Instant Pot Pozole

September 2, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 15 Comments

Instant Pot Red Pozole Recipe. (Pozole Rojo). A hearty Mexican stew of hominy, pork, and chiles, ready in an hour, thanks to canned hominy and pressure cooking.

A bowl of Instant Pot Pozole with shredded cabbage, radishes, and avocado

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Pozole is a hominy stew served throughout Mexico. It has been a staple of Mexican cuisine since pre-Columbian times. After pigs were introduced to Mexico by Spanish colonists in the 1500s, they became a key part of the stew. (I mean, who wouldn't add pork to their stew if it was available?) Over time, it migrated to Southwest America, where it is the "S", not "Z", named Posole.

(I'm with the Mexicans on this one - Z is a much cooler letter than S).

Hominy is the name we picked up from Native Americans for corn that is treated with lime, a process called nixtamalization. In Mexico, it is called pozole, posole, or nixtamal; the dish picked up its name from the main ingredient. And yes, the corn is the main ingredient; the meat is supposed to be a supporting player.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

Chipotle en adobo Substitutes: If you can't find chipotle en adobo, use a fresh jalapeno - chipotle is smoked jalapeno, so it's a very similar substitute. Or, substitute 1 teaspoon of dried chipotle powder for the chipotle en adobo. To be authentic, skip the chipotle en adobo and chili powder and use dried chipotles: stem and seed 3 to 4 dried chipotle peppers, soak in hot water for 20 minutes, then blend into a paste, and stir into the pot with the garlic.
Heat level: Don't want a spicy Pozole? Skip the chipotle and it will be very mild, but still full of flavor. Want more heat? Up the chipotles to 2 chipotles. (Or, add hot sauce at the table, which is what I do.)
Storing leftover chipotle: I puree the can of chipotles and save it in my refrigerator, where it lasts for months. One tablespoon of chipotle puree = 1 minced chipotle with adobo sauce.
Homemade broth vs Store-bought broth vs Water: I use homemade chicken broth or store-bought chicken broth to add body to the stew. (If you use store-bought broth, skip the extra salt, because store-bought broth is very salty). Water is fine too; it will pick up flavors from the spices and pork. Just don't forget the salt if you use homemade broth or water; this recipe is bland without enough salt.
Homemade Hominy: I'm taking the easy way out and making this pozole with canned hominy. If you can find dry posole corn or hominy in your local stores, buy it, and cook it with my Instant Pot Hominy (From Dried) Recipe. If you make homemade hominy, use it for the broth! Substitute 4 cups of homemade hominy in its broth for the hominy and chicken broth in this recipe.
Brown Sugar or Piloncillo: I add a little brown sugar to the pot for sweetness, to counterbalance the acidity of the peppers and tomatoes. You can skip it if you want. Or, if you want to be really authentic, buy a cone of piloncillo - dried raw sugar - and grate it into the pot.
Accompaniments: You can serve Pozole as-is, and it will be a great pork and hominy stew. And, if it's a weeknight, don't go crazy. But a fun part of this recipe is the optional add-ins. Think of a good taco night spread, with lots of fixings to add to your stew, and you have the right idea. I serve some or all of the following: shredded cabbage (buy bagged cole slaw mix if you are in a hurry), diced avocado, minced onion or green onion, sliced radish (I have colorful watermelon radishes in the pictures), sliced jalapenos or serranos, extra lime wedges for squeezing, you favorite bottle of Mexican hot sauce…whatever you want to add in will go well.

How to make Instant Pot Red Pozole in Pictures

Brown the pork (in two batches)

Browning the pork for Instant Pot Pozole (I overcrowded the pan - don't put this much in)

Brown the pork in two batches using Sauté mode, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Move the pork to a bowl with a slotted spoon or tongs.

Sauté the onions and toast the spices

Sauté the onions, toast the spices for Instant Pot Pozole

Add the onion and sauté until softened, scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking. Stir in the chipotle, garlic, and spices, and toast until you can smell garlic (30 seconds to 1 minute).

Everything in the pot

Add the pork back into the pot, add the hominy and diced tomatoes, and pour in the chicken broth or water. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to make sure nothing is sticking, and lock the lid on the pressure cooker.

Pressure Cook for 20 minutes with a Natural Release

Pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes with a natural pressure release (about another 20 minutes). Unlock the lid, stir in the lime juice and brown sugar, and serve with your favorite accompaniments.

Tips and Tricks

Don't have a pressure cooker? Cook the recipe in a large pot or Dutch oven. Follow the recipe as written, increasing the chicken broth (or water) to 6 cups. Instead of pressure cooking, bring the pot with all the ingredients to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 2 hours.
Speed up the browning with a frypan: The key to browning is not overcrowding the pot. This means I have to brown the pork in two batches, and to speed that up, I pull out my fry pan for one of the batches. Instead of browning all the pork in the pressure cooker, I brown one batch in the fry pan and the other batch in the pressure cooker. (Add a tablespoon of oil to both the fry pan and the pressure cooker). When the pork is browned, I move it from the frypan and the pressure cooker to a bowl, and continue with the "sauté the onions" step in the pressure cooker.
Leftover Pozole is fantastic: This recipe is made for leftovers; it tastes better the next day, and freezes very well. Store it in the refrigerator for a few days, reheating before serving. Or, freeze for up to 6 months

For the fanciest version of this recipe, use Instant Pot Hominy (from dry) and Instant Pot Chicken Broth. If you're looking for Southwestern stews, try my Pressure Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup in Red Chile Broth (Caldo de Pollo Rojo), Instant Pot Texas Beef Stew With Sweet Potatoes, or Pressure Cooker Mexican Pork Stew With Summer Vegetables. For other Mexican dishes, try my Instant Pot Carne Guisada Tacos, Instant Pot Birria Tacos, or Grilled Mexican Short Rib Tacos with Poblanos, Onions, Pineapple, and Tomatillo Salsa.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

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Orzo Pilaf

August 26, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 13 Comments

Orzo Pilaf rewrite

Orzo Pilaf is one of my Pantry Emergency dishes. When I need a starchy side dish right away? I turn to orzo pilaf. It's quick and easy - twenty minutes, start to finish, with only the occasional stir, so I can focus on the rest of the meal. If you need a quick side, give this a try. And, if you want to make it fancier, check out my suggestions for a side dish you'll be proud of. (Even if it is really simple.)

A bowl of Orzo Pilaf with green onions sprinkled on top

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(Originally published December 2009; this is a substantial rewrite of that post.)

This orzo pilaf recipe is so simple I hesitate to even call it a recipe. That said, the trick is cooking orzo like I cook rice. I use just enough water that the pasta absorbs it all by the time it's done cooking - 2½ cups of water for 8 ounces of orzo (half a box). The smaller amount of water comes to a boil quickly, and I don't have to drain the orzo when I'm done.

Ingredient notes and variations

The basic recipe is simple - just pasta and butter. (When I wrote it back in 2009 I had a bunch of picky eaters to feed.) And, there's nothing wrong with simple; sometimes that's exactly what you need with a fancy main course. But, if you want a little extra, try these suggestions:

Parmesan Orzo Pilaf

Stir in an ounce of grated parmesan cheese after resting, and sprinkle a little more on top right before serving.

Lemon Orzo Pilaf

After resting, stir in 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (about ½ a lemon).

Herbed Orzo Pilaf

After cooking, but before resting, stir in 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh herbs. (The heat will help release the flavor of the herbs). I use the "song herbs" with orzo - parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. (Basil is also good, but it doesn't fit in the "song herbs" joke.)

Green Onion Orzo Pilaf

Mince a green onion, stir in most of it before resting, and sprinkle a little bit of the greenest part of the onion on top before serving.

Orzo Pilaf with Broth

Substitute chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth for half (or all) of the water. Of course, homemade broth, like my Instant Pot Chicken Broth, Instant Pot Turkey Bone Broth, or Instant Pot Vegetable Broth, are fantastic for this, but you can also use store-bought broth. If you do use store-bought broth, skip the salt - store-bought broth has enough salt for the recipe.

Tips and Tricks

Not all the water is absorbed by the time the orzo is done. The orzo should still be a wet when you turn off the heat; it will absorb the rest of the water by the end of the five minute rest.

What to serve with Orzo Pilaf

Orzo pilaf is not just for weeknights; it is a flexible side dish. It is great with meals that have juices or a sauce to soak up with the starch. I love to serve it with stews (like my Instant Pot Beef and Lentil Stew), pot roasts (like my Instant Pot Sirloin Tip Roast), and braises (like my Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco)).

This recipe is one of my quick side dishes; some other favorites are my Oven Roasted Crispy Fingerling Potatoes, Quick Couscous, Pressure Cooker Baby Potatoes with Butter and Parsley, and Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts.
If you're looking for something else, here is my complete recipe index.

Instant Pot Lamb Rice (Lebanese Hashweh)

August 19, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 3 Comments

This Instant Pot Lamb Rice recipe, loaded with ground lamb, nuts, and spices, is inspired by Lebanese Hashweh. I use it for a one-pot weeknight meal full of Eastern Mediterranean flavor.

A bowl of Instant Pot Lamb Rice with parsley and almonds

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My local Lebanese festival had something on the menu I hadn't seen before - Lamb and Rice (aka Hashweh). Ground lamb, spices, and nuts? Sounds fantastic!

I did some online research, and the key to the flavor is the spices. I saw many different recipes for Lebanese seven spice...but none of the recipes had the same seven spices. I played around with the blend, and the seven spices I ended up with are cinnamon, coriander, allspice, black pepper, cloves, cumin, and nutmeg. That came closest to the flavors of my local Lebanese festival.

As for the directions, I used the same technique as my other "ground meat in white rice" recipes, like my Instant Pot Dirty Rice and Instant Pot Risotto with Pork and Cinnamon (Risotto All'Isolana). Cook the meat until it is not pink, add the aromatics and spices, then mix in the rice and some liquid and pressure cook for 4 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. It's a quick technique - this recipe is doable on a weeknight - and tastes great.

Ingredients notes and substitutions

Rice: I like a long grain rice in this recipe - I buy large bags of jasmine rice for my pantry. You can substitute any rice in this dish; short-grain rice will come out a little more risotto-like, with more of a sticky rice texture, but that's fine.
Spices: I'm making my own version of a Lebanese 7 spice blend. Replace the spices in the recipe with 1 tablespoon of Lebanese 7 spice blend if available in your local grocery store.
Lamb: I love lamb and the extra flavor it gives this recipe. I know some people don't like lamb, so ground beef is fine. (You can make this with almost any ground meat - ground pork, or ground turkey, or if you want to get into game meats, ground deer, ground elk, ground buffalo...all would work.
Toasted almonds: Toasted almonds add extra crunch and a roasted flavor to this dish. Blanched and slivered or sliced almonds will also work. Toasted pine nuts are another nut commonly used in this dish; replace some or all of the almonds with pine nuts.
Minced parsley: Parsley may seem like a garnish, but it adds a distinct green vegetable flavor to this dish. You can skip it if you want, but it does help with the flavor.
Broth: I prefer homemade broth for this recipe. That's why I recommend chicken broth because I always have some in my freezer. That said, store-bought broth is fine for this recipe, and you can use store-bought chicken, beef, or turkey broth.

Step by step pictures

Saute the lamb, then the spices and onions

Cooking the lamb, spices, and onions in the pot

Sauté the lamb until it is no longer pink, then add the onions and spices and cook until the onion is softened

Stir in the rice and broth

Stirring the rice into the pot with the lamb and spices

Stir the rice and broth into the pot with the lamb, spices, and onions.

Pressure Cook for 4 minutes with a 10 minute natural release

Instant Pot set to cook on high pressure for 4 minutes

Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes then quick release the remaining pressure. Scoop into a serving bowl, sprinkle with the almonds and parsley, and enjoy!

Tips and tricks

How long does lamb rice last?

According to the USDA, Leftover rice lasts for three days in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer as long as it is refrigerated (or frozen) within an hour of cooking in an airtight container, and as long as it is heated to 165°F before eating. (See the next question for reheating instructions.) I portion out my lamb rice into 2-cup containers before I put it in the fridge or freezer.

Can lamb rice be reheated?

Yes! It is an excellent recipe to make ahead; I have a few microwave-safe 2-cup containers of lamb rice in my freezer, waiting to be reheated for lunch. Be sure to reheat the rice all the way through; an instant-read thermometer should read 165°F in the middle of the rice.

Scaling

This recipe doubles easily in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Cut all the ingredients in half and this recipe will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same amount of time to cook the rice.

For some other "rice and meat" recipes, try my Cajun Instant Pot Dirty Rice, Instant Pot Chicken Risotto, or Instant Pot Risotto with Pork and Cinnamon (Risotto All'Isolana). If you love lamb, check out my Instant Pot Lamb Shanks or Instant Pot Lamb Chops (Lamb Shoulder Recipe) - DadCooksDinner.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

Instant Pot Oreo Cheesecake

August 10, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 17 Comments

I'm not a baker…but Instant Pot cheesecake makes me look like one. With a springform pan, a mixer, and my trusty Instant Pot, I can whip out cheesecakes whenever I'm asked to bring a dessert. And, I know this Instant Pot Oreo cheesecake recipe is a winner. A friend asked for this specific cheesecake for a dinner party, because "it's my favorite!"

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I freeze when I'm asked to bring dessert to a holiday party. Everyone assumes that, because I'm a good cook, I'm also a good baker. Um…not so much. Dad may cook dinner, but Mom's the baker in the family. I'm too seat-of-my-pants to be a baker. I can fumble my way through it, but the results are hit or miss. My wife (the Chemistry teacher) is a fantastic baker - she's precise and careful when she's cooking.

That said, pressure cooker cheesecake is resilient enough that even I can't screw it up too much. (And, even if it's not perfect, everyone wants to eat the results.)

I even planned my Christmas cheesecake ahead of time: Oreo cheesecake! I love Oreos, knew they'd make for a great filling, and…I thought I saw Oreo crumbs at my local grocery store, which would make an easy crust. Shopping the day before Christmas, I learned two things:

My grocery does not carry Oreo crumbs - they sell pre-made pie crusts made of ground up chocolate cookies - not going to work with my cheesecake.
I can make Oreo crumbs and work out post-shopping stress at the same time. "Bambambam…mutter, mutter…bambambam…blocking the aisle…bambambam….not looking where they're going… bambamBANG…oops." Pounding Oreos into powder is great therapy.

Ingredients

Cream cheese: Regular or lowfat cream cheese both work fine in this recipe.
Oreos: I use regular Oreos in this recipe; double stuff Oreos have a little too much filling, especially for the crust and the crumbled cookies mixed into the cheesecake. Chocolate covered Oreos for the top of the cheesecake would be interesting, but definitely don't use them in the crust.
Whipped cream: If you really want to be fancy, put a ring of whipped cream around the outside of the cheesecake before adding the oreos.

