How to Make Gut-Healing Meat Stock (Instant Pot or Stove-Top)
Meat stock is a gentle, nourishing broth that is rich in gelatin and collagen, making it ideal for gut healing, immune support, and easy digestion. Unlike long-simmered bone broth, meat stock is cooked for a shorter period to preserve its delicate nutrients. It’s perfect for those following GAPS, AIP, or other gut-healing diets. With only a few simple ingredients, you’ll have a gut-healing meat stock in no time.
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Meat stock is a staple in my kitchen—and hopefully in most kitchens. I use it for soups, stews, cooking rice, risotto, gravy, and cheese sauces. It’s incredibly versatile and surprisingly simple to make from scratch.
I mostly make chicken meat stock since a roast chicken dinner is one of my favorite meals to cook. It’s an easy way to get multiple meals from one chicken while minimizing waste. After roasting the chicken, I save the carcass and leftover bones to make a rich, gelatinous stock, ensuring nothing goes to waste and stretching the value of one meal into several.
Why You’ll Love Meat Stock
High in gelatin & collagen – Soothes the gut lining and supports joint health.
Easy to digest – Gentler than long-simmered bone broth.
Fast to make – Ready in 1.5 to 4 hours instead of 12+ hours.
Mild & flavourful – Great for soups, stews, or drinking on its own.
What is the Difference Between Meat Stock, Bone Broth, Stock and Broth?
People seem to use the terms “bone broth”, “stock”, “broth” and “meat stock” interchangeably. My understanding for a long time was that bone broth was the thick gelatinous one and stock is the thin, chicken or beef flavoured water. But in fact, it is the opposite.
Meat stock is gentler, higher in gelatin, and ideal for gut healing. It can be made in under 12 hours, typically within 1.5 to 4 hours depending on the method.
Bone broth is richer, higher in minerals & amino acids, and better for long-term nourishment. It requires 12+ hours to fully extract nutrients from the bones.
Basically, choose meat stock for faster cooking & sensitive digestion. Choose bone broth for deep nourishment & mineral content.
Stock and broth, from my understanding, is just the weaker version of the two.
You can dive deeper into the specifics about bone broth vs. meat stock vs. broth vs. stock here.
And learn more here about meat stocks and bone broths in relation to the GAPS diet protocol.
| Feature | Meat Stock | Bone Broth |
|---|
| Cooking Time | 1.5 – 3 hours | 12 – 48 hours |
| Ingredients | Meaty bones, joints, cartilage | Bare bones, marrow, knuckles, feet |
| Nutrient Content | High in gelatin, collagen | High in minerals, amino acids |
| Digestibility | Easier on digestion | Richer, more complex |
| Flavour & Texture | Light, mild, gelatinous | Deep, rich, thicker |
| Best For | Gut healing, soups, sensitive digestion | Nutrient boost, sipping, slow-cooked meals |
I personally prefer meat stock. It is so rich and gelatinous, deliciously smooth, and feels deeply nourishing. Not to mention, it’s a lot faster which means it takes up less valuable stove-top space. But it does require some meat so it may not be as cost effective as bone broth.
Instant Pot vs. Stove-Top: Which Method is Best for Meat Stock?
I LOVE my Instant Pot and prefer it for most things, but the stove-top method still works well if you don’t have one. Here’s how they compare:
Instant Pot (Faster & Hands-Free)
Quick & Efficient: Meat stock is already faster to make than bone broth, but the Instant Pot speeds it up even more. Ready in just 1.5 to 2 hours on High Pressure.
No Monitoring Needed: Set it and forget it! No need to watch the stove or adjust the heat.
Better Gelatin Extraction: The pressure helps break down cartilage-rich bones more efficiently.
Stove-Top (Slower but Effective)
More Control: You can adjust seasoning, remove foam, and tweak the temperature as needed.
Traditional Cooking Method: Some prefer the slow, steady simmer of a stove-top stock.
Takes Longer: The process requires 3 to 4 hours of gentle simmering, and you’ll need to keep an eye on it to prevent over-boiling.
Beef Meat Stock vs. Chicken Meat Stock
I usually make chicken meat stock because it’s what I have on hand most often, but beef meat stock follows relatively the same simple process.
For chicken meat stock, I use the leftover carcass from a roast chicken dinner. It saves me the time of pulling all the meat off the bones for another meal. I just throw it into the Instant Pot, cover it with water, add a splash of apple cider vinegar, a pinch of salt, and it’s good to go.
