OT-Pot Roast pressure cooker?

bhedges1987

So for you PC owners out there.  Do any of you have a good time table to cook a pot roast on a PC?  I have searched and every video I have found or recipe I have looked at the pot roast doesn't turn out pull apart tender.  I have grown up on pot roast that is pulled apart / shredded.   Any video I find typically ends with them slicing the pot roast and it just doesn't look up to par with the slow cooked 8 hour pot roast.

Any instapot owners out there know a good time frame to cook one of these?  I have a 2.5lb chuck roast.

SGH

I do not have a instapot, thus can not say for sure how long it will take as I do not know its operating PSI. However I can say that a unit running 15 psi will reduce a chuck roast to mush in about 45 minutes. A unit running 12 psi will reduce a chuck roast to mush in about 60 minutes. If using bottom round instead of chuck, add 15 minutes to the cooking times given above. 

bhedges1987

SGH said:

I do not have a instapot, thus can not say for sure how long it will take as I do not know its operating PSI. However I can say that a unit running 15 psi will reduce a chuck roast to mush in about 45 minutes. A unit running 12 psi will reduce a chuck roast to mush in about 60 minutes. If using bottom round instead of chuck, add 15 minutes to the cooking times given above. 

Perfect!  Thanks. Instapot I believe are 12.5.

 Now I guess I would want to do a quick release at about 55 min, put my veggies in and PC for another 10, followed by a natural release?

SGH

One more thing. Anytime you check something and it's not done to your liking, simply pressure back up and cook it a little longer. You can repressure as many times as is necessary. It doesn't hurt a thing. When we make possum stew we run the possum for 45 minutes before adding potatoes. Then run the potatoes (along with the possum) for 15 minutes before adding beans. My point being is the pressure cooker gets opened several times when preparing this meal. It doesn't hurt a thing to open it and then repressure it. I also do this when making salt meat and beans. 

SGH

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1191872/chuck-roast-somewhat-in-the-style-of-dixie#latest

SGH

bhedges1987 said:

 Now I guess I would want to do a quick release at about 55 min, put my veggies in and PC for another 10, followed by a natural release?

The timing will depend on what vegetables you are cooking. I would check the roast around the 45 minute mark as small as it is. As far a natural release, I always prefer a natural release at the end. Why? A lot of times some meat will tighten and lose flavor if the pressure is suddenly dropped. 

bhedges1987

So you open your several times during a cook and it doesn't effect anything?  Are you doing a natural release every time, or can I pop a quick release for 15 seconds to add in veggies and it shouldn't effect anything, since I will re-pressure it again and then let it natural release?

***EDIT**** I went over what you said again and noticed you said natural release at the end.  Thanks!

SGH

Yes. You can do a quick release at anytime to check on the meat or whatever you are cooking. Then simply repressure. However at the end of the cook, there are somethings that need to be quick released (rice & pastas) and there are other things that benefit from a natural release (bottom round & ham hocks). Chuck being naturally tender can be either quick or naturally released and still turn out great. For most meats, if time allows, I prefer the natural release for the finish. Again, during the cook you can certainly natural release as often as you need or want to without hurting a thing. For most two component meals like (possum stew) you have no choice but to do quick release somewhere during the cook to add the other ingriedants. If you added them all in the beginning you would end up with paste. As you use your PC more and more, you will figure out how long certain things take and you can shorten cooking under pressure time by doing a natural release. And vice versa, you can can extend cooking time under pressure while reducing overall cook time by doing a quick release. It works both ways. The biggest trick is finding out what turns out the best when either quick or naturally released. I use rice as a example again. There is almost no way to produce "perfect" rice in a PC using the natural release. To many variables and uncontrollable factors that are out of your hands. As such, quick release is the way to go for rice. 

bhedges1987

Thanks - I haven't tried much on it yet.  I did a slow cooker pot roast, and comparing it to my current ongoing high pressure pot roast.  Done a few boneless pork butts, and a LOT of veggies.  Anything you recommend?

SGH

bhedges1987 said:

Anything you recommend?

To me, the PC really shines on wild game such as rabbit, squirrel, crow, possum and coon. Also on the less noble cuts of beef such as round really benefit from pressure cooking. What it does to beans is almost heaven. 
Almost any slow cooker or crock pot recipe can be done in the PC. I can honestly say now that I have went to a electric PC, I don't use my slow cooker at all anymore. The electric PC has totally replaced it in my kitchen. 

