Instant Pot fail, need advice
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ahoy_m8
Posts: 3,053 Member
Emeril's pulled pork shoulder recipe has been incredibly reliable for me in my 1980's era sears crockpot. Make it all the time. Always wonderful. Sweet brother gave me an instant pot for Christmas. I had read about them and was intrigued and so I was excited to receive it. Have made pork shoulder in it twice, in slow cooker low pressure mode and high pressure mode.
Both times: horrible. And horrible in the same way both times. You know how in good pulled pork the connective tissue melts leaving the meat fall apart tender and the juices dense with flavor & protein (gelatinous in the fridge) after the fat is poured off? Ok, mine was not at all like that. The connective tissue was tight and stringy making the whole thing a tough ball of fatty shoulder. Both times. Ugh.
I'm wondering if:
1- its cooking too hot making the connective tissue seize up instead of melt, or
2- it's not cooking long enough stringy bits would melt if I left it in longer.
I suspect the first, but any observations, experience, hypotheses, or advice --whatever you got-- would be appreciated. I really don't want to try pulling a monster like that again. Thanks!
Both times: horrible. And horrible in the same way both times. You know how in good pulled pork the connective tissue melts leaving the meat fall apart tender and the juices dense with flavor & protein (gelatinous in the fridge) after the fat is poured off? Ok, mine was not at all like that. The connective tissue was tight and stringy making the whole thing a tough ball of fatty shoulder. Both times. Ugh.
I'm wondering if:
1- its cooking too hot making the connective tissue seize up instead of melt, or
2- it's not cooking long enough stringy bits would melt if I left it in longer.
I suspect the first, but any observations, experience, hypotheses, or advice --whatever you got-- would be appreciated. I really don't want to try pulling a monster like that again. Thanks!
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Replies
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Pork wants to be slow and low. That's the only thing that's going to get that tissue to break down (same with beef brisket, btw).. for a pulled pork shoulder in the smoker, I'm looking at @ 200-250 degrees, for 6-8 hours, depending on the size of the shoulder/butt.
The "instant pot", I'm assuming, is a steamer/rice cooker/pressure cooker/non pressure cooker, right? It's probably just not cooking long enough. That said, without a water bath in between (most smokers use a water tray to keep the meat moist through atmospheric evaporation), you can get a very tough result at the higher temps a cooker can hit.
Slow and low... it's the way to go. 225 or so, for hours, and youll have a butt that you can pull with two forks an end up with fantastic, fluffy pork. The way to know it's done? The bone loosens up and moves.
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I'm guessing the temperature is too high and the cooking time is too short. As stated above, the key to good pulled pork is low and slow.0
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I have an insta pot. Are you sure the seal was tight? The only time my recipe failed in the way you describe was when I failed to get a good seal. You may want to trial something less pricey, like plain rice, until you are confident with it.
We regularly use ours and I think its worth the effort to learn to use.1 -
Are you doing a quick release or natural release? Sometimes a quick release can make it tough because it can pull the moisture out.
Otherwise, I'd add a few minutes and a little more liquid. Usually my meat is falling apart when I take it out.2 -
Are you doing a quick release or natural release? Sometimes a quick release can make it tough because it can pull the moisture out.
Otherwise, I'd add a few minutes and a little more liquid. Usually my meat is falling apart when I take it out.
Thanks for the reply. I did slow "natural" release when I used pressure. I added no liquid, though. I was following a NYT Melissa Clark recipe in which she used an instant pot. It called for 90 min under pressure vs. the instant pot cooking guide, which advised 50 min. Big time difference!
How long do you cook meat under pressure? And how do you decide how long?0 -
JennyThompson180 wrote: »I have an insta pot. Are you sure the seal was tight? The only time my recipe failed in the way you describe was when I failed to get a good seal. You may want to trial something less pricey, like plain rice, until you are confident with it.
We regularly use ours and I think its worth the effort to learn to use.
Thanks. It is definitely a learning curve. I'm taking notes on everything I attempt so I can adjust. I FEEL it will be worth the effort, but I'm not there yet. I appreciate the encouragement, though.1 -
Pork wants to be slow and low. That's the only thing that's going to get that tissue to break down (same with beef brisket, btw).. for a pulled pork shoulder in the smoker, I'm looking at @ 200-250 degrees, for 6-8 hours, depending on the size of the shoulder/butt.
The "instant pot", I'm assuming, is a steamer/rice cooker/pressure cooker/non pressure cooker, right? It's probably just not cooking long enough. That said, without a water bath in between (most smokers use a water tray to keep the meat moist through atmospheric evaporation), you can get a very tough result at the higher temps a cooker can hit.
Slow and low... it's the way to go. 225 or so, for hours, and youll have a butt that you can pull with two forks an end up with fantastic, fluffy pork. The way to know it's done? The bone loosens up and moves.
Sure, we cook at 225F in the smoker, but this gizmo, instant pot which is as you describe above, does not have a temperature setting. It would be really helpful if it did! As my initial post indicates, my slow cooker produced fall apart pork many times. It's adapting to the new device that's trial and too much error.
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I don't have an IP, but I do have a pressure canner I use for cooking sometimes. 90 minutes is a really long time to pressure cook something. I haven't ever cooked anything more than 30 minutes, including unsoaked dried beans. I haven't done a large cut of meat, but when I make stock the meat has practically disintegrated after 30 minutes.
