Easy Tonkotsu Ramen

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1. 1Step 1: Gather all the dashi (Japanese soup stock) ingredients.
2. 2Step 2: Add 1 piece kombu (dried kelp), 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, and 5 iriko/niboshi (boiled and dried anchovies) to 2 cups water in a medium bowl. Set aside to soak while you prepare and pressure cook the pork broth.
3. 3Step 3: Gather all the tonkotsu broth ingredients.
4. 4Step 4: Rinse 3½ lb pork leg bones and 1.3 lb pork hock with skin under running water.
5. 5Step 5: Soak the pork bones and hock in a large bowl of water for 15 minutes to remove blood, changing the water several times. If you’re using pork backbones, remove the white spinal cord-like tissue, as it can give off a strong odor. Use chopsticks instead of your hands to avoid getting cut by the bones.
6. 6Step 6: Peel off the papery outer layers of 1 head garlic (keeping the head whole). Trim off and discard the root end. Then, slice the entire head in half crosswise to expose the cloves.
7. 7Step 7: Slice 1 knob ginger (skin on) into thin slices.
8. 8Step 8: Place the bones, hock, ginger, garlic, and 2 QT water in a pressure cooker pot or in the inner pot of an Instant Pot.
9. 9Step 9: Keep the bones and water at or below the pressure-cooking MAX line. If needed, reserve some of the water and add it back during the uncovered boiling stage. Cover and lock the lid. Point the steam release handle at Sealing. Select Pressure Cook, set it to High Pressure for 60 minutes, and press Start. Allow about 40 minutes for the cooker to come up to pressure, 60 minutes for cooking, and about 60 minutes or longer for a full natural pressure release. No Pressure Cooker? Use a large stockpot and add an extra 2 cups (500 ml) of water. Simmer for 3–4 hours in place of pressure cooking, partially covering the pot as needed to slow evaporation. The longer it simmers, the more flavor you’ll extract from the bones. Then continue with the skimming, hidden seasonings, and uncovered boiling steps.
10. 10Step 10: Gather all the tare ingredients. 25 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt is about 3 Tbsp. If using another brand or type of salt, measure by weight.
11. 11Step 11: Add 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp mirin, 4 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp water to a small pot.
12. 12Step 12: Add 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) and heat over medium heat until nearly boiling. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 3–4 minutes, then turn off the heat.
13. 13Step 13: Add the salt and stir until dissolved. Let the tare cool to room temperature.
14. 14Step 14: Gather the ingredients for the hidden seasonings.
15. 15Step 15: Cut 1 onion in half with the skin on and 2 green onions/scallions in half crosswise. Set aside until the broth is done pressure cooking.
16. 16Step 16: When the pressure-cooking cycle ends, allow the pressure to release naturally, about 1 hour or longer. Wait until the float valve drops and the cooker is fully depressurized before carefully opening the lid.
17. 17Step 17: Select Sauté on high and bring the broth to a vigorous boil. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface with a fine-mesh skimmer. Don't take too much fat or bone marrow with the scum.
18. 18Step 18: Add the onion and green onions/scallions to the tonkotsu broth.
19. 19Step 19: Add 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) and 2 Tbsp sake. Using tongs or chopsticks, lift the shiitake mushrooms and anchovies out of the cold-brew dashi and add them to the broth. Reserve the dashi liquid and kombu for now; you'll add only the liquid later.
20. 20Step 20: Add 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) to the broth and stir well to combine.
21. 21Step 21: Let the broth return to a rolling boil. Set a separate timer for 30 minutes. Continue boiling, skimming occasionally and stirring thoroughly from the bottom every 10 minutes. Restart Sauté mode on high as needed to maintain the boil.
22. 22Step 22: After 30 minutes of boiling, add the reserved dashi liquid, leaving out the kombu.
23. 23Step 23: Return to a rolling boil, then continue boiling for another 30 minutes, stirring thoroughly from the bottom every 10 minutes. Restart Sauté mode on high as needed.
24. 24Step 24: After an hour of boiling, turn off the Sauté mode or the heat on the stove. Lift out the big bones with tongs into a mesh strainer set over a clean medium pot, let them drain, then discard them.
25. 25Step 25: Remove the other solids from the soup using tongs and transfer them to the strainer over the pot. Strain and press them well with a wooden spatula to squeeze out the liquid. Discard the solids.
26. 26Step 26: Start straining the soup broth from the pressure cooker. Pour a small amount of soup into the strainer and let it drain into the medium pot. Press the solids with the wooden spatula.
27. 27Step 27: Continue straining the soup, little by little. Remove the strainer when you're done. Your tonkotsu broth is ready to use. Heat it up if you're ready to eat ramen or store it for another day.
28. 28Step 28: Divide the broth into airtight containers and refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours of cooking—or within 1 hour if the surrounding temperature is above 90°F (32°C). Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 1 month.
29. 29Step 29: Start boiling a large pot of water to cook the ramen noodles. Heat the tonkotsu broth and keep it covered so it's ready to serve as soon as the noodles are done cooking. Gather the tare, noodles, and toppings.
30. 30Step 30: Prepare your ramen bowls. Warm up the bowls by filling them with hot water. Empty the hot water from the warmed bowls and add 1 Tbsp tare to each bowl.
31. 31Step 31: Once the water is boiling, cook 4 servings fresh ramen noodles according to the package instructions to your desired firmness.
32. 32Step 32: Just before the noodles are done, add 350 ml (about 1½ cups) hot broth to each bowl. To use a kitchen scale, place the bowl containing the tare on the scale, press the tare button to reset it to zero, and carefully add approximately 350 g broth.
33. 33Step 33: Drain the noodles thoroughly and divide them into the bowls. Pull up the noodles from the soup with cooking chopsticks, then lay them down into the soup so the noodles line up neatly in one direction.
34. 34Step 34: Add your toppings and serve immediately, before the noodles soak up the soup.
35. 35Step 35: Store leftover broth and toppings separately. Refrigerate the broth for up to 3 days or freeze for 1 month. Follow the storage instructions for each topping, and cook fresh noodles just before serving.