Video: Pressure Cooker Oreo Cheesecake (3:25)

Pressure Cooker Oreo Cheesecake [YouTube.com]

Tips and Tricks

The trick to this recipe, if there is one, is the 7-inch diameter cheesecake pan. It's the perfect size to fit in a 6 quart electric pressure cooker, like my beloved Instant Pot, and sit just above the boiling water on the steaming rack.
Don't cover the pan with foil: If you've been following my blog, you'll notice a change to my pressure cooker cheesecake technique. I don't cover the pan with foil any more. It got in the way of the rising cheesecake, and the center of the cheesecake would not set sometimes.
Cutting Oreos in half for the rounds on top is not an exact science - they want to crumble, not cut. Use a long, sharp chef's knife, and have a few spare cookies on hand. Then, console yourself by eating the mistakes. The next time I make this recipe, I'm going to try chocolate dipped Oreos to see if they hold together better. (Not because I want them for the cook. Oh, no, not me.)
I get questions about changing this recipe for different sized cookers and pans; I haven't had time to test them yet. I've heard from readers that a 6-inch wide, 3-inch high cheesecake pan will work…but it might take a little extra cooking.
Using an 8 Quart pressure cooker? I use this recipe as-is, with my 7-inch cheesecake pan in my 8-quart pressure cooker. It works great. Will it work with a larger pan in the larger cooker? In theory, yes, it should work if you increase the cooking time under pressure. But I have not tried it, so I don't know how much longer it should take.

Equipment

6 Quart Pressure Cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
7-inch Cheesecake Pan (I like this one from Fat Daddio's)
Pressure Cooker cooking rack. One came with your pressure cooker - check your junk drawer. Or, get this handy silicone rack with easy-to-grab handles, and you won't need the aluminum foil sling.
Aluminum foil to make a sling (if you don't have a rack with handles)

Storage

This cheesecake is best made a day ahead, and rested in the refrigerator overnight. It will last up to a week in the refrigerator, or up to 6 months if frozen. (I slice it into serving-sized pieces and freeze them individually, so I can have cheesecake as a snack whenever I want it.)

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Looking for more Instant Pot Cheesecake recipes? Try my Instant Pot Chocolate Cheesecake, Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake, or Pressure Cooker Salted Caramel Cheesecake. Or, check out my list of Instant Pot Cheesecake recipes.
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

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Instant Pot German Potato Salad

August 5, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 1 Comment

Instant Pot German Potato Salad. After a visit to the Rhine River, I had to make German potato salad - it was one of the best things I ate on the trip. It is a simple potato salad with a sweet bacon vinaigrette instead of mayonnaise as the dressing.

A bowl of Instant Pot German Potato Salad

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One of the best things I ate on my trip down the Rhine River was a simple side dish. We were in the town of Bacharach, and I was looking for bratwurst and sauerkraut. The winestube (wine tavern) had wurst and kraut with either boiled potatoes or homemade potato salad. "Which should I get?" I asked our chatty waitress. She went still and looked me straight in the eye. "Homemade potato salad," she said, continuing to stare at me. I ordered it, and she was smiling again, taking our menus, and heading off.

Tasting that potato salad, I can see why she was so serious about it. It was one of the best things I had on my trip, with creamy potatoes, smoky bacon, and a sweet and tangy dressing. Not like the mayo-based potato salads we have at home. (Not that there's anything wrong with American potato salad; I make lots of mayonnaise-based potato salads, like my Classic Potato Salad or Mustard Potato Salad).

Potato Salad Safety

While this is a hot potato salad - you can serve it right away - potato salad should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours. After 2 hours, refrigerate the potato salad. Why? It's not the dressing, it's the potatoes themselves. They have bacteria that will start to grow if left at room temperature for too long, so for food safety, refrigerate that potato salad!

Ingredients for Instant Pot German Potato Salad

Ingredients and substitutions

Baby potatoes: I like to pressure cook baby potatoes; the skins help them hold up to pressure cooking better. Any waxy potato will do - red potatoes, white potatoes, or Yukon Gold potatoes all work in this recipe. (Russet potatoes don't hold their shape as well as waxy potatoes.) If you want peeled potatoes, buy large potatoes, peel them, then cut them into 1-inch-thick rounds. The pressure cooking time stays the same.
Bacon: I like a lot of bacon with these potatoes, but if you want to cut back, use 4 ounces of bacon and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to make up for the missing bacon grease. To be fancy, scoop some of the cooked bacon out of the pot before stirring in the vinegar and other ingredients, then sprinkle these bacon bits on the potato salad after you toss it.
Green onion: Green onions (aka scallions) add a burst of fresh onion flavor to the salad, but they are optional. Chives are a good substitute if you don't have green onions available.
White wine vinegar: I had this recipe in the wine region of the Rhine river, with rows of riesling grapes growing on the hills just outside of town. White wine vinegar is the obvious choice for the recipe. Apple cider vinegar is a good substitute, and white vinegar will also work, but will bet a little more tangy.

How to make Instant Pot German Potato Salad in pictures

Baby potatoes in a vegetable steamer basket in an Instant Pot

Pressure cook the baby potatoes for 6 minutes with a natural release. Remove from the pot.

Sautéing the bacon and onions in the Instant Pot

Wipe out the pot and sauté the bacon for 5 minutes, until it has rendered a lot of bacon fat, then add the onion until it softens. (Not shown: stir in the vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper once the onions soften to make the vinaigrette.)

Stirring in the halved cooked potatoes until coated with the bacon vinaigrette

Halve the cooked baby potatoes, then stir them into the pot, coating with the bacon vinaigrette. Stir in the green onions and serve.

German Potato Salad tips and tricks

Scaling the recipe up or down: You can halve or double this recipe - just halve or double all the ingredients, everything else stays the same.
Use a plate as a drip tray: I put the steamer basket of cooked potatoes on a dinner plate so it doesn't drip all over my counter while I make the vinaigrette.

What to Serve with German Potato Salad

German potato salad is a great side dish; you can use it wherever you use potato salads, not just with German food. I'm going to make it a regular in my summer side dish rotation. That said, I plan on serving it with my Brats and Sauerkraut or Brats and Peppers and Onions.

If you're looking for other potato salads, try my Classic Instant Pot Potato Salad, Instant Pot Mustard Potato Salad, or Instant Pot Ranch Potato Salad.

For other potato recipes, check out my Instant Pot Potato Soup, Pressure Cooker Baby Potatoes with Butter and Parsley, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, or Instant Pot Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes and Kale).
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

Instant Pot Hummus

July 29, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 12 Comments

I make Instant Pot Hummus when I need a quick appetizer. Homemade hummus, made from dried chickpeas, ready in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking? It's simple, and cooking your own beans tastes so much better than canned.

A bowl of Instant Pot Hummus drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika

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When I need a quick appetizer, I make hummus. If you have a food processor and some Instant Pot Chickpeas, hummus comes together in minutes.
*If you don't have a food processor, I don't know how you make hummus. I'm sure the recipe has existed for centuries before the creation of food processors.* But doing all that grinding by hand? I need a nap just thinking about it.

**Carl Sontheimer, a french born, MIT trained engineer, invented the Cuisinart in 1973. Why? Because he was bored with retirement. I hope I'm that motivated when I'm retired!

As I said earlier in the week, if you have a pressure cooker, it is worth the effort to make your own chickpeas. Hummus made from homemade chickpeas is sweeter and creamier, and you can use the cooking liquid to add an extra layer of flavor to the recipe. Even with this extra effort, this is still an easy recipe. If you pressure cook the chickpeas, hummus takes under an hour, and it's almost all hands-off time.
*That said, I learned to love this recipe using canned beans. If you're in a hurry, they are an acceptable substitute. And the recipe goes from under an hour to under ten minutes.

Ingredient Notes

Dry chickpeas are the same thing as dry garbanzo beans, and either will work in this recipe. (Garbanzo is chickpea in Spanish). Dry chickpeas are a little harder to find than other dry beans in my area; I have to go to a specialty health food store or international market to get them. They are worth seeking out; hummus is great with canned chickpeas, but it is fantastic with homemade dry chickpeas.
If you want to make red pepper hummus, add a few fire roasted red peppers with the tahini and lemon juice (or instead of the tahini). Or, read my recipe for Red Pepper Hummus.
For white bean hummus, replace the chickpeas with 1 cup of cannellini beans, and cut the pressure cooking time back to 40 minutes.
Caramelized onions for topping: My local Lebanese restaurant serves a hummus salad that is topped with caramelized onions. It is fantastic. It's also a lot of work; Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat, then add 2 thin-sliced large onions. Sauté the onions, stirring often, until they turns dark brown. (Keep an eye on it and keep it moving - you don't want it to burn.) Caramelizing onions takes a Long Time - probably about 45 minutes, depending on your stove. Just keep stirring!
Tahini can be hard to find, or expensive. Check both the international aisle in your grocery store, and also the peanut butter aisle (where it might be called sesame butter). If you can't find tahini, almond butter or peanut butter make acceptable substitutes, though they do change the flavor of the dish. (I don't like it as much with peanut butter, but my kids love it.)
My kids' schools have to worry about nut allergies - I made this recipe for Ancient Greek History Day in the classroom and skipped the Tahini. (I know sesame seeds are seeds, not nuts. Unfortunately, they do have some overlap with nut allergies.) The recipe worked without them, so if you have to avoid nuts, you can skip the Tahini.

For Smooth Hummus, drizzle in the oil

I found that pulsing the chickpeas in the food processor until they are ground up, adding the rest of the ingredients, and then slowly drizzling in the olive oil is how to get smooth hummus. If I dump everything in the food processor, sometimes it works, but most of the time I get a chunky hummus. Which is fine! But drizzling in the oil doesn't take much more time, and gives me much better results.

Step by Step Images

Pressure Cooker Hummus | DadCooksDinner.com

Drop the garlic into a running food processor and wait for it to be completely minced

Add the chickpeas and salt, and pulse with 1-second pulses the until they are ground up

Add the lemon juice and tahini, then turn on the processor and drizzle in the olive oil

Process until the hummus is completely smooth. Done!

Recipe Notes

Serve with pita bread cut into triangles (or ripped apart by hand, if you're hungry and/or impatient). Or, serve as a vegetable dip, particularly with carrots.
This recipe keeps for about a week in the refrigerator, or indefinitely if frozen. But, as I said above, we love to use Hummus as an all purpose vegetable dip, so once it is made I'm lucky if it lasts a day or two.
I've tweaked my hummus a lot, working in new techniques along the way. I learned to mince garlic by dropping it into a running food processor from Jean Anderson's book, "Process This". I learned how to pressure cook chickpeas from Lorna Sass. And, last but not least, I learned to "add the oil like you're making a vinaigrette" from Cooks Illustrated. In other words, my "Adapted From" section is rather crowded in this recipe...

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Instant Pot Chickpeas
Pressure Cooker Chickpeas with Toasted Bread Crumb Crust
Pressure Cooker Yellow Split Pea Dip (Greek Fava)
Instant Pot Lamb Tagine
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes

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Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

July 22, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 9 Comments

Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings. A comforting one-pot meal from my pressure cooker, with bone-in chicken to add depth to the broth, and homemade drop dumplings.

I need comfort food. I need chicken and dumplings.

Two bowls of chicken and dumplings, with an Instant Pot in the background, on a gray table

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This recipe is a thank you to Pam Anderson. (Hi Pam!) Dad Cooks Dinner would not exist without her How to Cook Without a Book, which taught me how to cook, not just follow recipes.¹ My chicken and dumplings are heavily influenced by a recipe in another one of her books, Perfect One Dish Dinners.

This recipe was also inspired by a dinner at my friend Rhonda's. (Hi Rhonda!) She served a fantastic chicken and dumplings. She makes hers with rolled dumplings. I'm a drop dumplings man myself; I prefer a bowl of batter and my trusty small cookie scoop. (Mainly because I'm lazy, and rolling out dough seems like extra work. Also, this gives Rhonda an excuse to tell me I'm doing it all wrong the next time we see each other.)

I may take the easy way out with the dumplings, but I want shredded chicken in my pot. So, after pressure cooking, I shred the chicken while the dumplings cook. You don't have to do that - you can serve the chicken pieces with dumplings on the side and the pot liquid as gravy. Either way, this is simple comfort food, thanks to my Instant Pot.

Why this recipe works

My Instant Pot makes this an easy one-pot meal, thanks to pressure cooking. The chicken comes out tender and shreddable, and adds extra flavor to the broth by cooking with its bones. Looking for an easy chicken and dumplings recipe? Give this one a try.

Instant Pot Chicken Dumplings and Variations

Join us on the dark side (of the chicken): Instead of a cut-up whole chicken, use 8 chicken thighs. They're cheaper, have more flavor than breast meat, and stand up to high-pressure cooking better.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), fresh or frozen: You can substitute boneless chicken for the bone-in chicken; cut the pressure cooking time back to 10 minutes. (I think the bone-in chicken adds more flavor to the broth, but I understand the convenience of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.) Or, you can use individually frozen chicken breasts or thighs; increase the pressure cooking time to 15 minutes.
Frozen chicken pieces, bone-in: If you have individually frozen chicken pieces, you can use them in this recipe; be careful in the browning step (frozen chicken splatters a lot more than fresh), and increase the pressure cooking time to 35 minutes.
Drop Dumplings vs Rolled Dumplings: I use drop dumplings in this recipe, because they're easier to put together. I'm not patient enough to do the extra steps of rolling out the dumpling dough and cutting it into pieces. If you have a rolled dumpling dough of your own to use, go ahead! (My dumpling dough doesn't have enough shortening or fat in it to roll properly - it would just make a sticky mess.
Other vegetables: I keep my chicken and dumplings simple, and just sauté some onions, carrots, and celery at the start. If you want to add other vegetables, like green beans, corn kernels, or peas (frozen or fresh), add them after pressure cooking and removing the chicken. (I will add 8 ounces of frozen mixed vegetables when I want a colorful batch of dumplings). Simmer until the vegetables are cooked through and tender (5-10 minutes depending on the vegetable), then continue with the "simmer the dumplings" step.
Other herbs: I like thyme in my dumplings; I use dried, but fresh will work just as well. You can also go with a mix of other herbs - parsley and rosemary are good additions. Replace some or all of the thyme with your favorite herbs.

Inspired by: Salsa Verde Chicken and Dumplings, Perfect One-Dish Dinners, Pam Anderson

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What to serve with Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings are a one-pot meal, with the meat, veggies, and starch built in. I like to serve them with a salad (especially a caesar salad with my homemade caesar salad dressing) and dinner rolls. To add a green vegetable to the table I'll bring out one of my other pressure cookers and make Instant Pot Green Beans, Instant Pot Kale, or Instant Pot Collard Greens. Or, when I don't feel like pulling out another pressure cooker, I'll do my stovetop Sauteed Green Beans recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

The broth is very thick after I cook the dumplings. I like a thin broth. What do I do?

Double the chicken broth - add 4 cups instead of 2. The thick broth is intentional; I like a thick chicken and dumplings.

Can I use leftover shredded chicken in this recipe?

Yes! Skip the "brown the chicken" step, add the shredded chicken in the "chicken in the pot" section, and cut the pressure cooking time back to 10 minutes. Don't bother removing it and shredding it after pressure cooking, just go straight to dropping the dumplings in the pot.

Can I halve this recipe? What about doubling it?

This recipe scales up or down easily. Cut the ingredients in half and it will fit in a 3-quart Instant Pot. (Just barely). If you want to scale up, you need an 8 quart instant pot, but then you can double all the ingredients. (It's too much stuff to fit in a 6-quart Instant Pot if it is doubled).

