6.2 Meat

6.2.1 Pork Carnitas

The recipe linked to above is great, but it could probably use a little more flavor. Hence, I went web surfing to see what I could find and came up with this one, from an excellent source, Amy and Jacky. I’ve left in the fruit juices from the original recipe and have omitted the chicken stock from the Amy and Jacky version.

Ingredients

boneless pork butt or shoulder, 2.5-3 lb., cut into 2 inch cubes
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cinammon
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, from 3 oranges
1/4 cup lime juice, from two limes
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in the instant pot and let the meat marinade for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes.
  3. Do a natural release for 15 minutes, after which you can do a quick release of the remaining steam.
  4. Remove the pork from the IP spread on a sheet pan lined with foil.
  5. (optional) Brown the meat either by baking at 425 for 10 minutes or so, flipping the meat half way through (It might also work in your Micropro). Baste the meat with a little of the cooking fluid both at the beginninng and when you flip the meat.
  6. Shred the meat with two forks.
  7. Use as a taco filling or as filling for a pulled pork sandwich. Adding good salsa or pico de gallo (and anything else you think of) adds a lot.

6.2.2 Birria Tacos

I found this first on Thermoworks and then subsequently for the IP on Amy and Jacky. The seasonings are quite similar, so here is the second version

Ingredients

~3 lb chuck roast or other similar cut of beef
2 tbsp. oil
3 dried ancho chiles
3 dried guajillo chiles
1 New Mexico dried chile
1 dried chile de árbol or morita chile
1 sliced onion
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 cinammon stick or 1/2 tsp. ground cinammon
2 tsp oregano
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. tomato paste
2 cups chicken or beef stock
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce (optional)
1 tbsp. fish sauce (optional)

For assembly

corn tortillas
Mexican cheese blend
diced onion
cilantro, chopped
lime slices

  1. Remove stems and seeds from all chiles and then chop into pieces.
  2. Place peppers in IP an press sauté. Toast for 4-5 minutes until you can smell the chiles. Remove and set aside.
  3. Place 1 tbsp. oil into IP. Season meat with salt and pepper and sauté until browned. Remove and set aside.
  4. Add more oil to the IP and add the onions. Sauté for 3-5 minutes and then add garlic, bay leaves, cinammon, oregano, cumin, coriander, and tomato paste. Sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes.
  5. Remove mixture from IP. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and deglaze.
  6. Ad vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and another cup of chicken stock to the IP. Submerge all toasted chiles, add the onion mixture, and layer the beef on top.
  7. Close the lid, set on sealing position.
  8. For chuck roast, pressure cook on high for 50 minutes, followed by natural release for 15 minutes,
  9. Remove the meat to a bowl; discard the cinammon stick and bay leaves.
  10. Blend the sauce with an immersion blender and shred the meat with two forks. Add it back to the pot.

For serving, there are a few possibilities:

  1. Serve it in a bowl with some melted cheese, cilantro and onion sprinkled on top.
  2. Serve over rice.
  3. Serve in tortillas. For this:
  1. Dip a tortilla in the birria sauce, cover with mexican cheese, and fry until the cheese melts.
  2. Add birria meat, fold, and serve.

I bet this could be done in the Micropro just fine!

6.2.2.1 Notes

  1. For the piece of meat I used, 40 minutes was not quite long enough - it was certainly good (and tasted great) but it did not shred easily. I’ll try 50 next time.
  2. Flour tortillas don’t work - they get too soggy. I’m going to try it over rice next.

6.2.3 Pulled Pork

Made this a couple of times in Geneva; not like smoked but a lot easier.

6.2.4 Arroz con Pollo

A Jeffrey Eisner recipe that I have reduced by half

Ingredients

1 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp (1/4 stick) of butter
Pinch of saffron  1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 tbsp of crushed garlic
1. lbs of chicken thighs (boneless & skinless preferred), cut into bite-sized pieces
2 links of Chorizo, sliced into 1/4″ discs
1/2 cup of a dry white wine  1 cups of chicken broth
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
7 oz of Goya Arroz Amarillo/Yellow Rice (plain rice is fine as well)
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp of dried parsley
1 tsp of smoked or regular paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder

