Delicious Daisy Oaks Ranch Beef Neck Bones

Beef neck bones are some of the most affordable beef cuts on the market. Because of the cut having gelatinous connective tissue, they offer a similar taste and texture to oxtail but are significantly less costly than oxtail or marrow bones as they are more abundant and are not as trendy. Once you try them, you'll buy them again and again.

Making beef neck bones can be done with several cooking methods, however I will focus on the Insta pot and the oven. They are a blank pallet for flavor so you can experiment using any number of mixtures or seasonings that sound good to you.

Making them in an instant pot produces a similar consistency and flavor as those prepared in a crockpot. However, the Insta pot cuts the cooking time immensely, allowing you to eat juicy meaty neck bones in less than two hours.

What you will need:

• Grapeseed oil, olive oil, or any other neutral oil for searing
• 4 pounds Daisy Oaks Ranch beef neck bones as is when unwrapping. No need to remove any parts while cooking. (Ours usually come 2 bones per package)
• 2 -3 tablespoon Daisy Oaks Ranch Sticky Saddle rub (if you do not have this seasoning, you can use anything you like. I have made these with a dash of this and a dash of that from the spice drawer. It really is a versatile dish so go crazy and try something new.)
• A bit of Kosher salt (if desired)
• 1 large white onion, chopped.
• 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed.
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2-3 cups unsalted beef stock or broth
• * Optional, ½ cup red wine. If you do not wish to use this, use broth and a dash of red wine or apple cider vinegar.
• Insta pot or if cooking in the oven, an oven safe baking dish like a roasting pan or Dutch oven.

Insta pot:

I have learned that there are several variations of Insta pots so please adjust the recipe to match that of the instructions provided by your specific model. Mine has one dial and it is for amount of time, so I set mine to 80 minutes.

• Preheat the Insta pot so that it is hot enough to sear all sides of the meat.
• Place some oil in the bottom of the pot. About a tablespoon or so.
• Season the meat with some of the Sticky Saddle rub (or just kosher salt) and, in batches, sear them until all sides are good and brown.
• Remove them from the pot and set aside.
• In the same pot, add the onion with more oil, if needed, and cook for a couple of minutes. They should start to look clear in color.
• Add the tomato paste, garlic and the rest of the seasoning and cook all for another couple of minutes. The Sticky Saddle rub has molasses granules in it so it will be sticky. Be sure to move all ingredients around constantly during this process and if preferred this seasoning can be added at the end before closing the pot to cook.
• Add the red wine (or broth with a splash of vinegar) and with a wooden or silicone spoon scrape the bottom of the pan. (Deglaze)
• Place the bones back in the pot, it is ok for them to be stacked, add remaining broth and set your pot. (Be sure to add the recommended amount of liquid and time per your pot’s instructions.) Mine is on high for 75 – 80 minutes.
• Allow the pressure to release on its own and once it has, you can pull some of the juice and make a tasty gravy and enjoy with your choice of sides. I made veggies and mashed potatoes once and another time veggies and brown rice.

Oven:

• Choose your baking pan. If you are cooking in a Dutch oven, you can do all steps in it, otherwise, you will also need a pan to brown all sides of the meat.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place about a tablespoon of oil in the pan and heat pan on stove top to medium to medium high heat
• Sprinkle all sides of the meat with Sticky Saddle Rub or just kosher salt and sear all sides of each piece. May take a couple of rounds if they do not all fit where they can be seared. Be sure there is some oil in the pan between each turn, or round.
• Once all sides of each piece have been browned, set them aside.
• In the same pot, add the onion with more oil, if needed, and cook for a couple of minutes. They should start to look clear in color.
• Add the tomato paste, garlic and the rest of the seasoning and cook it for another couple of minutes. The Sticky Saddle rub has molasses granules in it so it will be sticky, be sure to move all ingredients around constantly during this process and if you prefer, this seasoning can be added at the end before baking.
• Add the red wine (or broth with a splash of vinegar) and with a wooden or silicone spoon scrape the bottom of the pan. (Deglaze)
• Place the meat and bones back in the pan and add the remaining broth to the pan.

The broth should cover the bottom and up to half of the meat. If you are uneasy with the amount of liquid and time it is cooking, check it halfway through cooking and add more broth if needed.

• Cook for about 2 and a half to 3 hours. Test for tenderness at 2.5 and if not super tender, cover it back up and let it cook some more.
• If you are wanting carrots and potatoes or veggies with this, you can add them to the pot about an hour before completion time. This cooking time will vary depending on how large you have them cut.
• Make some yummy gravy with the drippings and enjoy!