I can't/don't drink alcohol. What can I substitute for the wine?

You can skip the wine; add a little extra chicken broth instead. The wine adds extra finesse to the flavor, but it's not important enough to worry about. You'll still get great chicken and dumplings.

How do you drop dumpling batter? It keeps sticking to my tablespoons.

I use a cookie scoop - it is easy to scoop and drops into the pot with a push of the button.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Looking for some more Instant Pot Chicken? Try my Instant Pot Quick Chicken Thighs, Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore, Instant Pot Greek Chicken Thighs With Tomatoes and Herbs, or Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash (with boneless chicken thighs).
Or, for more Instant Pot recipes, check out my Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Recipes Index

Instant Pot Kimchi Deviled Eggs

July 15, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 1 Comment

Instant Pot Kimchi Deviled Eggs. Deviled eggs with Korean flavors from Kimchi and Gochujang, with the eggs cooked using the Instant Pot 5-5-5 method.

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Why Instant Pot Deviled Eggs?

I have a lot of Instant Pot deviled egg recipes, all because Instant Pot Eggs are so easy to make with the 5-5-5 hard-cooked eggs technique. Deviled eggs are now my go-to "bring to the party" appetizer and side dish. Ask me to bring something, and it's probably going to be deviled eggs.

Can I hard-boil the eggs without an Instant Pot?

Of course! Use your favorite method to hard-boil eggs. If I don't have my Instant Pot, I use Kenji Alt's recommended hard-boiling method - boil water, then add the eggs and cook for 11 minutes. Immediately put in an ice bath to chill.

Does pressure cooking make eggs easier to peel?

I've read all sorts of ideas for making eggs easy to peel. Pressure cooking them in the Instant Pot seems to help - it's not perfect, but the eggs are relatively easy to peel, and I don't lose much egg white to sticking to the shells. From my understanding of the food science, the best thing you can do is use older eggs - they lose a little moisture, shrinking the egg in the shell, which makes it easier to peel. (I try to use eggs that are close to their sell-by date, without going over.) Older eggs plus pressure cooking work well for me.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

The two key flavors in these eggs are Kimchi and Gochujang:

Kimchi is Korean fermented cabbage, and is usually quite spicy. It is also chunkier than you want for these deviled eggs; I mince a few tablespoons' worth on my cutting board, and then slice some of the remaining pieces into slivers to put on top of the eggs. Kimchi doesn't have a good substitute; sauerkraut is close, but the flavor profile is wrong. Seek out Kimchi for this recipe.
Gochujang is Korean pepper paste, like a thick, spicy ketchup. It's getting easier to find in local grocery stores. You won't need much for this recipe, but that's OK - it is a very versatile ingredient. Try the extra paste in my Grilled Gochujang Shrimp Skewers, Instant Pot Gochujang Chicken Wings, or Grilled Gochujang-Glazed Ham. Again, there is not a good substitute for gochujang; seek it out for this recipe.
Kewpie mayo is Japanese mayonnaise, and is a little sweeter and richer than our mayonnaise. The difference is very subtle, though; if you can't find Kewpie mayo, any mayo substitute is fine.

How to make Instant Pot Kimchi Deviled Eggs in pictures

Hard Boil, peel, and halve the eggs, scooping the yolks into a bowl

Hard-boiled eggs, split eggs, and yolks removed for deviled eggs

Mash the yolks, then mix in the other ingredients

Kimchi deviled eggs fillings- crumbled yolk, kewpie mayo, minced kimchi, and gochujang, ready to mix

Kimchi deviled egg filling mixed and ready to go into piping bag

Pipe the filling into the eggs and top with sliced Kimchi

INGREDIENTS

6 large eggs
3 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise (or regular mayo)
1 tablespoon Gochujang paste
1 tablespoon finely minced Kimchi
Kimchi, sliced thin, for garnish
Sliced chives or green onions, for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Hard boil the eggs (Instant Pot 5-5-5 eggs): Pour 1 cup of water into an Instant Pot or another pressure cooker. Put a vegetable steaming basket, rack, or silicone baking sling in the pot, and set 6 large eggs in the basket. Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes ("Manual" or Pressure Cook mode on the Instant Pot). Once the pressure cooking time is over, let the pressure come down naturally for 5 minutes to finish cooking, then quick-release any remaining pressure. Immediately move the eggs to an ice water bath to chill down for at least 5 minutes. (Detailed instructions here: Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs).
Mince the ingredients: While the eggs are chilling in the ice bath, mince the kimchi.
Separate the yolks and mash the filling: Peel the hard-boiled eggs. Slice the peeled eggs in half lengthwise and gently remove the yolks to a bowl. (Set the whites aside on a plate, cut side up.) Break up the yolks with a fork until they are crumbled. Add the mayonnaise, Gochujang paste, and a tablespoon of the minced Kimchi to the bowl. Stir and mash with the fork until thoroughly combined and most of the lumps of egg are gone. At this point, the egg halves and filling can be covered and refrigerated for up to a day.
Pipe the filling into the eggs, garnish, and serve: Scoop the filling into a pastry bag with a large tip, or a quart-sized zip-top bag with a flat edge. (The new "stands on its own" bags are not good for this.) Twist from the top of the bag to force all the filling down, then snip off ¼ inch of that corner of the bag. Squeeze the bag to pipe the filling into an egg half, making a heaping mound of filling. Repeat until all the egg halves are filled. (Any leftover filling is a chef's treat.) Top each egg with a few slivers of sliced Kimchi (and an optional slice of chive or green onion.). Serve and enjoy!

As I mentioned above, this recipe depends on the Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs technique, my favorite way to make hard-boiled eggs. I usually hard boil a dozen eggs and make two types of deviled eggs; one would be this recipe, and another would be my Traditional Deviled Eggs, or Instant Pot Wasabi Deviled Eggs, or (if you're a Green Eggs and Ham fan) my Instant Pot Pesto Deviled Eggs. If you're looking for some heat, try my Instant Pot Cajun Deviled Eggs.

To see the rest of my deviled egg recipes, check out my Instant Pot Deviled Eggs Recipes, or see my complete list of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

Pork Shoulder Ribs Recipe - Country Ribs (Boneless or not)

July 8, 2025 by Mike Vrobel Leave a Comment

Grill Smoked Pork Shoulder Ribs. "Ribs" of pork, cut from the pork shoulder, smoked on the grill until they are fall-apart tender. (This is how you get boneless pork "ribs". You can also use country-style pork ribs if they are cut from the shoulder.)

Pork Shoulder Ribs ready to smoke on the Grill

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My local grocery store sells pork "western ribs". Other stores call them "boneless" ribs, or "country-style ribs". These aren't really ribs; they're pork shoulder cut into thick, rib-like strips. The advantage is, they're almost entirely meat, and cheaper than real ribs. If you like riblets - and oh, how my kids like riblets - this is the cut of meat for you.

This is easy barbecue. That's an oxymoron, right? Barbecue is supposed to take time and effort. Or at least time. The effort? Tending the fire once an hour while drinking beer.

This is a "cheater barbecue" recipe - I'm smoking on a gas grill, using wood chips, wrapping the ribs in foil for the last hour. (The wet heat tenderizes the ribs by melting the collagen in the tough shoulder cut.) I also include instructions for the charcoal grill, using wood chunks, which gives you more smoke flavor. (Gas grills aren't good at trapping the smoke for smoking; a charcoal grill has a lot less airflow, so a lot more smoke.) Barbecue traditionalists would recommend an offset smoker, using nothing but logs burned down to coals. And foil? I'd be run out of Dodge City for that one. (They would also recommend using real ribs. If you have real ribs, check out my Grill Smoked Baby Back Ribs Recipe.)

Cheater barbecue? Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do when he needs barbecue. (For you traditionalists, take deep breaths, and think of this as smoking small pork shoulders.)

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Smoking woods: Hickory is the most common smoking wood for pork, and the one that will smell the most like barbecue. But, I've used all sorts of wood, and they've all worked well. Apple wood and cherry wood are my favorites. Oak from wine or whiskey barrels are also great; I don't notice much of a different in the smoked meat, but they do smell wonderful while they are smoking.
Pork cuts: If you want boneless "ribs", use a boneless pork shoulder cut into 2- by 2-inch strips. Or, use bone-in pork shoulder; the shoulder blade will be in the pieces of pork, but once they are done cooking the bone pulls out with a gentle tug. Or, if your store sells Country ribs (aka Country-style ribs), look for country shoulder ribs - country ribs cut from the shoulder end of the loin. Country ribs from the center loin side will still work with this recipe, but they are more lean, and aren't as tender of ribs.
Barbecue Rub: I use my homemade barbecue rub recipe, which is salt free, so I also add salt. If you use a store-bought rub, don't add more salt! That said, store bought rubs are fine, go ahead and use your favorite. (If you don't have a favorite, look for one that has some sugar in it, and says it is good for pork.)
Barbecue Sauce: I use my homemade barbecue sauce recipe. Again, store bought barbecue sauce is fine. If you have a favorite, go ahead and use it.

Sprinkled with rub and ready for the grill

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Again, here are links to the Homemade Barbecue Rub and Easy Barbecue Sauce I use in the recipe. If you're looking for some other grilled ribs, try my recipes for
Grill-Smoked Baby Back Ribs, Grilled Short Ribs with Paprika Rub, or Grill-Smoked BBQ Short Ribs. Or, try some surprisingly tender Instant Pot ribs, like my Instant Pot Baby Back Apple Ribs, Instant Pot Texas Beef Ribs, Instant Pot Spare Ribs, or Instant Pot BBQ Short Ribs.

Grilled Barramundi

July 1, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 2 Comments

Grilled Barramundi recipe. Looking for a delicious, firm white fish to grill that is also sustainably farmed? Seek out Barramundi for your grill. It's a favorite in Australia for a good reason - it tastes great!

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Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

Olive oil: I prefer cheap vegetable oil for grilling because the interesting flavors in olive oil are cooked out on the grill. If I won't taste the difference, why use expensive olive oil? That said, if you want to use olive oil, it will work fine with this recipe.
Spicy Salsa: If you want to add some heat to the salsa, add a minced and seeded jalapeno chili (for medium heat) or serrano chili (for high heat).

Why Barramundi?

Barramundi is an example of a good farmed fish. It is a white fish with low fat content, native to waters from Southeast Asia through Australia. It is popular in Australia and Thailand as a sport fish and for eating. Barramundi can survive in a wide range of salt levels; some live in the ocean, others in inland lakes and rivers. Barramundi is farmed in closed inland systems in the United States to protect against escapees and pollution. If you're looking for sustainable seafood, try this grilled barramundi recipe.
*Barry Eastabrook wrote about how good Barramundi is for fish farming in the Atlantic years ago.

Recipe Notes

Thick vs Thin Fillets: My fillets were smaller-no more than an inch thick. I cut each fillet in half to get my six-ounce portions. I've seen monster-sized barramundi fillets; if you get a thick one, increase the grilling time to about 8 minutes total (3-4 minutes flesh side down, then another 4-5 minutes skin side down; the skin will protect that side from burning).

Variations

Lemon juice: If you like a simple seafood preparation, skip the salsa and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Lemon herb dressing: If you like lemon with fish but want more flavor than plain lemon, try my lemon herb dressing instead of the salsa. It has lemon, garlic, and a good hit of herbs.
Substitute salsas: Use any of my salsa recipes instead of the avocado salsa, or use your favorite salsa. Mango Salsa is an excellent match with seafood.

Fish Grilling Tips

Grilling fish is a sticky situation. I mean that literally - fish will stick to your grill like it was spot-welded if you are not careful. There are four keys to keep fish from sticking:

Preheat your grill: You want it as hot as possible. For charcoal, this is easy; once the coals are ready, the grill is ready. But for gas grills, you have to preheat for at least 15 minutes to get your grill grates ripping hot.
Clean your grill grates: If the grates aren't scrupulously clean, fish will stick. Luckily, the easiest time to clean grill grates is after they're preheated. And you already did that for step 1, right? Brush them down, making sure to get all the carbonized bits of food off.
Oil the grates and the fish: I lightly coat the fish with oil. Then, right before putting the fish on the grill, I rub the grill grates with a folded paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. I have read arguments for one or the other working better; I take the belt and suspenders approach and oil them both.
Flip once, flip gently: I know that a cross-hatch of grill marks looks great, but it also gives the fish another chance to grab onto the grill. I start the fish flesh side down, sear it until it has a nice brown set of grill marks, then flip it skin side down to finish cooking. Even then, in spite of all my precautions, fish still sticks sometimes. I gently work a spatula underneath it until I can tell it is free of the grill grate. Then I flip quickly.

Brushing the grate

Brush the grill grate thoroughly so the fish won't stick...

Oiling the grate

...then wipe the grate with a paper towel dipped in oil (also so the fish won't stick.)

Fish on the grill skin side up

Start the fish on the grill skin side up, and cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes

Skin side down until cooked through

Flip skin side down, then cook until the fish is flaky in the middle - 145°F internal temp. Serve and enjoy!

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Tilapia with Browned Butter and Lemon Sauce
Grilled Trout, Herb and Citrus Stuffed
Air Fryer Tilapia Recipe
Grilled Salmon With Coriander-Fennel Spice Rub
Grilled Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw
Grilled Swordfish With Greek Salad
Looking for something else to grill? Check out My Grilling Recipes Index

Inspired By:
Paul Greenberg Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food

All-Purpose Seasoning

June 24, 2025 by Mike Vrobel Leave a Comment

All-Purpose Seasoning blend. A simple, versatile blend of spices you can mix up ahead of time and keep in your pantry. I like mine in a spice grinder with whole-grain spices, but it will also work in a shaker with pre-ground spices.

All-Purpose Seasoning blend in a grinder jar

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I like having seasoning blends ready in my pantry as a grab-and-go flavor to add to my meals. This blend is one of my favorites: a simple combination of salt, pepper(s), garlic, and onion. It goes with just about anything, from meat to vegetables, and adds a little extra bit of flavor that you don't get with just salt and pepper.

Equipment

A Spice grinder for whole grain (I like the vase grinders from Kuhn Rikon), or a jar with a shaker lid for pre-ground.

A funnel (to keep the spices contained when adding them to the grinder or shaker jar.)

INGREDIENTS

Pre-ground for a shaker

¼ cup (65g) fine sea salt (or 3 tablespoons/65g table salt)
¼ cup (25g) ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (15g) cayenne pepper
4 teaspoons (15g) granulated garlic powder
2 teaspoons (8g) granulated onion powder

Whole grain for a grinder

¼ cup (65g) Coarse Sea Salt
¼ cup (25g) Peppercorns (or peppercorn blend)
¼ cup (15g) Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
¼ cup (15g) dry minced garlic
2 tablespoons (8g) dry minced onions

Can I make salt-free All-Purpose Seasoning?

Absolutely! Just skip the salt. (This is for my uncle Warren and anyone else on a low-sodium diet. Or, when I'm brining or dry-brining, and I want to separate the salting from the seasoning.)

