Stupid Pressure Cooker Question Etc.

[zzdocxx]

Stupid Pressure Cooker Question Etc.

Dear Esteemed Fellow BBQers:

Sorry if this comes across as heretical.

1. I was watching "Bar Rescue" TV show. The visiting consultant chef showed how to make pulled pork in 1 hour in a pressure cooker instead of in 12 hours by however the guy was doing it before (crock-pot?). He further explained something about the pressure cooker steam pushing air into the meat, I think, as the reason it would get tender so quickly.

As for myself, I like smoke flavor, the flavor of a rub (though admittedly rub flavor could be added later), and most of all the crispy outer part commonly referred to as bark.

So what's the story? Is this legit? Could some part of the process be used combined with a smoker grill to give the best of both worlds, as some people are doing with sous vide ?

Please enlighten me, as I am a little skeptical, but like to keep an open mind !


2. While I am on the subject of quicker cooking, I saw a video or two with a famed youtube BBQer who lives in Southern California, not too far from me. He has a great presentation style, very direct. His Brisket quick cooking method involves cooking at 400 for a while, then wrapping the brisket in paper and cooking at 375 till tender to a bamboo skewer. Those may not be the exact temps he uses but something like that.

Does it really work ? I have my first brisket aging in my fridge and have bought some pink butcher paper. If I could cut down the cook time by one third that would be great, so long as I can get the crispy bark, tenderness, and flavor.

Also, on the Brisket, should the fat cap be trimmed down to 1/4 inch ?

Thank you!

[Henrik]

The pressure cooker sure works. But you don’t get the smoke flavor or the bark.

as for brisket - it works too. But you’re gonna have to sacrifice some bark since it is wrapped for so long.

[Dewesq55]

Second things first: "Hot and Fast" brisket is a thing. I believe most competition cooks do it that way now. Harry Soo has some videos on it. IDK if that's who you are referring to. It definitely works. IDK about those specific temps, but at or above 300°F is definitely a thing and it works.

Now, about pressure cooking: Although pressure cooking will definitely get the pork tender much faster than a smoker, I don't see how you can replicate the bark that you get in a 9+ hour low and slow smoker cook. I supposed you could do some combination of pre and post sear to simulate some aspects of bark, I think you would be giving something up too get the faster cook. I also imagine that you could get a decent amount of smoke flavor and still speed the cook up a lot by smoking it for just a couple of hours before putting it in the pressure cooker, similar to sous vide que.

[zzdocxx]

Yes, the guy with the bulldogger hat.

[Thunder77]

I have done hot and fast with a brisket point, and it was pretty awesome. I cooked it at 350. Of course the point is a little more forgiving.

[mrteddyprincess]

I cook on an offset smoker and on my last whole packer brisket cook I was pushing 400 F for a while and stayed around 350 F for the rest of the cook. No crutch or wrap. Best brisket I've ever done. Every part was tender and the bark was incredible. I do not oppose low and slow. I just know that hot and fast works well with brisket in my cooker.

I have never cooked pork shoulder in a pressure cooker, so I'll let others respond to that. Best wishes to you!

[RonB]

So what size brisket, and how long - please...

[mrteddyprincess]

17 lb Kroger Choice brisket, wet-aged for 30 days in my garage fridge. Black Ops brisket rub. Injected with plenty of chicken broth that had dissolved beef "Better than Bullion" dissolved in it. Took the flat up to 195 F and checked for probe tenderness. It jiggled when I wiggled it. And it was dead on what I wanted. (Oops. Total cook time was around six hours).

[RonB]

One of the things a pressure cooker does is raise the boiling point of water. (Think high elevation baking where the BP is lower because of the reduction in air pressure.)

You wind up cooking at a higher temp and there is also an affect from the pressure.

[JCGrill]

Exactly right.

[Bkhuna]

+1

[JCGrill]

Just as you can use a slow cooker to make "barbecue" (quotes required) you can use a pressure cooker. Works for any protein. It will certainly be faster than low and slow, but the result is going to be different from what you get from your smoker. If a fast meal is what you are after, great!

We have a lot of people here doing SVQ, which is a mix of smoking and sous vide. I suppose you could try something similar with a pressure cooker, but they are so different I'm not sure how you could get them to play nice together. If you don't mind sacrificing bark, probably smoke first. If you do mind sacrificing bark, I'm not sure if you could get it by smoking last. I probably won't be volunteering to explore this, even though I have the right equipment.

[zzdocxx]

Want bark!!!

🐕

[BFlynn]

I use the pressure cooker on all sorts of stuff -- pot roast, taco chicken, etc.
My rule of thumb is 8 hrs in the crock pot is about 1 hr in the pressure cooker.

I've done pork shoulder in the pressure cooker. It's good for things like pulled pork for cuban sandwiches, or green chile pork stew, but it's not going to compare to what you get from the smoker.
You won't get that smoked flavor. It won't have bark.

I wouldn't put that brisket in a pressure cooker. I'd invest the proper time.