SGH

@bhedges1987Here are a couple of PC meals I did.
 
http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1191191/deep-fried-rabbit-gravy-under-pressure-in-the-style-of-dixie#latest

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1190903/fried-rabbit-smothered-in-roux-in-the-style-of-dixie#latest

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1190838/stupid-stew-in-the-style-of-dixie#latest

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1191605/pulled-pork-in-under-a-hour-not-in-the-style-of-dixie#latest

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1190576/goulash-in-the-style-of-dixie#latest

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1190838/stupid-stew-in-the-style-of-dixie#latest

SGH

@bhedges1987
Just so you will know, sister @Dredger is a great one to consult on all things PC related. She is a wealth of knowledge on the subject and a very nice lady to boot. 

SGH

On the chance that you don't already know it, I'm going to share a very useful gasket cleaning tip. You will discover with use that the silicon gasket will develop a very unpleasant smell. Most manufactures recommend removing it and washing it with hot soapy water. This works great to remove both stains and debris. However it is lacking when it comes to removing strong odors. It will reduce them but not eliminate them.  
The best method I have found for removing the smell from the gasket is to simply put water in your pressure cooker and turn it on. Once up to pressure, flip the vent to exhaust and let it blow steam for 60 seconds. Then close the vent and let it pressure back up. The flip the vent to exhaust and let it blow steam for 60 seconds again. I usually do this a total of 3 times. The steaming will totally remove the bad odor from the gasket. Just thought I would share my friend. 

bhedges1987

Awesome, thanks for the recipes and also the gasket cleaning tip.  I will do that tonight!  I have cooked about 4 high pressure butts and a few slow cooks.  It definitely needs a good gasket cleaning.  It doesn't smell great.

SGH

bhedges1987 said:

 It definitely needs a good gasket cleaning.  It doesn't smell great.

This is the only downfall of PC's that use a rubber type gasket instead of a metal to metal sealing surface. The smell. But the steaming trick easily rectifies this problem.  

Dredger

You learn something new everyday! Thanks @SGH for the steaming tip. They do get a little funky after awhile. Another tip is to remove the gasket before storing your cooker. After I clean it, I just put the gasket and the regulator in the cooker and place the lid on upside down. Great advice from @SGH, if it isn't done to your liking, just cook it a little longer and make note of how long it takes. I can override presets on both of my electric cookers and do so often.

SGH

Dredger said:

 I can override presets on both of my electric cookers and do so often.

Sister, now that I have some time behind the wheel, I don't use the preset functions at all. I manually put in the time now that I have figured out how long I like certain things cooked. The biggest reason that I do this is because I have discovered that the preset buttons will only cook correctly if you limit the weight to 3 pounds or less. I never cook this small of a amount. Never. The 3 pound limit is the total of everything; meat, water, vegetables, etc, etc. 

Dredger

I hear ya @SGH, I think the presets are for Yankees, lol. I always cook my beans on the meat settings at twice the time specified. We like our beans well done. I guess it's a Southern thing. Everyone has to play with the the settings of their machine to get it right. My straight up stovetop that does 15 psi is right on, but you have to be very careful to not exceed the capacity. The electric ones are much more forgiving on that front.

Carolina Q

How do you guys do green beans? My mom puts them in a pot with just water and bacon grease and boils them for at least 2-3 hours. Best beans I have ever had. Anywhere. Bar none. I have tried to duplicate hers, but for some reason, they have never been quite right.

Lately, I have been using the stovetop PC. Beans, water to cover plus 1/2" or so and the bacon grease. 45 minutes at 15psi seems to do a pretty good job. Did 2 lbs last night - will be eating green beans for a week.  

Next time, I'm thinking about a bit less water and maybe 50-55 minutes. 

Any suggestions?

Dredger

@Carolina Q, I always cook my beans until they almost fall apart. Just how I was taught. I have to laugh because my mother made the best yeast rolls known to mankind. My brother asked for her recipe and tried it out. It became the yeast roll blob that took over Columbia, SC, lol. I must tell you that Mothers will lie about their recipes, sad but true. Just kidding. Try a little less water, but keep an eye on it and pay attention to the smell. You can tell if it is burning. Another thing to keep in mind is the quality of the beans you are cooking versus the quality of hers. Fresh is always better than frozen. If you can't get fresh, frozen is the next choice, then canned - yuk. I freeze my own during the growing season. Maybe that's the missing link, not the cooking method. I cook my organic green beans with olive oil and garlic salt and it's all good. I do love them with bacon grease, but one of our household will not eat pork products. Bummer.