How to make All-Purpose Seasoning

All-Purpose Seasoning blend whole-grain ingredients in a bowl

Mix up the seasoning

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. For pre-ground, store in an airtight container (preferably a shaker jar with a sealing lid) for up to a year. The whole-grain version will last for years in a spice grinder. (A funnel helps get spices into their jar or grinder without spilling them everywhere. Don't ask how I learned that.)

What should I season with All-Purpose Seasoning?

Anything you'd season with salt and pepper but want a little more flavor. About the only thing I don't use it on is steaks; there, I want the simple flavors of salt and pepper (and maybe salt, pepper, garlic). Other than that, I use it on everything. In the week since I've ground it up, I've used it on grilled chicken breasts, hamburgers, baby red potatoes, and steamed broccoli. It's a very versatile seasoning.

How to store All-Purpose Seasoning

If you make it with ground spices and keep it in an airtight container, it will last for a year before it loses its flavor. The grinder version will keep even longer than that; the salt, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes will stay fresh for a very long time. The minced garlic and onion will lose some flavor after a while, but they keep better than ground garlic powder and onion powder.

Why use a spice grinder for All-Purpose Seasoning?

This is the same question as "Why use a pepper grinder?" because the answer is "Because black pepper tastes so much better fresh-ground." The salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper are fine pre-ground. Black pepper's flavor comes from volatile oils and aromatics, which fade quickly after grinding. (My recipes almost always recommend fresh ground black pepper.) If Pepper was a minor player in the seasoning, I'd be fine with pre-ground. But, because it is one of the major ingredients in this All-Purpose seasoning, I want fresh ground. I keep my All-Purpose Seasoning blend in a grinder.

How do I know how much All-Purpose Seasoning I'm grinding?

I eyeball it. I usually use All-Purpose Seasoning seasoning when I'm not measuring carefully. If it looks like it's seasoned enough, I'm good. That said, I also measured the grinding rate from my favorite Kuhn Rikon Vase grinders. I measured 30 grinds to get ½ teaspoon of seasoning, so when I want a specific amount, I count as I grind.

Looking for a seasoning to kick it up a few notches? For a similar, versatile, simple seasoning, try my Salt Pepper Garlic (SPG) Seasoning or my Coriander, Fennel, and Garlic seasoning. For more specific flavor profiles, try my Cajun Rub Recipe, Sichuan Roasted Pepper Salt, or for a BBQ, my Homemade Barbecue Rub.

Instant Pot Moro Beans

June 17, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 1 Comment

Instant Pot Moro Beans. This rare heirloom bean from Mexico, via Rancho Gordo, is pressure-cooked for 35 minutes at high pressure, with no soaking required!

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What are Moro beans?

In my Rancho Gordo bean box, I found a new bean - the Moro Bean. Moro beans are rare heirloom beans that Rancho Gordo found in Mexico. (As always, Steve Sando is out there finding tasty beans to share with us.) See the Moro Bean listing on the Rancho Gordo site for more information-it's all I was able to find.

Pressure cook all the beans

Of course, I'm using my (not so) secret bean weapon: pressure cooking my beans. Bean cooking is one of the reasons I became a pressure cooker fanatic-it's amazing how quick and easy it is to cook dried beans in a pressure cooker.

Soaking Moro beans?

I always get the "to soak, or not to soak?" question.

I don't soak my Moro beans in this basic recipe. They don't need an overnight soak and cook to tenderness in 35 minutes at high pressure.

That doesn't mean you can't soak the beans. They turn out fine, though the bean broth isn't quite full-bodied. Soaked beans cook much quicker, 15 minutes at high pressure. I use soaked beans when cooking beans with other ingredients, and a shorter cooking time is needed.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Other Beans: Moro beans can be hard to find - in fact, I've only seen them on the Rancho Gordo website. Good substitutes are pinto beans, Rio Zape beans, or black beans.
Don't have onions or bay leaf? You can substitute a pinch of dried thyme for the bay leaf (or skip it) or a few unpeeled garlic cloves for the onion (or skip it).

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker. Pressure cooker dried beans are one of the key reasons I became a pressure cooker convert. Try them - you'll never go back to canned beans. (OK, maybe you will, for convenience - but see the Storage section for tips)

Scaling up or down

This recipe scales down easily - cut everything in half if you don't need as many beans or have a 3-quart pressure cooker. Scaling up runs into space issues; if you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, you can double this recipe, but it's too much to fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker.

Tips and Tricks

Quick Release: If you're really in a hurry, instead of using a natural release, you can add 5 minutes to the pressure cooking time for this recipe, then quick release the pressure once the beans are done cooking. The sudden drop in pressure throws the water into a boil, roughing up the beans, releasing starch and thickening the pot liquid. Quick release can be harsh on beans. But if I'm in a hurry, I will add the extra 5 minutes to pressure cooking to save the 15+ minutes of natural release. (And live with the extra broken beans in the pot).
Salt your bean water! "Salt toughens beans" is a myth. Salting before cooking helps season the beans all the way through as they cook. It also helps with older beans. Speaking of older beans...

Baking soda: Baking soda helps tenderize older beans and deal with hard water. I used to include it in most bean recipes, but I eventually figured out I didn't need it. If you want to add baking soda, add ½ teaspoons to the pot before cooking.

Tough Beans after cookingIf your beans are still tough when the cooking time is over, especially any "floaters" at the top of the pot, stir the beans, lock the lid, and pressure cook for another five minutes. Older beans take longer to cook, and if the beans have been sitting on the shelf at your store for a while, they may need extra time.
Simmer to thicken: If you have the time and want thicker bean broth, simmer the beans for 15 minutes after pressure cooking. I set my Instant Pot to Sauté mode - low, set the timer to 15 minutes, and left the lid off.

Ingredients

SCALE

1 pound dry Moro Beans, sorted and rinsed
6 cups water
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 bay leaf

Instructions

Sort and rinse the beans: Sort the Moro beans, removing broken beans, stones, and other non-bean material. Put the beans in a strainer, rinse the beans, and set them aside to drain.
Everything in the pot: Pour the beans into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Add the 6 cups of water and stir in 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Float the onion halves and bay leaf on top of the water.
Pressure Cook for 35 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Pressure cook on high pressure for 35 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker (Use "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" or "Pressure Cook-Custom" mode in an Instant Pot) or for 30 minutes with a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally; you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes if you're in a hurry.
Serve or Save: Unlock the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Remove the onion and bay leaf and discard. Serve the beans as a brothy bean side dish, drain them, and use them in another recipe, or freeze them in their broth for later. (See the Storage section for freezing details).

Storage

A 2-cup container of beans, with cooking liquid, replaces a 15-ounce can of beans from the grocery store. They'll last in the refrigerator for a few days and freeze for up to 6 months. I always make extra beans and freeze the leftovers for use in other recipes. Freezer beans are ready to use with about 5 minutes in the microwave and are so much better than canned beans.

These beans are a great substitute for pinto beans in my Instant Pot Refried Beans recipe. Some of my other favorite Rancho Gordo bean recipes are Pressure Cooker Vaquero Beans in Broth, Instant Pot Santa Maria Pinquito Beans, and the huge Instant Pot Royal Corona Beans
If you're looking for more bean recipes, check out my Instant Pot Bean Recipes Archive, or for general Instant Pot and pressure cooking, my Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipe Index.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs

June 10, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 7 Comments

BBQ chicken thighs grilled with indirect high heat for a crispy skin, then brushed with a few layers of BBQ sauce. Easy and tasty!

TKJUMPTO

Join us on the dark side. We have cookies!

I know the power of the dark side…of the chicken. Now, look on in despair as I use that power to annoy the barbecue purists! Ha! Haha! Hahahahaha! Ha..ahem. Sorry.
I'm cooking dark meat chicken thighs high and hot, not low and slow. I love how chicken shreds when I cook it low and slow, but the skin is flabby and chewy. The skin is the first thing I throw away when I make low-and-slow pulled chicken.
That's a tragedy. Browned, crackling chicken skin is my favorite part of the bird - almost more than the dark meat - and I don't want to toss it aside. High-heat roasting on the grill gives me the crisp skin I love. (It's also much faster - only 45 minutes of cooking, instead of the two hours needed for low and slow chicken.)
Now, I've gone on and on about the benefits of homemade barbecue rub and barbecue sauce, but don't let that stop you from trying this recipe. Good store-bought rubs and sauces work just fine. But, if you find yourself at the store every other weekend in the summer, buying another bottle of sauce or jar of rub, try making a big batch of your own. You'll be amazed how easy it is to do.

Ingredient Notes and substitutions

Barbecue rub: This recipe uses my 2 tablespoons of salt and ¼ cup of my homemade barbecue rub. I usually make a big batch of rub at the start of the grilling season, so it is ready whenever I need it. There are a lot of good store-bought barbecue rubs available nowadays; if you don't want to make your own, go ahead and buy your favorite.
Barbecue sauce: Again, this recipe recommends my easy homemade barbecue sauce, but you can also use a store-bought sauce.
Chicken breasts, drumsticks, wings: This recipe will work with any bone-in chicken pieces. You can use whole, cut-up chicken, bone-in chicken breasts, or drumsticks. If you're cooking breasts, start saucing the chicken when the breasts reach 155°F internal (instead of the 175°F internal temp on the chicken thighs) because breasts will overcook. The thighs should cook enough by the time the (larger) chicken breasts are cooked through.

Equipment

Tools

A grill that can be set up for indirect heat. Any charcoal grill, like my Weber Kettle, will work. Or, a gas grill, as long as it has more than one burner, so it can be set up with a direct heat side and an indirect heat side. (Charcoal grills are better for smoking wood - the smoke escapes from a gas grill too quickly, so the smoke flavor is weak on a gas grill.)
2 fist-sized chunks of smoking wood (for a charcoal grill) or 2 cups of soaked wood chips (for charcoal or gas grills).
Drip pan (I use the Weber extra-large pans that fit perfectly between the charcoal baskets)
Probe thermometer (Like my Thermoworks ChefAlarm. Makes it easy to check the temperature without opening the lid, and the temperature alarm will let you know exactly when the chicken is done.)
Basting brush (I prefer silicone brushes)

Tips and tricks

Why cook chicken thighs over indirect high heat?

Chicken thighs have a lot of fat under their skin, which we want to render out to crisp up the skin. The problem with direct heat is that fat drips into the coals and causes flareups and grease fires. If you have ever had BBQ chicken where the outside is burnt, and the inside is still blood red near the bone, this is why - chicken cooked over direct heat wants to burn.
Indirect high heat solves this problem. The fat is dripping into a drip pan, not the coals, so there are no flareups. The high heat gives me browned, crisp chicken skin, but it is not too hot, so the chicken will cook through before it burns. Indirect heat gives me perfect chicken every time, with almost no effort.

How long does it take to BBQ chicken thighs?

It takes 45 minutes to BBQ chicken thighs with indirect high heat (about 450°F on the grill). That said, chicken thighs are almost impossible to overcook. I check them with an instant-read thermometer, and 175°F is my minimum temperature for "done." 185°F is better, 195°F is OK, and they're fine up to 205°F. Once they reach 175°F, I worry more about glazing them without burning the sauce than I do the internal temperature of the chicken.

Step-By-Step pictures of grilled chicken thighs

Chicken on the grill with smoking wood chips...

BBQ Chicken thighs on the grill with a wood chip flareup

The wood chips caught fire immediately after I added them to the grill...

...over indirect heat

This is what cooking indirect gives you - coals on the side, perfectly cooked chicken in the middle, with no grease fires!

Brush with sauce for the last 15 minutes

Brushing a row of bbq chicken thighs with more sauce

I only add sauce during the last 15 minutes of cooking, because the sugar in the sauce will burn if it's in the heat of the grill for too long.

Serve and enjoy!

Ready to serve. The sauce has tightened up and the chicken is ready to eat.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

As I mentioned in the recipe card, you can use my Espresso Chipotle BBQ Sauce or Easy BBQ Sauce with this recipe. Also, here's a link to the details of my Homemade Rub. I like to serve this recipe with my Instant Pot Potato Salad. If you're looking for boneless thighs, check out my Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs recipe.

For some other types of grilled chicken, try my Grilled Boneless Chicken Breasts or Grilled Butterflied Chicken. Or for a completely different kind of chicken recipe, try my Instant Pot Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic.

Looking for more recipes? Check out my Grilling Recipes list.

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Instant Pot Lasagna

June 3, 2025 by Mike Vrobel Leave a Comment

Instant Pot Lasagna. It sounds weird, but it works. If you're looking for a smaller lasagna for 2 to 3 people, try this Instant Pot Lasagna. You won't be able to tell the difference from oven baked!

Instant Pot Lasagna on a plate with spices in the background

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As usual, I'm behind the trend - Pinterest was all over Instant Pot Lasagna years ago. At the time, I pooh-poohed the idea. "Why not just make lasagna in the oven?" I said to myself. Well, after years of questions from readers, I finally decided to give it a try.

Why make Instant Pot Lasagna? Does it really work?

So, Why bother? Why make Lasagna in the Instant Pot?

Two reasons:

Instant Pot Lasagna tastes great. It's as good as oven-baked.
Portion control. While I love leftover lasagna, my kids are all away in college. I'm only cooking for two, so I need recipes sized for me and my wife. Instant Pot Lasagna in a 7-inch springform pan is the perfect size for a two-person meal, with just enough leftovers for us. (I always want leftover lasagna, it freezes so well.)

Now, does that mean I couldn't make the same recipe on the stove? Of course, I could just pop this in the oven, but my Instant Pot does a fantastic job of simulating that oven baking.

Ingredients Notes

Sauce options

In the recipe, I make a simplified version of my Instant Pot Sausage Ragu using jarred marinara sauce. If I have leftover Instant Pot Sausage Ragu, I'll use that instead. If you are looking for a vegetarian version of the recipe, skip the sausage or use my Pressure Cooker Tomato Sauce.

For the simplest, dump-and-serve version of this recipe, don't make sausage sauce; just use a 24-ounce jar of marinara sauce from the grocery store.

Meat options

I like using sausage in quick sauce recipes because it comes pre-seasoned. You can substitute any ground meat, like ground beef or ground turkey. If you use plain ground meat, sprinkle it with ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt to make up for the extra seasoning you would get in sausage.

Vegetarian version

As I said above, in Sauce options, skip the sausage. You can also substitute 24 ounces of (meatless) marinara sauce for the meat sauce in the recipe.

Skip the heat

I like a hint of heat in my pasta sauce. If you don't want any heat, skip the red pepper flakes. (Or pass them at the table so people can add them to their liking.)

No-Boil Noodles

No-boil noodles are the key to this recipe. The only trick is making the square noodles fit in the round pot. I break them up and lay them in the pan in a slightly overlapping single layer, using the broken pieces like a jigsaw puzzle to cover any holes in the pasta. Regular lasagna noodles need to be boiled first (according to the package directions) if you're going to use them in this recipe. (If you don't boil regular lasagna noodles, they will suck up all the liquid in the sauce, making a very dry lasagna).

How to Build the Layers of Lasagna - in Pictures

Step 0: picture not shown - spray the cheesecake pan with spray oil, and spread ¼ cup of sauce on the bottom of the pan in a thin layer.