If you have a pressure cooker - here's our favorite thing to do in it. Super easy chicken taco meat.
Throw in 1 bag of frozen chicken, boneless skinless- either breasts or thighs.
Add 1 can of Rotel and 2 packages of taco seasoning.
Cook in pressure cooker for 1 hr, then shred.
From freezer to plate in 1 hr.

[zzdocxx]

Yeah agree all around. I might try that, I e been trying to figure out what to do with a big bag of frozen skinless chicken breasts. Or, I may experiment with cooking them on the Traeger, just concerned about them getting dried out.

???

[SmokeyGator]

Just a different way to get pulled pork. It isn’t really "bbq" even if you add flavorings to get a "smoke" profile. It is undeniably quicker though. The pressure cooker doesn’t "push" anything into the meat, it just increases the temperature which water boils which allows for a hotter steam. The hot steam 100% humidity environment cooks much faster without as much risk of burning.

I have done all three ways. When it is dinner time but all I have is a frozen chunk of pork shoulder with all the things to make tacos - instant pot for the win. If I have several hours but it’s raining or I’m out of charcoal or I don’t want to do a whole shoulder - crock pot. When I have ALL the time I need and want to do the whole thing - it’s Primo time! Fire up an all night cook.

[zzdocxx]

I get it, higher temp without burning, that makes more sense.

Funny I went from Traeger Junior elite to Silverton 620. Much more rack space, but -- I'm learning it's not always straightforward to cook different types of meat or even different cuts at the same time, since they may need different temps. Not to mention the searing issues.

[gcdmd]

Primo? I thought that was only available in Hawaii.

[Cheef]

Hate to admit it in a way but I actually prefer corned beef brisket out of a pressure cooker more than any other way. Same with beef ribs. The pulled pork definitely lacks bark but we will shred it and use a polyscience smoke gun on it and it actually turns out awesome. Instant pot will also make a hell of a good ham hock!

[BFlynn]

Polyscience smoke gun?

Please explain

[Cheef]

BFlynn https://www.amazon.com/Breville-Poly.../dp/B01MSB5USZ
Works very well.

[SmokeyGator]

I like corned beef on the slow cooker. I use Guinness Extra Stout instead of water. It is excellent!!!

[Donw]

When doing a mess of pulled pork I do several butts on the smoker and another one in a pressure cooker. Mix them together when pulling. Moist meat and plenty of bark and smoke.

[zzdocxx]

Sneaky, I like that.

[Thunder77]

I guess great minds think alike. I said that same thing further down. 🤣

[Donw]

Thunder77 I may have gotten the idea from you sometime in the past!

[Bkhuna]

Many "chefs" on TV are chefutainers and know little about the science of food.

[zzdocxx]

Haha actually it was an episode of"Bar Rescue". It seems like about only half of those places survive, even after all the changes, which many of them don't keep. Kind of sad.

[Thunder77]

Try this: make some of your pulled pork in the pressure cooker. Make some on the smoker. Try a mix of the two together. You get tender and juicy, and you get bark and smoky flavor.

I have used my Instant Pot for pulled pork using the butt, and while it was good, it was just not the same at all.

[zzdocxx]

Come to think of it, I'm not sure I even have a pressure cooker. But now they are selling instapots pretty cheap at Costco . . .

[Thunder77]

Get an Instant Pot. You won’t regret it.

[Huskee]

I have made indoor quick pulled pork and then placed the pulled finished product, with plenty of jus, in shallow pie pans and smoked the finished product for an hour or three, stirring every so often. Best of both worlds!

I recommend leaving at least 1/4" fat cap on brisket, at least on the flat, if not 1/2". I go with 1/2" myself since my family all loves that soft salty fat strip on the slices. I have cooked a brisket point at 325 and wrapped after the stall and shaved off about 5 hours (7 hr total cook time including 1hr hold time instead of my usual 12) and it was wonderful. Never pressure cooked a brisket though.

[zzdocxx]

Yes I mainly meant that about the pork and the ribs, my brisket is too big anyway. Do you have a big brisket ???

Haha I'm thinking about the redneck comedians talking about who has the biggest deck.

Seriously though, thanks for explaining about the fat cap. Harry Soo talked about trimming the cap but the vids I saw just showed trimming the other side.

I bought a bunch of sub-primals at Costco biz center when the meat was running out, and a small chest style cooler. Watched a bunch of vids

[zzdocxx]

Eh, ran out of words there.

So I bought a bunch of sub-primals and a small chest freezer, working my way through it all at this point.

BTW I did have success last weekend with some top round roasts carved off the subprimal. I put them in sous vide for about 6 hours at 130, then Traeger smoked for an hour+, tried to sear on GrillGrates which partially worked but I also hit them with a torch. Came out tender, first time I've gotten anything from the inside round to come out tender and I have to say it was pretty good eating. Low in fat but not as much flavor as some others.

[zzdocxx]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nz82fjXqFQ4

Big deck.