For beef meat stock, I’ll roast meaty beef bones with marrow, cartilage and connective tissue. I also save small cuts of beef or bits that aren’t ideal for eating on their own. I keep these scraps in a bag in the freezer, and once the bones plus meat scraps weigh around 2–3 pounds, it’s perfect for making a batch of nutrient-rich beef meat stock.
Both beef and chicken meat stock are highly nutritious, which is best is up to what’s most available to you.
How to Use Meat Stock
Drink It Like a Healing Tonic – Warm in a mug, season with salt, and sip for gut health.
Cook Grains in It – Use instead of water for extra nutrition in rice, quinoa, or risotto.
Make a Nourishing Soup Base – Ideal for chicken soup, beef stew, or pho.
Blend into Mashed Potatoes – Adds a silky texture and extra flavour.
Sauté Vegetables in It – Instead of oil, use a splash of meat stock.
Some of my favourite, nutrient-dense soups are beef and vegetable with beef liver and beef liver chili!
What You’ll Need To Make Gut-Healing Meat Stock
Materials
Large Pot or Instant Pot: For simmering your meaty bone broth.
Half Gallon Jar: For storing stock in the fridge. You can’t have too many of these half gallon jars.
Strainer: For separating the stock from the meaty bones.
Wooden Spoon: For mixing if simmering on stove-top.
Ingredients
2–3 lbs meaty bones (chicken carcass, drumsticks, wings, beef shank, short ribs, or oxtail)
8–10 cups water (or enough to fully submerge the bones)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (aka a splash – helps extract gelatin)
1 tsp salt (aka a generous pinch – enhances flavour)
3–4 garlic cloves (crushed, optional but highly recommended for immune support and depth of flavour)
1 onion (quartered, optional – adds natural sweetness and richness)
How To Make Gut-Healing Meat Stock (Instant Pot & Stove-Top)
Instant Pot Method
Add meaty bones to the Instant Pot.
Cover with water, vinegar, salt and optional vegetables.
Set to High Pressure for 90 minutes.
Let pressure naturally release, then strain and store.
*For this batch, I used the chicken carcass from a roast chicken dinner and the meaty bones from deboning chicken thighs.
Stove-Top Method
Add meaty bones to a large pot.
Cover with water, vinegar, salt and optional vegetables.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3–6 hours.
Strain and store.
Notes
If making beef or lamb stock, roast the meaty bones at 400°F for 30 minutes before simmering for a deeper flavour.
Gut-Healing Meat Stock (Instant Pot or Stove-Top)
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs meaty bones
- 8-10 cups water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3-4 garlic cloves crushed (optional)
- 1 onion quartered (optional)
Instructions
Instant Pot Method (Quick Stock for Cooking)
- Add meaty bones to the Instant Pot.
- Cover with water, vinegar, salt and optional vegetables.
- Set to High Pressure for 90 minutes.
- Let pressure naturally release, then strain and store.
Stove-Top Method (Traditional Cooking Stock)
- Add meaty bones to a large pot.
- Cover with water, vinegar, salt and optional vegetables.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3–6 hours.
- Strain and store.
Notes
Storage
Short-term Storage: Meat stock can be stored in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.
Medium-term storage: Freeze in a bag or shoulder-less jars in the freezer for up to 6 months. Learn more here.
Long-term storage: Pressure can and store on the shelf for up to a year. Learn more about pressure canning broth here.
Troubleshooting + Q&A
Why is my meat stock not gelatinous?
Make sure it has cooled completely in the fridge before checking for gelatin. If it’s fully cooled down and not gelatinous you can do a couple things:
Use bones with more connective tissue (drumsticks, wings, joints).
Adding apple cider vinegar helps extract gelatin.
Use just enough water to cover your bones, too much will result in a thinner stock.
Why is my stock cloudy?
It has impurities which is fine but if you don’t like that you can simmer at low heat, avoid boiling too hard, and skim foam off the surface.
Why does my stock taste bland?
Add more salt, onion, or garlic for flavour.
Can you make multiple batches of meat stock with the same meaty bones?
Yes! I do it all the time. However, each batch will be weaker in gelatin and flavour as you extract more out of the meaty bones.
First batch: Richest in collagen, gelatin, and flavour!
Second batch: Lighter in flavour and less gelatinous but still useful for soups and cooking grains!
Third batch: I don’t often do three batches but the third is like a thin, meat flavoured broth. Still better than store-bought but might not be worth the effort.
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