Step 1: Layer of Noodles

Add a Layer of noodles - 2 noodles, broken up to fit in a single layer

Step 2 - spread ⅓ of the ricotta on the noodles

Step 2: Layer of ricotta

Spread ⅓ of the ricotta over the noodles (doesn't have to be perfect)

Step 3 - Spread ½ cup of sauce over the ricotta

Step 3: Layer of Sauce

Spread ½ cup of the sausage sauce over the ricotta and noodles

Step 4 - Sprinkle 2 ounces Mozzarella on the sauce

Step 4: Layer of Mozzarella

Sprinkle 2 ounces of the mozzarella over the sauce.

Repeat 2 times

Repeat steps 1 through 4 two more times:

Layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce, mozz.

Layer of noodles ricotta, sauce, mozz.

Last layer

The last layer has no ricotta. Add a layer of noodles, the remaining sauce, sprinkle with the parmesan, and the sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella

Lasagna pan wrapped in foil and on a baking sling, ready to go into the pot

Wrap with foil

Wrap the pan of lasagna tight with foil, and you are ready to cook

Equipment

I'm using a pot-in-pot technique, so the key equipment for this recipe is a round 7-inch by 3-inch cheesecake pan and a rack to hold it above the water.

6-quart pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot(s))
Round 6-inch by 3-inch springform pan or cheesecake pan (my favorite is this aluminum 7-inch by 3-inch cheesecake pan from Fat Daddio's)
7-inch parchment rounds (optional, but they help keep the lasagna from sticking to the pan)
Rack and Baking sling (You can make a sling with aluminum foil and use the rack that came with your pressure cooker. But, a silicone rack with sling handles, like this pressure cooker bakeware sling from Oxo, makes lifting the pan in and out of the pressure cooker easy.)

Tip: Getting the Lasagna out of the Pan

Lasagna pan on a coffee cup, which is lifting the lasagna out from the pan

One of the tricks to this recipe is getting the lasagna out of the pan. My recommended pan, the Fat Daddio Cheesecake Pan, has a round bottom insert that sits in the pan. You push straight up from the bottom to remove the lasagna.

To make this easier, I use a coffee mug (see the picture above). I set the mug on a plate, then set the lasagna pan on the mug, loosen the sides by running a knife around the edge, then push down gently on the side of the pan to slide the lasagna loose. (I use heat-safe silicone pinch mitts to lift the lasagna to a serving platter after it is loose.)

If you can, let the lasagna rest for 10 to 30 minutes before removing, so it will set up.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Lasagna

Leftover lasagna is fantastic. I store leftovers in 2-cup containers, which will last for a few days in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer.

Reheating one serving

If I am only reheating one container, I use the microwave. Be patient when reheating because it will take a long time to get the frozen center of the lasagna to thaw out. My trick is to microwave the lasagna until it is thawed on the outside. Then, I cut the lasagna in half, scoop out the halves, and swap their position in the container, moving the frozen center to the two outside edges. Then I start microwaving again, heating until the lasagna is hot all the way through.

Reheating more than one serving

If I am reheating a bunch of servings, I'll switch to the oven. (My 2-cup Pyrex containers are oven-safe). I microwave each serving for 5 minutes on "defrost" mode, then cover with foil and transfer to a 350°F oven. The single-serve lasagnas will take 30-45 minutes to heat all the way through in the oven.

Ingredients

Sausage Sauce (or use 24 ounces of my Easy Instant Pot Sausage Ragu)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

8 ounces Italian Sausage

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

24 ounces Marinara sauce (or use my Pressure Cooker Tomato Sauce)

Lasagna assembly (adapted from my

1 (8-ounce) package No-Boil Noodles (Uses 8 of the no-boil noodles)

7- to 8 ounces of ricotta cheese

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

2 ounces grated parmesan cheese

Minced fresh basil (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

Make the sausage sauce (optional, or use a 24-ounce store-bought jar of sauce)

In an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode-high, heat the tablespoon of olive oil until it shimmers. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop PC). Add the onion, garlic, sausage, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often with a flat-edged wooden spoon and breaking up the sausage until it loses its pink color, about 5 minutes. Pour in the Marinara sauce, bring to a simmer, then remove the inner pot liner from the heat. (If you use the same inner pot liner for the lasagna, pour the sauce into a bowl and rinse the inner pot liner.)

Assemble the lasagna

Spray the inside of a 7-inch springform pan with spray oil. (If you have 7-inch parchment rounds, put one in the bottom of the pan and spray it with oil.) Spread ½ cup of the sausage sauce over the bottom of the pan. Break 2 of the lasagna noodles into pieces and lay on top of the sauce in an even layer.

We will build the lasagna with layers of ricotta, sausage sauce, mozzarella, and noodles. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta over the noodles, spread ½ cup of the sausage sauce over the ricotta and sprinkle ¼ of the mozzarella (2 ounces) over the sauce. Top with 2 more lasagna noodles, broken up to fit, to finish the first layer.

Repeat 2 more times:

⅓ of the ricotta, ½ cup of the sausage sauce, 2 ounces of mozzarella, a layer of noodles
⅓ of the ricotta, ½ cup of the sausage sauce, 2 ounces of mozzarella, a layer of noodles

Spread the rest of the sauce over the noodles, then top with the rest of the grated parmesan and the remaining mozzarella. Wrap the entire springform pan with aluminum foil, sealing it shut.

Pressure cook on a rack for 30 minutes with a 15-minute natural release.

Set the cooking rack or baking sling in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, then pour in 1 cup of water. (If your rack or baking sling does not have handles, make an aluminum foil sling to lift the lasagna pan: fold a 2-foot-long piece of aluminum foil over a few times until it is a long strip about 4 inches wide.) Center the lasagna pan on the rack or sling and carefully lower it into the pot so the rack holds it above the water. Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC (use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot) or 24 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.

Serve and enjoy!

Unlock the lid and lift the lasagna pan out of the pot. Open the foil on top and run a paring knife or small frosting spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the lasagna from the sides. (If you have time, rest the lasagna for 10 to 30 minutes before continuing. It will be very loose if you cut into it immediately.)

Carefully remove the lasagna from the springform pan. (My springform pan has solid sides and a push-up bottom, so I put an upside-down coffee mug on a large plate, then lower the springform pan onto the mug, pushing the base of the pan up from the bottom and lifting the lasagna out of the pan.)

Transfer to a large serving plate and cut the lasagna into wedges; I like the portion size when I cut it into 4 pieces. (Optional: Sprinkle each piece with some minced basil or red pepper flakes). Serve and enjoy!

For more Italian Instant Pot recipes, try my Instant Pot Braciole in Sauce, Pressure Cooker Baked Ziti, or Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup, AKA Pasta Fazool). For some other sauces, try my Easy Instant Pot Sausage Ragu (Sausage Pasta Sauce), Pressure Cooker Italian Sunday Gravy, or Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce. If you're looking to cook this recipe in the oven, see my Baked Lasagna with Sausage Sauce.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

Grilled Korean Chicken Wings

May 27, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 8 Comments

Grilled Korean Chicken Wings recipe. Korean BBQ Chicken wings from the grill with a gochujang-based barbecue sauce. These grilled wings are a sweet and spicy treat.

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I'm still on my gochujang kick - and it looks like I'm not the only one. Recently, Korean BBQ wings have been popping up all over the place. Now, why didn't I think of that? Sweet, spicy Korean gochujang paste is halfway to barbecue sauce already. Looking for a new Korean BBQ flavor? Try it on these grilled chicken wings.

Korean BBQ Sauce Vs. Traditional BBQ Sauce

Barbecue sauce has a tomato, sweet, and tart flavor profile. The three major ingredients in my barbecue sauce recipe are a tomato base (I use ketchup), sweetener (molasses, honey, or brown sugar), and vinegar. Then I add some seasonings (Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce).
For the Korean-style BBQ sauce in this recipe, I keep the same flavor profile, but replace the tomato with Gochujang (korean red-pepper paste). I use honey as the sweeteneer, then use sweet-tart marinade instead of vinegar. (See the ingredient list, but the main ingredients are Mirin, Soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and a little more Gochujang).

Ingredient Notes

Gochujang is a thick Korean spice paste that is sweet and slightly hot. It gets its heat (and red color) from its main ingredient, hot red chili peppers. It also has fermented soybeans, rice, and salt. It's a fantastic flavor and one of my favorite new finds. (My wife loves it so much she puts it on everything.) If you can't find it, ketchup plus a tablespoon of hot sauce is a pale substitute. It is worth seeking out the real thing, especially since it is becoming more common in the international aisle of American grocery stores.
Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine used in lots of recipes. It is low-alcohol, with added sugar to make it sweet. If you can't find it (or don't want to have any alcohol), substitute seasoned rice vinegar plus a teaspoon of white sugar or brown sugar.
Toasted sesame oil has a strong, nutty flavor, and is used as a finishing oil in many Asian recipes. This is the kind you will find in most grocery stores. You will occasionally find regular sesame oil, which is not toasted, used for cooking, and doesn't add any flavor to the recipe. Seek out the toasted sesame oil - it will be a dark brown in color, instead of the light yellow of a cooking oil.

Recipe Tips

Cooking time: The cooking time of 40 minutes is for average-sized wings. My last batch of wings was massive. (I think they came from a pteranodon.) They took an extra ten minutes to get browned and crispy. It's hard to overcook chicken wings, so if you don't think they're browned enough, cook them longer.
Use Indirect heat to grill chicken wings: Chicken wings have a ton of fat under the skin, and it takes a long time to render it out. When I cook chicken wings over direct heat, I am constantly fighting fires caused by the dripping fat, and my wings usually end up both burnt and with rubbery skin. That's why I grill wings with indirect heat. Cooking the wings takes longer, but I can leave the wings alone and let them get nice and crispy before I glaze them with sauce.
Sauce the wings during the last five minutes: Sweet barbecue sauce - or gochujang sauce - will burn in the high heat of the grill. That's why I wait until the last five minutes to give the wings a coat of sauce. I let them sit on the grill just long enough for the sauce to tighten into a glaze, then brush on another coat immediately

Chicken wings on the grill, brushed with Korean BBQ Glaze

Storing Leftovers

Leftover wings will last for a couple of days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. I like to eat them cold, but some people (ahem, my kids) won't touch cold wings, so I'll reheat them in the microwave before serving.

Equipment

A grill with multiple burners, or a charcoal grill. I love my massive Weber Summit gas grill, which gives me six burners of space to work with.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Looking for some more grilled wings? Try my Grilled Chinese Chicken Wings (Chaunr Chicken Wings), Grilled Miso BBQ Chicken Wings, or Grilled Buffalo Chicken Wings. This sauce from this recipe will work well with my Instant Pot Chicken Wings. If you want a more traditional Korean barbecue, check out my recipe for Kalbi (Korean Short Ribs).
Looking for something else? Check out my Grilling Recipes index.

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

May 20, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 15 Comments

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham. Soup as thick as a fog from dried split peas. Ready in about an hour, thanks to pressure cooking.

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Ham and peas are a classic combination. I love them together, and any leftover holiday ham is my excuse to make this soup.
Pork and peas are a perfect pair, so I add pork in two different ways. A smoked pork hock gives up its flavor to the peas, and cubed ham adds meaty bites to the soup.

What Are Split Peas?

Split peas are the same green peas you get in the frozen vegetable aisle of your grocery store. They're just processed differently. Split peas are peeled and dried peas, and the split occurs naturally. Peas are two separate pieces inside their skin, so when the dried peas are peeled, they split in two.

Ingredient Notes

Is the pork hock absolutely necessary?

No, but it does add a nice smoky flavor to the soup. The ham adds to that flavor, so you can skip the ham hock and the soup will still turn out great.

What about the ham? Is it necessary?

No, you don't need ham. If you still want meat in your soup, cubed cooked chicken or pork can replace the ham. You can also skip it entirely-but then we're talking vegetarian, so read the next note.

How do I make this vegetarian or vegan?

To make it vegetarian, skip the pork and ham. To make it vegan, use olive oil or vegetable oil instead of butter. In both cases, I would recommend using vegetable broth instead of water to add some of the extra depth the pork adds to the dish. (Make some Instant Pot Vegetable Broth and freeze the leftovers - you will thank me later).

Broth instead of water

The basic recipe is a simple soup, but to make it even better, replace the water with chicken broth. Try my Instant Pot Chicken Broth or Instant Pot Ham Broth. If you use store-bought broth, skip the salt in the recipe because store-bought broth has a lot of sodium.

Tips for Success

Quick release for a thicker soup

Thanks to a tip from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, I can make Instant Pot split pea soup as thick as any fog.
That tip? Make sure to quick release the pressure. Water under pressure is superheated at about 240°F in an Instant Pot. Releasing the pressure starts a vigorous boil inside the pot, roughing up the peas and releasing their starch into the soup. My pea soups used to be a little watery; now, I can practically stand a spoon in them. (Not really, but you know what I mean.)

Pressure Release and Spitting Starch

Now, there is one downside to the quick release - sometimes your Instant Pot will start spraying starch out through the quick release valve. If this happens, close the valve (carefully! the steam is hot!), and wait five minutes for the pot to cool down. Try releasing the pressure again at this point, and if it still spits starch, repeat trying every five minutes.

Don't go over the half-full line on your pot when cooking split peas

Peas tend to foam up and can block the pressure valves, which could be bad news. There's a reason everyone has a family story about grandma's pressure cooker exploding and spraying pea soup all over the kitchen…and it starts with an overfilled pressure cooker.

Sauté vegetables for extra depth

I sauté my vegetables - a mix of onion, celery, carrot, and garlic - to add a sweet undertone to the bowl. Don't skip the sauté step - the soup will be bland without it. (I mean, if you're really in a hurry, you can just dump everything into the pot - but it is much better with the sauté step.)

Doubling or halving the recipe

This recipe is sized for a 6-quart pressure cooker right up to the half-full line. Halving the recipe is fine, but don't increase the ingredients unless you have a larger cooker. The recipe can be halved if you want to cook it in a 3-quart pressure cooker.

Pea Soup Fog Trivia

It turns out that a "pea soup fog" is bad news. Reading about the London Pea Soup Fog of 1952 took me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole…focus! Back to the soup!)

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

For some other bean soups, try my Pressure Cooker Senate Bean Soup, Pressure Cooker Bean Mix Soup, or Pressure Cooker Black-Eyed Peas. If you're looking for other ways to use up ham, try my Instant Pot Turnip Greens Recipe, Instant Pot Ham and Beans, or Instant Pot Ham Broth.
Looking for something else? Here is my Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Recipes Index.

Instant Pot Jerk Ribs

May 13, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 3 Comments

Instant Pot Jerk Ribs. Jamaican style pork ribs with a Scotch Bonnet and allspice marinade, fall-off-the-bone tender in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking.

