I thought it was time to make the Best Bone Broth Ever since there is so much conversation these days on the benefits of using bone broth. People are even drinking broth for its nutrients. In the past, I have always used the boxed versions of beef broth as my starting point for sauces and gravy. For the most part, they were pretty decent because they gave me the ability to make quick and easy versions of gravy allowing me to improvise using different herbs, spices, and alcohols. In my mind, I always knew that making my own broth would definitely make my gravy that much better.

**Beef bones and veggies ready for roasting**

WHAT MAKES A GOOD BONE BROTH?

A good bone broth has to start with a good amount of beef bones. For this recipe, I used marrow bones, shank, and oxtails. The first step is to roast the bones and the veggies. Getting some good color on the bones and the veggies is a significant part of bringing flavor into any broth. Don’t forget to deglaze your tray and get all the brown bits into your broth.

I decided to use my pressure cooker instead of cooking on top of a stove for 10 hours.

**My One Pot with the Pressure Cooker Function**

You have probably already experimented with using the pressure cooker function on your own “insta-pots“. If not, this is a good reason and time to start!

Don’t be surprised after you strained your broth and cooled it off in your refrigerator overnight, that it looks like broth “jello”. Basically, the collagen from the bones has gelatinized from the cooking process. All that means is that you did it right and you are ready to make some gravy!

**This is how your broth will look after it has cooled off.**

You now have produced the best beef broth ever and was the perfect accompaniment to my Poutine. Check out my poutine recipe here!

The gravy recipe I used for my Poutine is found down below. The recipe includes some port for a little sweetness, green and white pepper for a little bite, and of course some of that fantastic bone beef broth that you spent about 3 hours making! For the roux, use only enough to thicken the gravy to the consistency and texture you are looking for. If it’s too thick, add a little broth. Too thin; add a little more roux.

Hope you enjoy these recipes. Make sure you leave your comments on how your dishes turned out. As always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

Best Beef Bone Broth and Gravy!

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen Course: Side DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Moderate

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time – Pressure Cooker, Roasting

hours

minutes

Cooking time – Gravy, Roux

minutes

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Pressure Cooker – Cook 2 hours
5 lbs 5 Beef bones (oxtails, shank, marrow )
1 Stalk 1 Celery
1 Large 1 Carrot, rough chop
1 Large 1 Onion, rough chop
2 Tbl 2 Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbl 2 Tomato paste
Water, enough to fill just below Max
Ingredients for the Roux – Cooking Time 20 minutes
4 cups 4 Flour
4 cups 4 Fat (Oil, Butter, Fat from your Bone Broth)
Ingredients for the Gravy – Cooking time 20 minutes
4 Tbl 4 Butter
1 Lg 1 Shallot, minced
2 cups 2 Port wine, reduce
4 cups 4 Gelled Beef Bone Broth
3 Tbl 3 Roux
1 Sprig 1 Thyme
2 tsp 2 White pepper
2 tsp 2 Green peppercorns

Directions

Making the Beef Bone Broth
Roast bones in the oven at 425° for about 45 minutes or until brown. Combine veggies and the bones, roast an additional 20 minutes until everything is well browned. Place bones and veggies into the pressure cooker.
Deglaze your roasting tray and get all the brown bits into your pressure cooker. (Drizzle some water on the tray and scrape those bits! That there is all flavor!)
Add the remaining ingredients to the pressure cooker. Add enough water to come to the max line of your pressure cooker. Set cooker for 2 hours. When finished, let the cooker do a natural release of pressure.
Strain ingredients into a large bowl. Take broth and add to a separate container and let sit overnight. The next day you will have an easy time removing the excess fat (Save some of that fat to make your roux the next day!) The gelled broth that remains is pure gold!
Optional: If you don’t have a pressure cooker, add your roasted bones and veggies to a large covered pot and fill it with water. Cook on low-medium heat for at least 8 to 10 hours. Make sure your water doesn’t evaporate too much. The water level needs to stay above the bones.
Making the Roux
Place ingredients of your roux in a large saucepan for 15 to 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Continuously stir your roux as not to scorch the bottom. Wooden spoons work great. You want your roux to look a little lighter than peanut butter.
Take off the heat and use it as a thickener for your sauce and gravy needs. You definitely will have extra. Place in refrigerator to use later to thicken your sauces and gravy. (You can half the ingredients needed if you don’t need or want extra roux.)
Making your Gravy
Add butter and shallots to your saucepan. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add your port wine to the pan.
Turn your heat up to a low boil. Whisk, and continue to cook until reduced in half.
Add broth and roux. Whisk until combined. Leave your heat stay at a low boil to cook out the flour for a few minutes.
Add the remaining gravy ingredients, stir and bring your heat down to medium-low. Reduce till you get your desired consistency. If your gravy is too thick; add more broth. If too thin; add more roux. (If you need to add more roux, turn up your heat to cook out the flour; then reduce your heat back to medium-low after a couple of minutes of high heat. Salt and pepper to taste.)
Use this gravy on any of your steak recipes. It is especially good on my recipe for poutine. Check here for the recipe!

Notes

To make your roux, you can use any fat you prefer. I used half clarified butter and half fat that came from the bone broth that I removed from the broth the next morning.