I would suggest going with the time in your manual and making sure there is enough liquid. If I didn't add liquid to my pressure cooker the meat would burn, but I'm guessing the IP heats a little differently. Also, what is your elevation? That can make a big difference when pressure cooking too.0 -
jennybearlv wrote: »I don't have an IP, but I do have a pressure canner I use for cooking sometimes. 90 minutes is a really long time to pressure cook something. I haven't ever cooked anything more than 30 minutes, including unsoaked dried beans. I haven't done a large cut of meat, but when I make stock the meat has practically disintegrated after 30 minutes.
I would suggest going with the time in your manual and making sure there is enough liquid. If I didn't add liquid to my pressure cooker the meat would burn, but I'm guessing the IP heats a little differently. Also, what is your elevation? That can make a big difference when pressure cooking too.
Good point about elevation! I'm close to sea level though. There were several reader comments on the recipe that said 90 was a long time. The manual has a table for foods & minutes under pressure , but says nothing about liquid. It sounds like I need it. How do you decide how long to pressure cook meat & how much liquid it needs?0 -
Are you doing a quick release or natural release? Sometimes a quick release can make it tough because it can pull the moisture out.
Otherwise, I'd add a few minutes and a little more liquid. Usually my meat is falling apart when I take it out.
Thanks for the reply. I did slow "natural" release when I used pressure. I added no liquid, though. I was following a NYT Melissa Clark recipe in which she used an instant pot. It called for 90 min under pressure vs. the instant pot cooking guide, which advised 50 min. Big time difference!
How long do you cook meat under pressure? And how do you decide how long?
I actually usually look up different timings for whatever cut I have online and in books and go with the number that is the most common, then add a couple minutes because I'm at 2500 feet.
It varies by meat and cut.1 -
http://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/pressure-cooker-pulled-pork/
Their advice has been spot-on for me generally. You need a min. of 1 cup liquid, just to get it to pressurize.2 -
You need at least a cup of water for the pot to be able to get to proper temp/pressure. Not enough liquid or not a full seal will make jerky out of your nicest meat, as I also discovered one day by walking away before I was sure it was sealed properly.2
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annacole94 wrote: »http://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/pressure-cooker-pulled-pork/
Their advice has been spot-on for me generally. You need a min. of 1 cup liquid, just to get it to pressurize.
Ah! That makes so much sense. I didn't think of that. Thank you!0 -
MelanieCN77 wrote: »You need at least a cup of water for the pot to be able to get to proper temp/pressure. Not enough liquid or not a full seal will make jerky out of your nicest meat, as I also discovered one day by walking away before I was sure it was sealed properly.
Awesome. Thank you so much. Ok, stupid Q.... how do you ensure it's sealed properly? I've got the steam release valve that I put in the closed position (and no visible steam coming out of it), and the pressure pin that is up when pressurized and down when not. Is there another way to tell? Hissing sounds--good, bad, irrelevant?0 -
I've gotten an error message if the seal isn't seated right and it can't seal. It will happen after its tried to build up pressure.MelanieCN77 wrote: »You need at least a cup of water for the pot to be able to get to proper temp/pressure. Not enough liquid or not a full seal will make jerky out of your nicest meat, as I also discovered one day by walking away before I was sure it was sealed properly.
Awesome. Thank you so much. Ok, stupid Q.... how do you ensure it's sealed properly? I've got the steam release valve that I put in the closed position (and no visible steam coming out of it), and the pressure pin that is up when pressurized and down when not. Is there another way to tell? Hissing sounds--good, bad, irrelevant?
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I've gotten an error message if the seal isn't seated right and it can't seal. It will happen after its tried to build up pressure.MelanieCN77 wrote: »You need at least a cup of water for the pot to be able to get to proper temp/pressure. Not enough liquid or not a full seal will make jerky out of your nicest meat, as I also discovered one day by walking away before I was sure it was sealed properly.
Awesome. Thank you so much. Ok, stupid Q.... how do you ensure it's sealed properly? I've got the steam release valve that I put in the closed position (and no visible steam coming out of it), and the pressure pin that is up when pressurized and down when not. Is there another way to tell? Hissing sounds--good, bad, irrelevant?
Gotcha. Many, many thanks!0 -
I thought you were talking about weed. I'm out!2
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MelanieCN77 wrote: »You need at least a cup of water for the pot to be able to get to proper temp/pressure. Not enough liquid or not a full seal will make jerky out of your nicest meat, as I also discovered one day by walking away before I was sure it was sealed properly.
Awesome. Thank you so much. Ok, stupid Q.... how do you ensure it's sealed properly? I've got the steam release valve that I put in the closed position (and no visible steam coming out of it), and the pressure pin that is up when pressurized and down when not. Is there another way to tell? Hissing sounds--good, bad, irrelevant?
I just wait around to make sure I hear the hiss stop sharply as it reaches pressure, after of course being sure the valve is set right.1 -
Yeah I've only had my IP for a few weeks and only cooked with it a handful of times but I know the liquid is critical. I am on a Facebook IP group and when someone has a fail like you describe it's almost always because of not enough liquid.
I hope you figure it out, pulled pork is one of the next things I'm planning on making!1
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