A plate of Instant Pot Jerk Ribs with green onions sprinkled on top

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No, *You're * a Jerk.
Ahem…sorry. Talking about "Jerk" makes my inner 8-year-old come out. Jamaican Jerk is derived from the same root word as jerky - it was originally meat dried over an open wood fire.
Jamaican Jerk is a justly famous spice blend. Made primarily of Scotch Bonnet peppers and allspice berries, it has a bunch of other flavors in it, including onions, garlic, thyme, and cinnamon. Soy sauce is a surprisingly common ingredient - I think Jamaican cooks, like cooks the world over, like the salty, umami depth that soy sauce adds.
Scotch Bonnet peppers (and their close relative, Habanero peppers) are not messing around. They should come with a biohazard warning. I once rubbed my nose after handling Habanero peppers, and it's not a mistake I'm going to repeat. I wear gloves while seeding these peppers, and even then, I wash my hands when I'm done handling them. I seed the peppers to reduce the heat, leaving their delicious fruity flavor as one of the main parts of the Jerk paste. That doesn't mean no heat - I'd rate these ribs a medium to medium-high heat level - but they're definitely not Atomic Death By Fire ribs. (Not that there's anything wrong with that - if you want extra heat, go ahead and leave the seeds in the peppers when you add them to the food processor.)
My big Jerk change is a liquid substitute: I replace the rum in the jerk paste with pineapple juice. (It's not traditional, but hey, the Jamaican flag has a pineapple right in the middle - it can't be that far off.)
Most marinades don't actually tenderize, but this one does, thanks to pineapple containing the enzyme Bromelain. Bromelain is a natural meat tenderizer that breaks down meat fibers. This is great in small doses, but don't over-marinate these ribs, or you'll have mushy meat. I go for 4 hours max of marinating.
Of course, my other big change is not cooking the ribs over a fire of pimento wood - the wood that allspice berries come from. I'm cooking the ribs in my Instant Pot, where they're pull-apart tender after a half hour at high pressure.
Looking for a taste of the Islands? Try these jerk ribs - you won't be disappointed.

Ingredient substitutions and suggestions

Want less heat? Substitute jalapeños for the Scotch bonnet peppers. (If you're making Jerk ribs, you have to have at least some heat, so jalapeños are my "less heat" suggestion, even if they're not authentic.)
Want more heat? Don't seed the peppers. Remove the stems and mince the peppers in the food processor, seeds and all. (I think of removing the stem like pulling the pin on a grenade, and I want to shout "fire in the hole!" when I toss them in the food processor.)
Which ribs? I like St. Louis Cut spareribs for this recipe; they're a trimmed version of a full slab of spareribs. Can't find St. Louis Cut Spareribs? Baby back ribs are a great substitute, and they cook the same, with no changes to the recipe. Full slabs of spareribs are also good, but they take a little longer to cook. Cook full slabs for 40 minutes at high pressure in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 36 minutes in a stovetop PC. Country-style ribs, both bone-in and boneless, are also good substitutes; they'll take 45 minutes at high pressure in an Instant Pot or 40 minutes in a stovetop PC.
Beef short ribs? Beef short ribs also work with this jerk seasoning; I get ½-inch thick, bone-in, cross-cut beef short ribs and cook them the same way as the pork ribs in this recipe.

How to make Instant Pot Jerk Ribs

Remove the membrane from the ribs

On the bone side of the slab of ribs, work a butter knife between the membrane and a bone, then grab the membrane with a paper towel and pull it off of the ribs. Pull gently but firmly; if the membrane tears while you're pulling, work the knife under the remaining pieces and pull them off as well. Trim the flap of meat from the bone side as well - either discard it or marinate it and add it to the pot with the ribs. (The rib flap makes a nice cook's snack.)

Make the Jerk Marinade

Put the seeded scotch bonnet peppers, garlic, and scallions in a food processor and pulse with 1-second pulses until finely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add the brown sugar, allspice, paprika, thyme, and cinnamon, and pulse a few times to mix. Add the vegetable oil, soy sauce, and pineapple juice, then run the food processor for 30 seconds to blend into a marinade.

Season the ribs

Cut the rack of ribs into 4 pieces, cutting between every 3rd bone. Sprinkle the ribs with 1½ teaspoons of sea salt. Put the ribs in a zip-top plastic bag, pour in the Jerk marinade, and seal, squeezing out any extra air from the bag. (Or, put the ribs in a baking dish, pour the Jerk marinade over the ribs, and cover with plastic wrap). Refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours, flipping the bag of ribs every now and then to redistribute the marinade.

Pressure cook the ribs for 30 minutes with a Natural Release

Pour ½ cup of water into the Instant Pot (or use the minimum liquid amount for your pressure cooker), and (optional) add 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke. Lift the ribs out of the marinade, letting any excess drip off, then stack the ribs loosely in the cooker, bone side down. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker (use "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot) or for 24 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 more minutes. If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.

Broil the ribs (optional)

Put the ribs, bone side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Put the baking sheet under a broiler set to high. Broil the ribs until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the ribs from the broiler, serve, and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

I don't use a rack - there isn't much water in the pot, and the ribs act as a natural rack. But if you want a rack to lift the ribs out of the water, go right ahead. It doesn't change the cooking time.
Liquid smoke is a natural product made by distilling the liquid from wood smoke. I add it to the water when I pressure cook ribs because I like the hint of flavor it adds to the pork. You can skip it if you want.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

For some other Instant Pot ribs recipes, try my Instant Pot Tuscan Pork Ribs (with Rosemary, Fennel, and Garlic), Instant Pot Spare Ribs with BBQ Rub and Sauce, Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs, Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs with Chili-Honey Glaze, or Instant Pot Beef Ribs (Texas BBQ Style).
For other Jamaican recipes, try Instant Pot Jamaican Beef Stew, Instant Pot Jamaican Chicken Fricassee, or Instant Pot Oxtail: Easy Braised Recipe
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

Instant Pot Frito Pie

May 6, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 8 Comments

Instant Pot Frito Pie recipe - cut open a bag of Fritos, add a scoop of pressure cooked chili and a handful of cheese, sprinkle with chopped onions, and dig in with a spoon. Enjoy!.

Frito pie in a Fritos bag topped with onions

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No, I'm not sponsored by Frito-Lay this week. No matter how much it looks like it. (Pepsi! The choice of a new generation!)
I figured if I did Walking Tacos, I had to do Frito Pie. Two meals served in chip bags? My kids thought they were in heaven. (And I took full advantage. "Kids, do you want Frito pie? Great! Empty the dishwasher and sweep up the floor before dinner.")

Frito Pie is a Southwestern standard, with both Texas and New Mexico claiming the dish - a base of Fritos topped with cheese. Walking Tacos came later on as Southwestern food spread into the Midwest. The recipes are obviously related; if you make one, you can make the other. The only real difference is in the toppings. (And, of course, the bag of chips you use.)

I'm probably breaking all sorts of Texas rules by using beans in my recipe…that's right, I'm not from Texas…but I like beans in my ground meat chili. (If you want real Texas chili, try my Easy Texas Red Chili (Pressure Cooker), but make sure to shred the meat after cooking to make it fit in the Frito bags).

Want to know more about Frito pie? Robb Walsh, my go-to historian for all things Texas, has all the details: The Complicated History of Frito Pie.

No pressure cooker? No worries. See the Notes section for stovetop instructions.

Ingredient suggestions and substitutions

Use lean ground beef. I suggest 85/15 ground beef for this recipe, and it is fine with anything 80/20 lean to fat or leaner.
Or, use a different ground meat. This recipe works great with ground turkey or ground pork. (Or, if you're into game meats, ground buffalo, ground venison, ground elk…)
Make-ahead beans. If you have a pressure cooker, you really should be cooking dry beans - they taste so much better than canned, even after freezing. Check out my Instant Pot Pinto Beans, Instant Pot Kidney Beans, or Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans.
Big Bag of Fritos.If you don't want to mess with individual serving bags, get a big bag of Fritos and serve in bowls. Start with a base of Fritos and build from there. It won't look as impressive, but it tastes just as good.
Tortilla chips. I like the extra-corny taste of Fritos with chili, but any corn chip will do. I recommend round chips (especially small round chips) or tortilla scoops, though - the smaller chips work better with chili.
Bring the heat. I made this recipe mainly for my kids, and one of them can't handle the heat. For more heat, add a minced jalapeno with the onions and garlic. (For extra heat, also add a ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper with the chili powder.)

How to make Instant Pot Frito Pie

Sauté the aromatics and toast the spices

In an Instant pot set to Sauté mode - high, heat the vegetable oil until it starts to shimmer. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). Add the onions, garlic, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes, then make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Toast until you smell the spices, about 1 minute, then stir them into the onions.

Simmer the beef until no longer pink, stir in the beans, top with the tomatoes

Pour in 1 cup of water, then scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any stuck onions or spices. Add the beef, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring and breaking up the beef, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans. Pour the tomatoes with green chiles on top of the beef mixture, but don't stir - the tomatoes may burn if they sink to the bottom of the pot.

Pressure cook for 12 minutes with a natural pressure release

Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook- Custom mode in an Instant Pot). Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes if you're in a hurry.

Serve in the Fritos bags

Unlock the lid, add the fresh ground black pepper, and stir, breaking up any large clumps of meat. To serve: Cut open a single-serve Frito bag, cutting lengthwise across the side of the bag (the top of the bag is kind of small, making it hard to eat out of that side). Spoon a ladle or two of chili into the bag, then top with the shredded cheese, diced onions, and (optional) the hot sauce. Grab a spoon and eat straight out of the bag. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

No pressure cooker? No worries. Cook the chili in a large pot or Dutch oven. Increase the water in the recipe to 2 cups. Follow the recipe up to step 3, then instead of pressure cooking, simmer the meat on the stovetop until everything thickens up, about 1 hour. Continue with the serving step.
Great for leftovers.I don't usually make a dedicated batch of chili for this recipe. I use leftover chili for this, out of the freezer.
Big Bowl of Fritos.If you don't want to mess with individual serving bags, get a big bag of Fritos and serve in bowls. Start with a base of Fritos and build from there. It won't look as impressive, but it tastes just as good.

Storage

This recipe is great for make-ahead meals, because chili will last for a few days in the refrigerator, or up to 6 months frozen. If anything, it tastes better the second day, because the flavors have a chance to mingle.

Want a similar recipe but with Doritos? Try Pressure Cooker Walking Tacos. For other chilis, check out my Instant Pot 5 Ingredient Chili, Pressure Cooker Turkey Chili with Pinto Beans, or Instant Pot Steak Chili.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore

April 29, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 3 Comments

Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore recipe. Tender braised chicken thighs with a tomato-based sauce, rich and hearty Italian hunter style. I pressure cook it to get it on the table in about an hour.

A plate of Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore

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It's time for my annual ode to pressure-cooked chicken thighs. This time, I'm showcasing them in Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore.
Chicken thighs are great for pressure cooking, and much more forgiving than chicken breasts. It's almost impossible to overcook a chicken thigh; chicken breast has a narrow "done" window, and then it turns dry and stringy. The best chicken breasts are done with an internal temperature of exactly 160°F…and good luck getting that right in a sealed pressure cooker. Chicken thighs are good at 170°F, 180°F…whatever it takes. I'll see you on the dark side…of the chicken!
Chicken cacciatore, Italian hunter-style chicken simmered with onions, tomatoes, and garlic, is a great place to start pressure cooking chicken thighs. There's also a lot of pot liquid with this recipe; serve it over pasta, with rice, or with mashed potatoes. (And some bread to soak up the juices is also a good idea.) Want to join us on the dark side…of the chicken? Try chicken cacciatore.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Chicken thighs: As I said above, chicken thighs are the right cut for this recipe. You can substitute drumsticks pretty well, but chicken breasts will tend to dry out under pressure.
Bone-in or boneless chicken: This recipe is traditionally cooked with bone-in, skin-on chicken. If you want to use boneless chicken, make sure to get boneless chicken thighs, and cut the pressure cooking time back to 10 minutes.
No alcohol: Don't want to use wine? Use more chicken stock (or water).
Mushrooms: Portobello mushrooms are Italian, so I use baby bella mushrooms in this recipe. That said, I don't notice much difference with regular white mushrooms, so they are a great substitute. (Or skip the mushrooms if you are anti-fungus in your food).

Using Frozen Chicken

Yes, you can use frozen chicken thighs; increase the pressure cooking time by 5 minutes (25 minutes at high pressure). The only other change is to sprinkle them with the salt and pepper after the browning step, not before; the salt and pepper will just bounce off frozen thighs.

How to Thicken the Sauce

Pressure cooking leads to thin sauces - there is no evaporation, so the liquid does not simmer off. I'm fine with that - there is a lot of delicious liquid in the pot. But if you want a thicker, stew-like cacciatore, you have a couple of options:

Simmer with the lid off after pressure cooking: After the natural pressure release, remove the lid. Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode-high until the liquid in the pot comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to sauté mode-low and let the pot simmer for 15 minutes to thicken the liquid. (With a stovetop PC, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low).
Cook pasta in the pot: Use a small pasta shape to absorb the liquid. After the natural pressure release, unlock the pot and stir in 1 cup of ditalini (or another small pasta shape). Simmer the pasta for 8 minutes (or for the cooking time on the package).

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Want some other Instant Pot chicken thigh recipes? Try my Instant Pot Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic, Pressure Cooker Chicken Legs with Herb Rub. For more Italian in the Instant Pot, try Pressure Cooker Penne with Sausage and Peppers. Or, for a fun new twist on Cajun-Italian, try Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta.
Looking for something else? Here is my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes Index

Pressure Cooker Beef Stew

April 22, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 34 Comments

A big batch of pressure cooker beef stew with new potatoes and carrots. It is ready in a little over an hour, but tastes like it simmered all afternoon.

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No plan survives contact with the enemy. The plan? A traditional beef stew, simmering all afternoon. The enemy? Me.
(Of *course* I'm my own worst enemy. Who did you expect? My evil twin?)

Simmering all afternoon became "I'm out of time...but I can still pressure cook the stew."

Now, this pressure cooker beef stew recipe is not a quick. (This is not a twenty-minute meal). It takes time to brown the beef and sauté the vegetables, building depth and flavor into the stew. But the pressure cooker makes short work of the actual cooking time, taking it from three hours down to 25 minutes under pressure.
No pressure cooker? No worries. See the notes section for stovetop instructions.

Equipment

8 quart or larger pressure cooker

Ingredients Notes

Other cuts of beef: Chuck is my favorite cut of beef for stew, but round (especially bottom round) or sirloin will also work in this recipe.
No alcohol: Simmering the wine will remove some of the alcohol, but not all of it. If you want to cook without alcohol, substitute more chicken broth or water for the wine, and add 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce with the broth or water. (The Worcestershire sauce will replace some of the complex flavors in wine.)
Homemade chicken broth: If you have a pressure cooker, then homemade Instant Pot Chicken Broth is easy to make - and it adds extra depth and flavor to everything you use it in. (For example, this beef stew!).
Kosher salt: When I wrote this recipe, Kosher salt was my default kitchen salt. I've switched to fine sea salt since then - it's cheaper and easier for me to find. If you are using fine sea salt, cut the Kosher salt amounts by 25%. (1 tablespoon kosher salt = ¾ tablespoon (or 2 heaping teaspoons) fine sea salt.)

Potatoes and carrots on the vegetable steamer

How do I keep the vegetables from getting too soft?

That's what the vegetable rack trick is for. The rack holds the carrots and potatoes above most of the liquid in the pot, so they steam instead of simmering. That way, they're not cooked to mush by the time the beef is cooked. (Note that you can skip this step if you want - your vegetables will be soft, but it is a stew after all.)

