Thoughts on pressure cooking meat
Shredded pork tacos. Lindsey Nair l The Roanoke Times
I had planned in advance to marinate a pork tenderloin in Goya Mojo Criollo marinade this weekend and cook it until it fell apart for soft tacos. Mainly in honor of Cinco de Mayo, but also because I had three tenderloins in the chest freezer. Of course, I forgot to take one out to thaw in time to allow for a lengthy bath in the marninade as well as a lengthy slow-cooking process.
Instead, I decided to break out my pressure cooker. I had just been thinking about pressure cookers a few days before while watching an episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” (which, by the way, is on ALL the time now. Have you noticed it’s on infinity marathon?). In that episode, a guy was pressure cooking his boliche, and I thought, I really need to try making boliche in the pressure cooker next time. If you have never had boliche, or stuffed eye of round roast, you are seriously missing out. Click here to see the recipe my friend Natalee’s Cuban mother’s recipe. It’s “off the hook,” as Guy would say.
But back to the pork tenderloin. I figured I’d marinate it all day yesterday and then pressure cook it until I could shred it with a fork. I went to the Internet to see how long I should let it pressure cook and found that recipes varied from 35 minutes to 80 minutes for a 2-3 lb. roast. OK, that’s helpful.
Well, the great thing about modern pressure cookers is that you can quickly release the pressure and check your dish and, if it isn’t done, bring it back up to pressure and continue cooking without losing too much time. So I set the timer for 35 minutes as my first check time. I didn’t have to cook it any longer – 35 minutes was perfect. I shredded it, put it back in the juices of pork and the beer I cooked it in, added some diced green chiles and a few additional seasonings, and voila! We had a great dinner. Good thing I didn’t cook it for 80 minutes.
On the side, I made a very quick corn salad with a can of Mexicorn, some chopped plum tomatoes, a little of my fresh garlic chives from the garden and a few splashes of my homemade chile-garlic vinegar.
When I have more time to research I usually go to Miss Vickie for pressure cooker recipes and tips. Do any of you routinely cook meats in the pressure cooker? If so, I would love to hear some of your tips and techniques, as well. I’ve heard pot roast can be especially good if done correctly.
This is my 6-quart Fagor pressure cooker. I love it. I took this before I replaced my backsplash. Don't study the ugly Z-brick.
Here are the specifics on my easy pork tenderloin, in case anybody wants the details:
Pulled Pork Tacos
1 (2 lb.) pork tenderloin
1 cup Goya Mojo marinade (available in Latino foods section at grocery store)
1 cup beer or water
1 small can diced green chiles
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Poke pork roast all over with a fork. Place in a gallon zipper-lock bag with the marinade. Seal and squish it around to distribute marinade. Refrigerate all day or overnight. Massage bag once or twice, if you have the time, to redistribute marinade.
2. Place pork roast and marinade in a pressure cooker with one cup of beer or water. Lock it down, bring it up to pressure and turn the burner down as low as you can to keep the pressure. Cook for 35 minutes. Place cooker in the sink and run cold water over it to release the pressure (or do it the old-fashioned way). Remove pork roast to a cutting board and let cool enough to shred it with two forks. Skim any fat or scud out of the pressure cooker, then put the shredded pork back in the juices.
3. Stir in the chiles and seasonings. You can really put in any seasonings you want at this point, to taste. If the pork and juices are not hot by the time you are ready to eat, put the cooker with the lid off over a low flame to warm back up. Scoop meat out with a slotted spoon.
May 7, 2012 - 12:41 PM
RSS feed 
I’ve always been a slow cooker fan, but my curiousness has been sparked by a few posts I’ve read recently about pressure cooking. I’ve shared this with my friends at prokitchengear.com and Dave told me the Fagor unit here is amazing!
Any leftovers?
You’d have to fight my husband for the leftovers! Actually, next time I’ll do two pork loins at once.
My pressure cooker is the go-to cookware for mashed potatoes, too. They’re done before you can get a pot of water boiling.
I recieved the Nesco Digital Pressure Cooker for Christmas last year, and have only made a few recipes using it. I’ve learned that short ribs are amazing in the pressure cooker!( I also got the recipe off Miss Vickie’s website.) The only problem I have though is finding recipes for the digital pressure cooker. Any ideas: websites, books to check out??
My grandmother used hers a lot back in the 70′s & 80′s but I’ve always been a little hesitant. Too many horror stories about steam burns/explosions. I’m sure they have all that worked out by now, though.
Lindsey you need to come by and see our 30qt commercial pressure cooker we got for the restaurant about 2 months ago. We love to experiment at Metro! I have cooked everything from, chili, beef tongue, collards and mashed potatoes in it. It braises lamb and pork shanks perfectly. Makes perfect fish stock in 15 minutes. What I really like, especially with meats and beans…is that the seasonings used “inject” or get “pressured” into the foods making for well seasoned dishes. Have fun!
One bit of advice: No matter what you read on the Internet, a pressure cooker and a pressure fryer are not the same thing. Trying to fry chicken in a pressure cooker is not recommended, and potentially dangerous.
I’m terrified of them, my grandmother (who was a little forgetful in general her whole life) exploded things too many times. She had tomato stains on her ceilings.
Sorry, late reply on this one. I could not cook without a pressure cooker. My mother always used one and I follow suit. There is nothing better than pot-roast in a pressure cooker. I couldn’t cook a potato in anything else.
Andy, that sounds like quite the piece of cookery! You’re always experimenting. I’m happy to hear you say that food does pick up the seasonings well in the pressure cooker. I have a tendency to think that anytime I rush a step in the kitchen, it isn’t going to be as good. That’s proof that even when we turn to the pressure cooker to save time, we are not going to end up with a blander end result.
@Michelle and Dennis: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Today’s pressure cookers are definitely NOT your grandmother’s pressure cooker. Do not let those old horror stories scare you! Do you have to follow the instructions? Sure – same way you have to follow instructions on a food processor or blender, for example, so you don’t cut off your fingers. But my pressure cooker is incredibly easy to use and it doesn’t scare me (and I’m a cautious person. I’d never go sky diving or bungee jumping).
CourtO, have you seen Miss Vickie’s cookbook? She put out a big one a few years back called “Miss Vickie’s Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes.” The only reason I didn’t turn to that the other day is it was here at work and I was home. Here is a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Vickies-Pressure-Cooker-Recipes/dp/0764597264
@Susan, it is never too late to comment on a blog entry!
Great recipe, Lindsey! I’m going to try it this weekend. I just bought an electric pressure cooker 2 weeks ago “accidentally” when I needed to be able to cook a massive portion of rice in a short amount of time (I was making “Chipotle” style bowls for a pool party). I have totally fallen in love with my pressure cooker–best accidental purchase ever! =) I’ve been searching for recipe resources, so I’ll check out Miss Vickie’s recipes.
I’m really glad you found this post, Elisabeth. And glad you are enjoying your new pressure cooker so far.
that is not Z-Brick!
Tried this recipe and it was delicious…omitted chili powder and it was excellent. I love using my pressure cooker. Make sure you have at least one cup of water ..I used beef broth …take out meat when done and shred it on a plate with a fork serve with chop purple onion and fresh cilantro and limes and salsa on corn tortiillas awesome!!!