This is gonna be fun...

[unclevlad]

One of my Christmas presents to myself was to use Amazon points for an Instant Pot pressure cooker.  Only actually opened it last week...not like I didn't know what it was, right?  It was in the factory box.  But I wasn't ready to use it.

 

Yes, well, 6 playoff games this weekend.  If that doesn't spell pulled meat sandwiches of some flavor to you...well, ok, maybe you're a vegetarian.  We won't hold that against you.

 

So got it set up, cleaned out the pot, running through a first test run right now.  Pork shoulder was broken down into chunks and rubbed on Monday;  the big shoulder bone isolated to one chunk so that'll be easy to pull at the end.  Get this test run done then sear and cook.  I have some balsamic nectar...a thick form of balsamic vinegar that's very good as a sauce for fatty meats...and I'll probably get the goodies for Carolina mustard sauce tomorrow.

 

Hoping it works.   I figure to do a lot of beef this way too, if I can get it all dialed in.

[Old Man]

Kalua pig (i.e. pulled pork) is probably my favorite thing to make in the Instant Pot.  Four ingredients and 90 minutes and it's perfect.  This and the cheesecake are probably my biggest Instant Pot victories.

 

I also like being able to make frozen chicken breast in 20 minutes, though you have to get the timing right or it'll be dry.

 

 

[archer]

My wife got one of those air fryer things and an instant pot at the same time and thought she would get a lot more use out of the instant pot.

 

Turns out that someone uses the air fryer almost every day while the instant pot gets used once a month.

 

But I don't use the air fryer anymore after badly burning my arm.

[unclevlad]

I don't do chicken breast very often;  prefer thighs.  Toss each portion (9-10 oz usually for me) with olive oil, soy sauce, and spices of choice (garam masala is wonderful) into a ziploc type storage container.  (My preference is the screw-on lid variety, NOT the snap-on.  Screw-on is safer.)  This sits in the fridge for several days.

 

Spice rub here was baharat (a North African sweet-savory spice blend I adore), salt, garlic powder.  Dumped into a bowl, each chunk rolled in it til fully coated.  Then seared...I did something that displaced the pot enough that the IP cut off, but it was late enough to not be an issue.  Hadda unplug, replug but no big deal.  Chicken stock, liquid smoke, worcestershire.  1 hour on high.  Literally JUST finished taking it out and pulling it.  And of course eating some.   YUMMMMMMMmmmmm......  And of course dumped about a cup of the cooking liquid over the pull, cuz it'll get put away...well, after a few more bites...for Saturday and Sunday.

 

Only flaw?  No burned ends.

 

One thing I'll have to see about is chicken stock.  SHOULD be easy, and a WHOLE lot faster.  I make it reasonably regularly, but good stock, simmered in the classic manner, wants time, time, and more time.  I'll start it usually night 1, then shut it off when I get up on day 3.  I'm hoping it'll be more like, ok, set it up after breakfast and it's done after dinner, if not earlier.  

archer:  I'm single, so once a month on the instant pot would actually be pretty darn regular.  I have a good 5, maybe 6 pounds of pulled pork.  That's gonna last a while.

[Michael Hopcroft]

My instant pot is my friend, but I haven't gotten that creative yet. I want to do a bean chili, but that hasn't happened yet.

[Tjack]

   I just had a delicious dinner of Pot Roast w/ vegetables & gravy and hot biscuits.  My sister-in law is a wonderful cook.  It was prepared in a crock pot.  What exactly is the difference in mechanics between a crock pot or slow cooker and an instant pot?

[Cygnia]

Hubby's parents will be bequeathing us their InstaPot if/when they pass on.  With only two of us in the house, it's not a priority.

[unclevlad]

12 minutes ago, Tjack said:

   I just had a delicious dinner of Pot Roast w/ vegetables & gravy and hot biscuits.  My sister-in law is a wonderful cook.  It was prepared in a crock pot.  What exactly is the difference in mechanics between a crock pot or slow cooker and an instant pot?

 

A crock pot is a slow, usually wet, cooking process that's great for things like stews where you simmer the ingredients together for an extended period.  (A simmer is around 170-180 degrees, IIRC.  In a good simmer, there are bubbles breaking the surface every couple of seconds.  If there's a steady stream, you're boiling.  That's fine too, but it can be TOO fast.  A boil can cause the water to evaporate too much if, for example, you're cooking a stock overnight.)

 

Instant Pot is a brand name for a broad line of pressure cookers.  A pressure cooker has a tight, locking lid creating an airtight seal.  That means that, as any liquid in it boils, it's still trapped, which means it expands and raises the pressure inside the cooking chamber.  As you raise the pressure, the temperature at which water boils, also rises, so the piece cooks through faster.

 

So they're kinda the converse of each other.  Crock pot pot roast, you'll typically toss everything together right after breakfast, go to work, and come home;  it'll be done.  Pressure cooker pot roast, you'll toss everything in when you get home from work, then pour yourself the appropriate preprandial libation or two as you kick back and relax.