Do I need to sear the beef before pressure cooking?

No, you don't have to sear, but I strongly recommend it. The browned bits of beef that stick to the pot add body and flavor to the stew. (They're part of why beef stew tastes so beefy.) My compromise for speed is to only brown each batch of beef cubes on one side. If you don't sear the beef, everything else in the recipe (including the cooking time) is the same.

Can I use frozen beef?

Yes. Add an extra 5 minutes to the pressure cooking time.

Storing leftovers

Leftover beef stew is fantastic. I make this big batch of stew because it gives me (at least) two meals worth - I serve everyone dinner, then freeze the leftovers. Leftover stew lasts for a few days in the refrigerator, or for up to 6 months in the freezer.

Pressure cooker beef stew, ready to serve

Notes

No pressure cooker? Use a heavy bottomed dutch oven with a lid. Increase the amount of wine to 1 cup, and chicken stock to 2 cups. Follow the instructions right up until "lock the lid". Then, instead of pressure cooking, bring the pot to a boil, cover, and move the pot to a preheated 350*F oven. Bake for 2 hours, or until the beef is tender.
Pressure cooker pots can be narrow. I assume it's a design choice, that making a lid strong enough to handle high pressure is easier in a narrow pot. If you have a narrow pot, and you don't mind extra dishes, use a large fry pan to help brown the beef - that way, you can brown two batches at once.

I love a good pressure cooker beef stew, so I have a lot of variations. Try my Instant Pot Provencal Beef Stew (Beef Daube Provencal), Instant Pot Beef Stew with Spanish Smoked Paprika, Instant Pot Beef and Lentil Stew, Instant Pot Irish Beef Stew, or Pressure Cooker Beef Stew with Mushrooms.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

Instant Pot Lamb Shanks

April 15, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 40 Comments

Instant Pot Lamb Shanks recipe, Provencal style with garlic, tomatoes, and Herbes de Provence. Thanks to pressure cooking, you can have tender lamb shanks in about an hour.

An Instant Pot Lamb shank on a plate with green beans and couscous

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I love lamb shanks: tender, flavorful meat that falls off the bone. Now, I can hear some of you out there saying, "Lamb? It's so gamey!" I have family members who say the same thing. This is the recipe I make when I want to change their minds.
Shanks need long, slow cooking to tenderize; undercook them, and they're tough and chewy. In the pressure cooker, high pressure substitutes for the long cooking time. 45 minutes under pressure, plus a 15-minute natural pressure release, replaces three to four hours of gentle simmering. This is why I love pressure cooking, even when it doesn't give me a 30-minute meal-in this case, I can squeeze an all-day recipe down to a little over an hour.
No pressure cooker? No worries. See the notes section for instructions on the stovetop.

Equipment

6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I use an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
Fat separator

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 lamb shanks
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 large onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup red wine
1 cup chicken broth (or water)
15 oz can diced tomatoes (with juices)

How to make Instant Pot Lamb Shanks

Browning the lamb shanks in the Instant Pot

Brown the lamb shanks on one side in two batches

Season the shanks with the 2 teaspoons of salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - high until the oil is shimmering (use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). Set two of the shanks in the pot, meaty side down, and sear until well browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Move the seared shanks to a bowl. Add the remaining two shanks, sear until well browned (about 3 more minutes), and then add to the bowl of shanks.

Sauté the aromatics

Add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, and Herbes de Provence to the pot. Sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté for five minutes, or until the onions soften and the tomato paste begins to brown. Add the wine to the pot, bring to a simmer, and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Stir in the chicken stock and tomatoes, then add the lamb shanks and any lamb juices from the bowl. Push the lamb shanks into the liquid as much as possible.

Pressure cook for 45 minutes with a Natural Release

Lock the lid on the pot. Pressure cook at high pressure for 45 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC or for 35 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook custom mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 25 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick-release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.)

Sauce the shanks and serve

Unlock the pressure cooker, tilting the lid away from you to avoid any hot steam. Remove the lamb shanks to a platter, and ladle some of the pot liquid over the shanks. Serve, passing the rest of the pot liquid as a sauce at the table. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

Browning on one side: Browning the shanks adds extra flavor. Browned meat tastes better, and the little browned bits that stick to the bottom of the pot dissolve in the pot liquid and add extra flavor to the sauce. To save time, I only brown my shanks on one side. (This is a pressure cooking recipe, and speed is why I use my pressure cooker.) If you're in a hurry, you can skip the browning, but the recipe won't quite be as full-flavored. If you want extra flavor, brown the shanks on two sides before moving on to the onions.
Get shanks that fit the pot:- Pressure cookers are tall and narrow, and lamb shanks have a long bone. (This is kind of the point of the whole shank thing, after all.) The lamb shanks I got for testing this recipe were too long for my pressure cooker pot; I had a rough time getting them browned because they wouldn't fit flat in the bottom of my 6-quart Instant Pot. In the end, they turned out fine, even with uneven browning, but if you have your choice of shanks, look for shorter bones.
Or, use a big Instant Pot to fit the bones: If you have a larger Instant Pot, like the 8-quart Instant Pot or 7-quart Wide Instant Pot, use it. The extra width makes it easier to fit the bones in the pot.
Max Fill: Don't worry if the bones are poking up past the "max fill" line when you're ready to cook - just make sure the liquid is below the line, and the lid will close.
Leftovers: Leftover lamb shanks taste great, but are hard to store. I shred the meat, discard the bone, and put the shredded meat in 2-cup storage containers.
No pressure cooker? No worries. Use a Dutch oven with a heavy lid, and follow the instructions as written. When you get to the "lock the lid" part, add enough chicken stock or water to cover ¾ of the lamb shanks. Put the lid on the pot, bring the pot to a simmer, then move the pot to a preheated 350°F oven for three to four hours, until the lamb shanks are tender and falling off the bone. Continue with the "defat the sauce" step.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Looking for some other Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker Lamb? Try Pressure Cooker Lamb Stew with Guiness and Barley or Instant Pot 7-Hour Leg of Lamb. For other lamb shank flavors, try Instant Pot Irish Lamb Shanks, Pressure Cooker Greek Lamb Shanks with Tomatoes, Instant Pot Moroccan Lamb Shanks, or Pressure Cooker Persian Lamb Shanks with Eggplant and Tomatoes (Khoresht Bademjan). For other pressure cooker braises, try Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco), Instant Pot Goat Curry, or Instant Pot Jamaican Beef Curry.
If you want something else, here is my Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes Index.

Sous Vide Asparagus

April 8, 2025 by Mike Vrobel Leave a Comment

Sous Vide Asparagus is amazingly tender and a good way to add a vegetable side to your sous vide meal. Am I going to cook all my asparagus this way? No, but I will remember this technique if I'm already cooking sous vide. (Also, the next time I get huge asparagus spears from my local farmers market, I'll pull out the vacuum sealer and this recipe.)

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Ingredients

1 bunch of thick asparagus (about 16 ounces), tough ends trimmed
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter (1 ounce), cut into 2 pieces

How to Sous Vide asparagus

Season and seal the asparagus

Trim the tough ends of the asparagus spears, then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Put the asparagus in a vacuum bag in a single layer, set the butter on top of the asparagus, and vacuum seal the bag. (Or, put the asparagus in a zip-top bag and squeeze all the air out by slowly lowering the bag into the sous vide water bath, then zipping completely closed when all the air is pushed out.)

Sous Vide the asparagus for 15 minutes at 184°F

Set a sous vide bath to 184°F/84°C (it helps to start with some boiling water to get the heat up to 184°F quicker.) Put the bag with the asparagus into the water bath and cook for 15 minutes, up to a max of 45 minutes.

Serve and enjoy

Remove the bag from the sous vide, cut it open, and move the asparagus to a serving platter. Pour some of the liquid in the bag over the asparagus. Serve and enjoy!

Substitutions

Lemon zest: My favorite addition to green vegetables is a little bit of lemon zest. I use my handy microplane grater to make a teaspoon-sized pile of lemon zest and add it to the bag. (If I'm using the water displacement sealing method, I'll also add a tablespoon of juice from the lemon. The juice would just make a mess with a vacuum sealer. If you have a fancy chamber-style vacuum sealer, you can use the juice).

Other seasonings: I sometimes add a slivered clove of garlic or minced shallots to the bag with the asparagus. (I especially like the shallot since I use it in pan sauces often when I'm making a sous vide steak.)

Cooking asparagus as a sous vide side dish

So, why go through all this trouble just for a few stalks of asparagus? If you heat water for sous vide, you can cook asparagus with your main dish. Let's say I'm cooking sous vide strip steak for dinner. I start with the asparagus and the water at 184°F and drop the steak in at the same time. Yes, 184°F is way too hot for the steak - but after 15 minutes, I pull the asparagus out and add ice (or cold water) to get the temperature down to where I want it (133°F for my preferred steak doneness). Then, when I'm 15 minutes away from finishing the steak, I put the asparagus back into the sous vide water bath to warm up. Voila - two courses in one sous vide bath!

Inspired by: Sous Vide Asparagus at AmazingFoodMadeEasy.com

If you're looking for other sous vide veggies, try my Sous Vide Buttered Corn on the Cob or Simple Sous Vide Carrots. For another asparagus recipe, try Air Fryer Asparagus. Looking for recipes to serve with this asparagus? Try Sous Vide Salmon (with a simple spice rub), Sous Vide Flat Iron Steak, or Grilled Sous Vide Filet Mignon with Parmesan Gremolata.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Sous Vide Recipes.

Salt Pepper and Garlic (SPG) Seasoning

April 1, 2025 by Mike Vrobel Leave a Comment

SPG seasoning - salt, pepper, garlic. It's that simple. I keep a spice grinder of coarse salt, whole peppercorns, and minced garlic so I can grind it fresh when I need it. (I also have instructions for making it from ground spices, if you want a dry rub that doesn't go through the grinder every time you use it.)

A funnel of whole spices pouring into a grinder

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This simple seasoning is one I use a lot. When a recipe calls for salt and pepper, I will often add some garlic powder for extra flavor. I used it so often I started to mix it up ahead of time, and keep a shaker jar of it with the other spices in my pantry. (Or buying it from the store). It tastes great and is easy to use.

But, being who I am, I had to get a little extra flavor. I don't like pre-grinding pepper, because it loses its flavor quickly. I looked at the peppercorn blend in my pepper mill and thought "why don't I put it all in a spice grinder"? A quick trip to Penzeys for some dry minced garlic and I was ready to go.

Equipment

A Spice grinder for whole grain (I like the vase grinders from Kuhn Rikon), or a jar with a shaker lid for pre-ground.

A funnel (to keep the spices contained when adding them to the grinder or shaker jar.)

Whole spices for SPG seasoning - coarse salt, peppercorns, and minced garlic

INGREDIENTS

Pre-ground for a shaker

½ cup (65g) ground black pepper
¼ cup (65g) fine sea salt (or 3 tablespoons/65g table salt)
4 teaspoons (15g) granulated garlic powder

Whole grain for a grinder

½ cup (65g) Peppercorns (or peppercorn blend)
¼ cup (65g) coarse sea salt
¼ cup (15g) dry minced garlic

How to make Salt Pepper Garlic Seasoning

Mix up the seasoning

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until completely mixed. For pre-ground, store in a sealed container (preferably a shaker jar) for up to six months. For whole grain, store in a spice grinder for up to a year.

Bowls of SPG seasoning, mixed and ready to go, both ground and whole spices

What to season with SPG?

Anything you'd season with salt and pepper. It's my favorite basic beef rub, but it's also versatile. In the last month I've used it on steaks, burgers, salmon, pork chops, and chicken. Oh, and green beans, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. It's the most versatile seasoning I use.

How to store SPG seasoning

If you make it with ground spices, it will keep for a year before it starts to lose its flavor when stored in an airtight container. The grinder version will keep even longer than that; the peppercorns and salt will stay fresh for a very long time; the minced garlic will lose some flavor after a while, but it also keeps better than ground garlic powder.

Spice shaker and spice grinder full of SPG seasoning

Why use a spice grinder for Salt Pepper Garlic seasoning?

Because of the pepper. The salt and garlic powder are fine pre-ground. Pepper's flavor comes from volatile oils and aromatics which fade quickly after grinding. (That's why my recipes almost always recommend fresh ground black pepper.) Now, if pepper was a minor player in the seasoning, I'd be fine with pre-ground. But, because it is so important to SPG, I want it fresh ground. So, this is a seasoning blend I keep in a grinder.

How do I know how much SPG I'm using if I'm grinding it?

I eyeball it. I usually use SPG seasoning when I'm not measuring carefully. If it looks like it's seasoned enough, I'm good. That said, I also did a measurement on the grinding rate from my favorite Kuhn Rikon Vase grinders. I measured 30 grinds to get ½ teaspoon of seasoning (roughly), so when I know I want a specific amount, I start counting as I grind.

Looking for a seasoning to kick it up a few notches? Try my Cajun Rub Recipe. For a taste of Sichuan, try my Sichuan Roasted Pepper Salt, or for a BBQ, my Homemade Barbecue Rub. For other seasoning blends, try my All-Purpose Seasoning or my Coriander, Fennel, and Garlic seasoning.

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili

March 25, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 3 Comments

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili is a tasty, hearty vegetarian chili from the Instant Pot. I make it with canned beans (or frozen make-ahead dry beans), and a bunch of spices that go well with the natural sweetness of the potatoes.

A Bowl of Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili

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I organize an annual chili-fest at work. (My motto - if you've got a chili, bring it!). We have a bunch of vegetarians at the office, so I'm always looking for a good vegetarian chili to make for them.

That's what led me to sweet potato chili. It just feels like the perfect idea for Fall, even though I'm making it in the spring for a Super Bowl party. Looking for a great vegetarian chili recipe? Give this one a try.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (or olive oil)
1 large onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced (or a green bell pepper or red bell pepper or two jalapeños.)
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
¼ teaspoon allspice (optional)
2 large sweet potatoes (1 ½ to 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups vegetable broth (preferably homemade veggie broth or low-sodium store-bought)
2 teaspoons fine sea salt (if using homemade broth, only 1 teaspoon if using store-bought broth)
2 (15-ounce) cans of black beans, drained (Or 1 cup of dry black beans, already cooked)
28-ounce can of Fire Roasted Diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup frozen corn, cooked (optional)

Substitutions

Other peppers: I use poblano peppers because I prefer the flavor to bell peppers in chili. If you'd rather use green bell peppers or red bell peppers, go right ahead. If you want to bring the heat with your peppers, read the next section...

Heat level: This is not a hot chili with the default ingredients. Chili powder is usually mild, and Poblano peppers are mild. If you like heat in your chili, substitute a jalapeno for the poblano. Or, for a smoky flavor, use minced chipotle peppers en adobo - chop up one pepper and include some of the adobo sauce. For heat from your pantry, add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper with the chili powder to kick it up a notch.

Substitute Squash: Butternut squash cooks a lot like sweet potato and is a great substitute in this recipe.

Different beans: I prefer black beans in this chili, but any kind of bean will do. Replace the black beans with kidney beans, pinto beans, small red beans, white beans, or whatever bean you like in your chili.