Carolina Q

Thank you. I saw an article somewhere that talked about cooking green beans "until done, about 10 minutes" or something like that. This "crisp tender" nonsense is just that!

Mom wouldn't have lied, though at 99, she doesn't always remember correctly. Anyway, I've watched her do it many times. Still can't figure out why her's are always better than mine, except that she's my mommy. Mine are pretty close now, finally.

Quality of beans is definitely an issue, especially in February. I haven't even SEEN any for a month or more, but I finally found some yesterday, no idea where they were grown. Not the best quality, but better than frozen (those seem to turn to mush). There are very few canned veggies I can eat. Almost all have way too much sodium for my diet. Green beans seem especially bad. Plus they aren't any good anyway.

As for bacon grease, if it's not an allergy or other medical issue, just tell 'em you used canola.  

1move

We cook often with ours and we open it up several times during a cook because different types of vegetables take longer than others so we would add them in intervals. For example we pre cook the meat and onions then add water and let it cook for 20minites then add carrots, peppers, salt and spices, cook for another 20 then add the rest of the veggies. Each time we open it we cool it with cold water from the tap, as releasing the steam also releases a lot of flavour and we found that putting the pressure cooker in the sink and running cold water on the sides for a few minutes cools it and allows you to open it without losing a lot of the flavour and aroma in the steam.

Dredger

As for bacon grease, if it's not an allergy or other medical issue, just tell 'em you used canola. 

Now that's funny right there, lol. May have to try that some time. I'm with you on canned products. About the only stuff in cans that we use are Muir Glen organic tomato products, Hatch chilis and cream of mushroom soup for @SGH's Tater Tot Casserole. Man, that's a good casserole. Good luck with your green bean nirvana quest. But face it, sometimes, you just can't beat Momma's cooking.

Carolina Q

I will never understand why anyone would voluntarily eat tots. Ugh! I did find a recipe for condensed cream of mushroom soup if you're interested. I haven't tried it yet, but here you go... http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/make-your-own-condensed-cream-of-mushroom-soup-in-less-than-5-minutes

Zmokin

I make my own cream of mushroom soup as well.  Created my own recipe, it makes 4 cans worth which I freeze in ziploc bags as I have not been able to find any home-canning guidelines for cream of soups.

SGH

Zmokin said:

I make my own cream of mushroom soup as well.  Created my own recipe, it makes 4 cans worth which I freeze in ziploc bags as I have not been able to find any home-canning guidelines for cream of soups.

You can "can" your base and add the cream when ready to use. I know this isn't exactly what you are looking for but it's a semi solution to the problem.  

SGH

Carolina Q said:

How do you guys do green beans? 

I'm inclined to ask because bean nomenclature is different region to region. When you say green beans, are you referring to what we call snap beans?

Carolina Q

We who? According to Wiki, the folks in the northeast are the ones who call 'em snap beans. I've heard 'em called all. Green, snap, string... all the same. 

"Green beans, also known as string beans, or snap beans in the northeastern and western United States." Wiki

SGH

Carolina Q said:

We who? According to Wiki, the folks in the northeast are the ones who call 'em snap beans. 

I'm not familiar with the Wiki breakdown. However you posed a question and I quote:

Carolina Q said:

How do you guys do green beans? 

Unless I'm reading the quote wrong, you said green beans contrary to what Wiki said about north easterners. I posed the question simply because we cook what we call green beans and snap beans 2 different ways. I simply wanted to be clear on the beans before I posted a method. 

Carolina Q

They are all the same in every store I've ever bought them in. And I've heard them called all three names. Don't worry about it.

Zmokin

SGH said:

Zmokin said:

I make my own cream of mushroom soup as well.  Created my own recipe, it makes 4 cans worth which I freeze in ziploc bags as I have not been able to find any home-canning guidelines for cream of soups.

You can "can" your base and add the cream when ready to use. I know this isn't exactly what you are looking for but it's a semi solution to the problem.  

Thanks for the suggestion, I hadn't thought of that.  Not sure that simplifies things though.