  1. Set your IP for saute and melt the butter and oil.
  2. Add the saffron and sauté for 30 seconds.
  3. Add the onions and peppers and sauté for 3 minutes,
  4. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
  5. Add the chicken and chorizo, followed by the paprika, parsley and chili powder. Cook stirring, for three minutes until the chicken is evenly seared.
  6. Add the white wine and simmer for a minute. Then add the broth, lime juice and tomatoes.
  7. Once it is bubbling, add the rice and submerge without stirring.
  8. Cancel the sauté cycle, close the lid and pressure cook for 10 minutes, followed by a quick release.
  9. Stir the rice and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

6.2.4.1 Notes

  1. This was good using the yellow rice called for, however I think I’ll try plain basmati rice next time - the yellow rice was too salty for my taste.
  2. It came out a bit soupy using the liquid called for above. Some may prefer it that way, but I like mine drier. Accordingly I reduced the chicken broth to 1 cup from the original 1.25 cups.

6.2.5 St Louis Ribs

Again, probably can’t compare to smoked ribs, but ease of prep might win out. And we might want to look at some of our other recipes and see if they could be adapted.

6.2.7 Korean Short Ribs

Thermoworks has a grill recipe.

6.2.7.1 Notes

  1. The Thermoworks version is excellent.
  2. These cook very quickly - 5-10 minutes on a 425o F. grill is sufficient. In fact, it might be easiest to grill them over hot coals with the lid open.
  3. When I get a fire basket with a divider, I’ll try cooking them over the direct side and then transferring them to the indirect side when they reach ~160o F.

6.2.8 Lamb Rogan Josh

This is a dish that I’ve always enjoyed but have had limited success with cooking it. Penzey’s sells a spice mix that makes for fairly easy preparation, but my results have been so-so. However, Indian Instant Pot® Cookbook by Urvashi Pitre came to the rescue. This book contains recipes for most standard Indian favorites, but uses ingredients that are by and large easy to find and work with. I recommend it highly.

The following is simple and excellent.

Ingredients

1 medium sized onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger root, peeled and minced
1/4 cup plain yogurt (whole milk if you can find it)*
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp half sharp paprika
1 tsp garam masala*
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne or pepper flakes
3/4 cup water, divided
1 lb. lamb stew meat

  1. Combine all of the ingredients except the lamb and 1/2 cup of the water in a small bowl.
  2. Add the lamb and stir to get it evenly coated. Marinate for 2 hours to overnight.
  3. Place the mixture in the inner pot of your Instant Pot®. Add the additional 1/2 cup of water and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
  4. Allow natural release to occur for 10 minutes, and then vent the remaining steam and remove the lid. If the sauce seems too thin, set IP to sauté and cook for a few minutes until the desired consistency is reached.

* So far I’ve achieved excellent results using all storebought ingredients. However, the book contains recipes for both garam masala and IP yogurt. Both recipes seem straightforward.

6.2.9 Beef Bourguignon

I’ve made this for years on the stove top, based on the recipe in The Joy of Cooking. Amy and Jacky’s version (see link) is somewhat similar. What follows is a hybridization of the two.

Ingredients

1 slice bacon*
1 onion, sliced
1-2 lbs. stew beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme
3/4 cup red wine
1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 + 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp flour

  1. Set your IP on sauté and press start
  2. While it is coming to temperature, fry the bacon until most of the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon, let it cool, and then crumble it.
  3. Season the beef with salt and pepper, and sauté in the bacon fat until browned.
  4. Remove the meat, and sauté the onions for ~5 minutes.
  5. Add the wine and 1/4 cup of water to the pot and deglaze carefully,
  6. Add the salt, thyme, bay leaf, bacon, and tomato paste to the pot and mix thoroughly.
  7. Add the beef and seal the pot.
  8. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of natural release.
  9. Mix the flour and remaining 1/4 cup of water thoroughly.
  10. Set the pot on sauté and bring mixture to a simmer.
  11. Stir in the flour and water and continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened.
  12. Serve over rice or fettucine

*If you don’t wish to use bacon, use a couple of table spoons of olive oil for the sautéing.

NOTE: This is a pretty stripped down version of the recipe; many others include carrots and mushrooms. If you wish to do so, you should follow Amy and Jacky’s method and pressure cook the meat and vegetables separately, combining at the end.

6.2.10 Pepper Steak

There are two good recipes for this one (a stir fry) from [The New York Times(https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024320-pepper-steak){target=“_blank”} and one for the IP from Jeffrey Eisner. I’m going to try the Times version first, perhaps adding the sesame oil and/or Hoisin sauce called for in the Eisner version.