See my overnight stock method.
Would you treat going about a veal stock in the same way as you do the beef stock in this recipe?
yes.