Pork Bone Broth (Stove Top or Pressure Cooker)

Name: Pork Bone Broth (Stove Top or Pressure Cooker)
Prep time: 5 min
Ingredients: 3 pounds raw pork bones; 1 large yellow onion, (trimmed, peeled, and quartered); 2 celery ribs; 1 medium leek, (roots trimmed, halved, and thoroughly cleaned); 4 cloves garlic, (peeled); 1 2- inch section of ginger, (sliced); 20 peppercorns; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

April 30, 2020 By Elizabeth 33 Comments

Everything you need to make rich, incredibly flavorful pork bone broth at home using raw pork bones either on the stove top or in an electric pressure cooker, or repurposing leftover pork bones for a simpler pork bone broth.

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This pork bone broth recipe was originally published in April 2009, a time when Brooklyn Supper was in the midst of some lean times better known as the Great Recession. Since we find ourselves once again making do with what’s on hand and stretching our ingredients, I thought it was a good time to update the recipe.

There are many, many ways to approach making bone broth. The original pork bone broth recipe published here was a casual way to repurpose a large quantity of pork bones – the kind you might have leftover from cooking a pork shoulder or have saved up in the freezer from multiple meals. This is the kind of bone broth I make most often. We save up chicken or pork bones and then use them to make a stock once enough have been accumulated. This simple approach is an important way to stretch animal ingredients and I’ve got a recipe for that approach below.

Making Pork Bone Broth from Raw Pork Bones: Stove Top or Pressure Cooker

But first, a more traditional pork bone broth made from a mess of pork bones I picked up at my local butcher. This recipe is fussier and has a few more steps, but makes for a rich, delicately flavored broth that’s an ideal base for ramen or other soups where the broth provides the bulk of the flavor.

I started by blanching the bones and skimming the broth as they cooked. This step pulls a lot of the most unctuous components from the bones and yields a more refined-tasting broth. Next up, I roasted the bones – this step amplifies flavor and renders some of the fat. Finally, I stewed my bones low and slow in a big stock pot (the bigger, the better) with a mix of leeks, yellow onions, celery, garlic, ginger, and peppercorns. This last step can be done on a pressure cooker or on the stove. The stove top version produced a paler, more gelatinous broth, while the pressure cooker bone broth was darker and more watery (a thick liquid as opposed to the fully gelled stovetop version). Both were delicious and very flavorful, though I’d recommend opting for the stovetop version if time allows.

Uses for Pork Bone Broth

Serve your pork bone broth however you like. I added a splash of soy sauce and mirin to make for a simple, if exceptionally flavorful ramen broth. Other uses include a fortifying daily mug of broth, braising liquid, or as the base for sauces, stews, and bean dishes.

Everything you need to make rich, incredibly flavorful pork bone broth at home using raw pork bones either on the stove top or in an electric pressure cooker, or repurposing leftover pork bones for a simpler pork bone broth.

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Pork Bone Broth (Stove Top or Pressure Cooker)

Prep Time

5 mins

Everything you need to make rich, incredibly flavorful pork bone broth at home, either using raw pork bones from the butcher on the stovetop or in an instant pot, or repurposing leftover pork bones for a simpler pork bone broth.

Note that the amount of broth you can make will be limited in the Instant Pot. If making a stovetop version, consider doubling the recipe to maximize your pork bone broth output.

Because of the long cook time for the stove top version, consider prepping and roasting the bones a day ahead and starting your broth first thing the next morning.

Recipe Type: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bone broth

Makes: 3 quarts

Author: Elizabeth Stark

Ingredients

3 pounds raw pork bones
1 large yellow onion, trimmed, peeled, and quartered
2 celery ribs
1 medium leek, roots trimmed, halved, and thoroughly cleaned
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 2- inch section of ginger, sliced
20 peppercorns
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Set bones in a large stock pot. Fill with cold water so bones are covered at least an inch. Bring to boil, then turn heat down to a rapid simmer and cook 20 minutes. While bones cook, skim any brown foam that rises to the top with a fine mesh sieve or slotted spoon.
Remove bones from the boiling water, shaking off excess water, and place in a rimmed baking sheet or two. Roast 30 minutes, or until bones are a deep brown hue and very fragrant. Discard blanching water.

Stove Top

To make pork bone broth on the stovetop, place roasted bones in the same stock pot used for blanching. Add onions, celery, leeks, garlic, ginger, peppercorns, and apple cider vinegar. Add 6 quarts cold water and bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the top. Turn heat down to a gentle simmer (medium-low) and set a slightly askew lid on top. Simmer, stirring and skimming every hour or so for 10 - 18 hours. As broth cooks, edge heat down to low and add water as needed. I do not recommend leaving the broth unattended for any length of time. Add sea salt toward the end of cook time – it should be just enough to bring out the flavor.

Pressure Cooker

To make broth in an electric pressure cooker, combine roasted bones and all remaining broth ingredients in the inner pot. Add 3 quarts cold water (no more than two-thirds of the way up the pot). Close lid and set vent to sealing. Cook at high pressure for 5 hours. Allow broth to manually release for 30 minutes.
Strain broth (I typically use a colander and then a fine mesh sieve). If desired, strain again through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth.
Pour broth into quart jars, and carefully set in the fridge. It's important to chill cooked broth quickly, so if you're leaving it in a large stock pot, consider immersing it in an ice bath first to quickly bring down the temperature.
To freeze broth, fill wide mouth quart jars with broth just up to the curve in the glass (for about 2-inches of head space). Allow broth to chill overnight in the fridge, then label jars, and freeze for up to 6 months.

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Leftover Pork Bone Broth

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

8 hrs

This recipe is meant for cooked pork bones leftover from pork braises and roasts. Between broth making sessions, leftover bones can be saved in a labeled bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.