Pork & Orange Broth

Broth is one of my favorite things to make in the fall and winter. The slow cooker is on a few days a week. As I write this post, there's some chicken broth brewing in my instant pot. LINK INSTANT POT I love my instant pot. I left my slow cookers in California and replaced them with an instant pot when I moved. You can brown things before adding liquid!

There has been a lot of hoopla about stocks and broth in the last many years. But stocks and broths have been a staple in cuisine worldwide ever since the pot was invented—a very long time ago.

Pork stock or broth is not often used except in Asian and Mexican food. Veal stock is much more common in restaurants and homes. Making and freezing it yourself might be the only way you'll have it to use. Knorr makes pork bouillon cubes that can be found online but not at my local grocery store. (I have no affiliation with Knorr.)

Adding fresh orange juice to this broth gives it a whole new flavor. Add it at the beginning, so it has time to blend and mellow. I use this broth to make a soup similar to French Onion. It's also great for pork stew, chili, braising potatoes, and cooking rice. Or warm up with a cup of steamy broth with chopped parsley or other fresh herbs sprinkled on top.

To make broth, you'll need:

A stockpot, slow cooker or instant pot.
Pork shoulder, butt, or pork ribs. Leftovers from a pork roast work well.
2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 2 onions, peeled.
2 cups of orange juice. (You can skip the orange juice for true pork broth.)
Bay leaf (Thyme would be nice if you don't have a bay leaf, but neither are necessary).
1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. You'll adjust these later.
Enough water to cover the ingredients.

Brown the meat and bones first.

It adds a richness and depth to the flavor.

Bake in the oven: Use a roasting pan and bake at 450 degrees (232 Celsius) for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden to dark brown.

Broil under the broiler: Use a broiling pan and set the meat a step up from the middle rack. It can burn too quickly right next to the heating element. Turn the pieces until all sides are brown.

Grill on the BBQ: This adds an entirely different flavor.

Transfer the roasted bones and meat to a stockpot, slow cooker, or instant pot. Transfer the roasted bones and meat to a stockpot, slow cooker, or Instant Pot, and add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Cover the bones and vegetables with water.

Stockpot:

Cover with the lid and bring to a hard boil for 5 to 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 to 4 hours.
Check occasionally to make sure the liquid doesn't simmer away. Some stoves don't really have a low simmer, and it's easy to simmer down the liquid.
Add water as needed.

Slow cooker:

Start on high, cover with the lid and bring to a boil.
Reduce the temperature to low and simmer the broth for 6 to 10 hours. The low setting on some slow cookers is too low so make sure the liquid is simmering.

Instant-pot:

Use the slow cook function for 8 to 10 hours. I let my broth go overnight. For the Onion Soup, I want the rich, dark broth. But some recipes call for a light broth, and a shorter cooking time would make a lighter broth.

And, as always, follow the instructions for your appliances.

Skim off foam as it develops when using the stovetop or slow cooker.
- Never open pressure cookers until the pressure has completely released. There is no point in skimming off the foam using a pressure cooker, anyway. Just wait.
Strain the broth into a container and refrigerate a few hours or, better yet, overnight, so the fat rises to the top and hardens, making it easy to separate. Or use a fat separator.
LINK FAT SEPARATOR
- Placing hot items in the refrigerator will decrease the interior temperature a little, but we shouldn't leave broth on the counter to cool to room temperature. The broth is an excellent medium for germs. The best way to cool a hot liquid is by placing it in a clean bowl or container and placing that container into an ice bath. When it's cooled down considerably, it's ready to go in the refrigerator.
After you remove the fat, spoon it into ice-cube trays or other containers to freeze for later use. Remember, liquid expands as it freezes, so leave room at the top. Or store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. On day three, boil for five minutes and then again when you use it.