Longtime fans of The Pioneer Woman already know that Ree Drummond takes her iced coffee seriously (well, very seriously). So much so, she recently shared her favorite method for making it at home in a new YouTube video. The secret? Make a big batch of it!
In the video, Ree walks through the entire process of making her rich, smooth cold brew concentrate at home. She talks through every step from steeping and straining to storing and serving. And as she says, “It’s the secret to the best iced coffee, and it’ll save you so much time and money on coffee shop runs!”
Yes, the process is a little time consuming, as Ree admittedly points out, but the payoff is well worth it. Not only does her method yield practically a week’s worth of iced coffee ready to drink, it’s just plain convenient. With a batch of this stuff in the fridge, your favorite iced coffee is always within reach whenever the craving strikes for a little treat.
So, how does she do it? Well, it starts with a few basic supplies you probably already have on hand: coffee grounds, cheesecloth, a wooden spoon, a fine mesh sieve, and an 8-gallon container. Any kind will do—Ree even picked hers up from the local restaurant supply store! Just make sure it has a tight-sealing lid, which is especially important while the coffee steeps overnight.
For her personal taste, Ree suggests using a ratio of two pounds of ground coffee to eight quarts of water, well, give or take! In the video she may have overestimated, but and as she says, she “likes to live dangerously” when she makes her cold brew concentrate.
With her trusty wooden spoon, she gives the mixture a stir to make sure everything comes together to fully saturate the grounds before letting the mixture steep overnight.
She then covers the container with a tight-fitting lid and lets the coffee steep at room temperature for 24 hours. This nice, long rest is what gives cold brew that smooth, rich flavor.
After all that coffee goodness has steeped, it’s ready to strain. Ree works in small batches, staining the coffee into another large container using a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. The process does takes some time (about 15 minutes), but as Ree says: “As long as you’ve got patience, you can get through this! I believe in you!”
Once it’s ready, Ree transfers the cold brew into The Pioneer Woman 2-Gallon Ribbed Coffee Dispenser that she leaves in the fridge, so it’s always ready. When it’s finally time to make her Perfect Iced Coffee, Ree fills her one of her pretty glass tumblers with plenty of ice before pouring in her beloved iced coffee. And, if you watch the video all the way to the end, Ree also shares what she calls the “Best Coffee Recipe in the World”—her Spicy Cowgirl Coffee straight from The Merc!
One batch of this homemade cold brew, and your iced coffee routine may never look the same.
Shop Ree’s Coffee Must-Have’s
The Pioneer Woman Ribbed 2-Gallon Glass Beverage Dispenser
The Pioneer Woman Channing 32-Ounce Glass Tumbler