Canned beans vs dry beans: I can't cook dry beans directly in this chili; the sweet potatoes would fall apart by the time the beans were even close to cooked. That's why I wrote it with canned beans in the ingredient list. But homemade beans (from dry) taste a lot better. I love freezing my Instant Pot Black Beans for later. I freeze them in 2-cup containers; each container will replace a can of beans.

Fire roasted tomatoes (or not): I like the little hint of smoke fire-roasted tomatoes add to the chili, but regular diced tomatoes will work as well.

Vegetarian or vegan chili: This chili is both vegetarian and vegan as written.

Broth choices: I use homemade Instant Pot Vegetable Broth to keep this recipe vegetarian, but if you don't care about that, homemade Instant Pot Chicken Broth is also good. If you're buying store-bought broth, look for low-sodium vegetable broth or vegetable stock.

Ground turkey or ground beef: I saw a lot of sweet potato chilies on the internet, and a surprising number of them included ground turkey. As I said above, I'm trying to keep this recipe vegetarian. But, if you want turkey, before you add the sweet potatoes, add a pound of ground turkey and cook it until it just loses its pink color. (Nothing else in the recipe will change). Or, you can add ground beef if you want, but I think turkey balances out the sweet potatoes better.

How to make Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili

Sauté the aromatics

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - high. (Or use medium-high heat in a stovetop PC). Add the onions, poblano, and garlic, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes.

Sautéing the onions and toasting the spices

Toast the spices and add the sweet potatoes

Stir the chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, and allspice into the pot, mixing the spices well with the onions. Keep cooking the onions and spices for 1 minute, then stir in the sweet potato cubes, stirring until the cubes are coated with spices and onions.

Sweet potatoes stirred into the onions and spices

Everything in the pot

Pour in the vegetable broth and 2 teaspoons of fine sea salt (or 1 teaspoon if using store-bought broth.) Stir the broth into the vegetables, then scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking. (Food sticking to the pot leads to a burn warning.)

Stir in the black beans, then pour the can of fire-roasted tomatoes on top. Spread them out, but don't stir the tomatoes. (If the tomatoes sink to the bottom of the pot, they can also cause a burn warning.)

Pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes

Pressure cook for 10 minutes with a Natural Release

Lock the lid on the pot and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 8 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-custom mode set for 10 minutes in an Instant Pot). When the cooking time is over, let the heat come down naturally, about 20-30 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release). Remove the lid carefully, opening it away from you - even when it's not under pressure, the steam in the cooker is very hot.

Final seasoning and serve

Stir in the fresh ground pepper and the cooked frozen corn. Serve with your favorite chili toppings, and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

Burn Warning: This is a thick recipe for a pressure cooker, and in my testing would cause burn warnings if I used less than 2 cups of vegetable broth. If you are still getting burn warnings, release the pressure, unlock the lid, and add another 2 cups of broth (or water) to the pot. Then, scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any stuck food. Lock the lid and try again. (It should work fine with the extra liquid).
Make Ahead Sweet Potato Chili: This recipe makes great leftovers. I freeze any leftovers in 2-cup containers, where they are ready for a quick meal if I need them. Sealed in an airtight container, frozen chili lasts for up to 6 months in the freezer, or you can refrigerate it for a few days.

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker

A flat-edged wooden spoon

Scaling

Storage

Store the wet ingredients (lettuce, tomato, onion) separately from the dry ingredients (buns) in the fridge and recombine when ready. Good for 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

What to Serve with Instant Pot Sweet Potato chili

I love a lot of toppings on my chili. I'll put out diced onions or diced green onions, sliced jalapenos or pickled jalapenos, hot sauce, sour cream, shredded cheese, minced fresh cilantro, and tortilla chips or Fritos. I think chili is a hearty one-pot meal, but if you want some side dishes, I like my Instant Pot Green Beans and cornbread or dinner rolls for dipping.

If you're looking for all the beans in your chili, try my Instant Pot 15-Bean Chili recipe.

For chilis with meat, check out my Instant Pot Quick Chili with Canned Beans, my Instant Pot 5-Ingredient Chili, or my Instant Pot Steak Chili.

Or, for just sweet potatoes, try my Pressure Cooker Sweet Potato Puree
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts

March 18, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 7 Comments

Here's my Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts recipe. Crispy, sweet Brussels sprouts sautéed in a cast iron pan make a great weeknight vegetable side dish.

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Dad! You forced me to like Brussels sprouts!

File that one under "Things I never thought I'd hear at the dinner table." I would have bet money. No, I would have bet on the heat death of the universe happening before one of my kids enjoyed Brussels sprouts. And now? It is the favorite vegetable of two out of three of my kids. (As always, one kid - and it's never the same kid - decides they don't like a vegetable.)

What is the downside to this newfound Brussels sprouts love? Oven roasting takes too much time on a weeknight unless I'm really organized. (I'm not that organized.) That's why I got excited when I saw the bag of shaved Brussels sprouts at the grocery store. Shaved Brussels sprouts cook in about ten minutes. Sautéing them in oil (or butter) gives me crispy sprouts with roasted flavors, and I don't have to heat up the oven.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Ingredients

9 ounces shaved Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable oil)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Drizzle of balsamic vinegar (optional)

Substitutions

Simple sprouts: Skip the vinegar, and just use salt and pepper.
Spicy Brussels sprouts: Add ½ teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes and ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic (or garlic powder) with the salt and pepper.
Sweet Brussels sprouts: Replace the drizzle of balsamic vinegar with a drizzle of honey.
Other drizzles: I use vinegar because I like the hint of tart it adds to the sweet Brussels. Fresh lemon juice also works well.
Fancy Brussels Sprouts: If you want to get fancy, add toasted pine nuts and sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese on top of the sprouts right before serving.
Frozen Brussels sprouts: This recipe really works best with fresh Brussels sprouts, but if all you can find are frozen sprouts, you can use the same technique. Dump the frozen sprouts directly in the pan, and sauté until they are cooked through.

How to Make Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts

Preheat the pan

Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat for at least five minutes, then swirl in the oil. (For any other type of skillet, preheat over medium heat with the oil in the pan until the oil is shimmering, about 3 minutes).

Cook the sprouts

Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan, gently toss to coat with the oil, and then sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Sauté the sprouts, stirring and flipping often, until the white center of the sprout softens and turns a light tan color, and the sprouts start to brown and crisp a bit on the edges. This should take about 10 minutes.

Add vinegar and serve

Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the sprouts. Scrape the sprouts into a bowl, serve, and enjoy!

Helpful Tips

What if I have whole Brussels sprouts?

I get bags of pre-sliced Brussels sprouts at the grocery store. What do I do when they're not available? Slicing tiny Brussels sprouts by hand is possible but a lot of work for a quick weeknight meal. I use my food processor's thin slicing disc. (I stack the Brussels sprouts in the feed tube in batches).

Why a Cast Iron Skillet? What if I don't have one?

This recipe works best in a cast iron skillet, preheated for (at least) five minutes. The heat that builds up in the cast iron crisps up the sprouts, browning them while cooking them through. That said, you can cook Brussels sprouts in any heavy pan. (My All-Clad frypan also does a good job, and my thick aluminum nonstick pans do OK as well.) If you don't have a heavy pan, the sprouts won't crisp up, but don't let that stop you from making this recipe. The sprouts will still be good enough to make picky kids love green vegetables. (Or, at least, my kids.)

Brussels sprouts, not Brussels sprouts.

Yes, it's BrusselS sprouts, not Brussel sprouts. They're sprouts from Brussels, Belgium.

Why do Brussels sprouts taste better now?

You're not imagining things - Brussels sprouts used to have a strong bitter taste. Back in the 1990s, a Dutch scientist figured out the chemical compound in sprouts that made them bitter. Seed companies searched their archives for sprouts with less of that chemical and spent years cross-breeding them until they got a version that tasted better. For more details, read [From Culinary Dud To Stud: How Dutch Plant Breeders Built Our Brussels Sprouts Boom].

Storing Leftovers

Leftover sprouts, sealed in an airtight container, will keep in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few months.

What to Serve with Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are one of my go-to green side dishes. I love serving them with [Roast Chicken], [Roast Beef], [Roast Pork], [Roast Duck]…can you tell I like them with roasts? But, really, they will work with almost anything as a side dish.

For a decadent taste of sprouts, try my Brussels Sprouts Gratin in the oven. For other hearty side dishes, try my Instant Pot Cannellini Beans and Greens, Instant Pot Turnip Greens Recipe, or Cast Iron Roasted Cauliflower. Or, for a starchy side, try my Oven Roasted Crispy Fingerling Potatoes, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, or Cast Iron Spiral Skillet Potatoes.

If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Cast Iron Pan recipes.

Instant Pot Frozen Pork Shoulder

March 11, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 1 Comment

Instant Pot Frozen Pork Shoulder. Pressure cooking a pork shoulder from frozen works surprisingly well. After two hours under pressure, the frozen pork shoulder turns into tender, juicy, shreddable meat.

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Here's a follow-up recipe from my Instant Pot Frozen Pot Roast. That technique, borrowed from Chris Young's YouTube channel, worked so well on a chuck roast that I had to try it on a frozen pork shoulder.

Now, not an entire pork shoulder - that thick of a piece of meat takes forever to cook, even if it is not frozen. I use half a pork shoulder butt roast or picnic roast, about 3 inches thick at its thinnest part. It should weigh 4 to 5 pounds, though you can go lighter or heavier if the roast isn't over 3 inches thick.

Adapted from: Chris Young Pressure Cooker Frozen Pot Roast Can Cooking from Frozen really be juicier? - Youtube

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 to 5-pound pork shoulder roast, about 3 inches thick
2 large onions, diced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
4-6 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
1 sprig fresh rosemary (or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary)
1 cup cider (hard cider or non-alcoholic)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ cups chicken broth (preferably homemade chicken broth, or store-bought low sodium broth)
½ teaspoon salt (if using store-bought broth)
15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce)
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound carrots (about 4 thick carrots), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 celery rib, sliced into ½-inch rounds
Minced parsley for garnish

How to cook a frozen pork shoulder in an Instant Pot

Brown the frozen pork shoulder

In a wide Instant Pot (8-quart or 7-quart wide), heat the 2 tablespoons of oil until it starts to shimmer, about 5 minutes. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker.) Carefully add the frozen pork shoulder to the pot. It's going to splatter when it hits the oil in the pot, so I put a lid on the pot or use my splatter screen over the top. Cook the shoulder until it is browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip the shoulder (again, be careful of splattering oil) and brown on the second side for about 4 more minutes. Move the shoulder to a plate and pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the oil in the pot. (I also wipe down the outside of my Instant Pot and the counter to clean up any oil droplets.)

Sauté the aromatics and simmer the cider

Put the onions in the pot, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, and sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of pork. Scatter the thyme and rosemary sprigs over the onions. Pour in the cider, bring it to a boil, and boil it for 1 minute. (This will cook off some of the alcohol if you use a hard cider.)

Pork shoulder, broth, tomatoes, and Worcestershire into the pot

Put the browned pork shoulder into the pot (along with any juices on the plate). Sprinkle the roast on both sides with 1 teaspoon of salt. Pour in the chicken broth (and ½ teaspoon of salt if using homemade broth), drizzle the Worcestershire sauce over the roast, and then pour the can of crushed tomatoes over everything.

Pressure cook the pork shoulder for 2 hours with a Quick Release

Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 2 hours in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker or for 90 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot.) When the pressure cooking time is done, quick release the pressure in the pot.

Adding carrots, potatoes, apples, and celery

Pressure cook the root vegetables for 8 minutes with a Quick Release

Unlock the lid of the pressure cooker-tilt it away from you as you open it to avoid the scalding steam. Add the potatoes, carrots, apples, and celery to the pot. Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for another 8 minutes to cook the root vegetables (the same cooking time in an Instant Pot or stovetop PC). When the pressure cooking time is done, quick release the pressure in the pot.

Slice and serve

Unlock the lid of the pressure cooker. Again, tilt it away from you as you open it to avoid the scalding steam. Fish out the thyme and rosemary stems and discard them. Remove the pork shoulder from the pot with a spatula and a slotted spoon, and move it to a carving board for slicing. (Be gentle; the pork is fall-apart tender; let it rest while you scoop the vegetables so it can firm up for slicing). Scoop the root vegetables out with a slotted spoon and move them to a serving bowl. Pour the pot liquid into a fat separator. Slice the pork shoulder into ½-inch thick slices. (Don't worry if some of them shred apart while you're trying to cut - serve them as shredded pot roast.) Transfer the sliced pork to a serving platter, surround it with some root vegetables, and drizzle with a healthy amount of the defatted pot liquid. Serve with the rest of the root vegetables on the side, and pass the defatted pot liquid as a sauce at the table. Enjoy!

Equipment

You need a wide Instant Pot for this recipe. A 4- to 5-pound pork shoulder is probably going to be too big to fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker because the pot is narrow and tall. (And the frozen roast will not let you bend or squish it to fit.) If you can find a roast that fits in your 6-quart, go ahead, but I recommend using an 8-quart pressure cooker (or larger) or a wide pressure cooker like the Instant Pot Wide 7-quart cooker.

Tips and Tricks

Simple pulled pork version

If you want the simplest version of this recipe, skip all the vegetables and browning. Add the chicken broth and cider to the pot, add the frozen pork roast, and sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon of salt (or your favorite BBQ spice rub). Drizzle a cup of BBQ sauce over the frozen roast, then lock the lid and pressure cook for 2 hours with a Natural Release. Shred the meat, stir in more barbecue sauce, and you're ready!

Add the potatoes, carrots, apples, and celery at the end

Vegetables will cook to mush during the 2-hour pressure cook time needed for a frozen pot roast. That's why I added them in at the end. (It's a trick I've used before in my Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe).

Browning the pork shoulder is good - but messy

In the original recipe, Mr. Young deep-fried a pot roast to brown it before pressure cooking. I'm not big on deep-frying, so I sauté in a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. As I said in the recipe, watch out-frozen food and hot oil mean a lot of splatter. Wear an apron, and keep a lid or splatter screen on the pot to keep the mess contained.

You can skip the browning step if you want - the recipe will still work - but browning adds a lot of flavor to the pork shoulder. (Personally, I always brown the meat.)

Also, a frozen roast will not sit flat on the bottom of the pan, and will brown in spots. That's fine; the browned bits will add their flavor to the pot during the long cooking time. The roast doesn't have to be perfectly browned to get the extra flavor.

Thin roasts

These instructions are for a 4- to 5-pound roast, 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches thick. If you have a thin roast, about 2 inches thick, reduce the pot roast cooking time to 90 minutes under pressure in an Instant Pot.

Slow cooker

I don't recommend cooking a frozen pork shoulder in a slow cooker. It takes too long to come up to a safe temperature. From the USDA: "Frozen pieces will take longer to reach a safe internal temperature and could possibly result in foodborne illness." (Source: Is it safe to cook frozen foods in a slow cooker or crock pot? [ask.usda.com]). Stick to pressure cooking if you want to cook from frozen.

Substitutions

Larger roasts?

The largest roasts I buy are half of a pork butt roast (or pork shoulder roast) from my local grocery store. I haven't tried a full-size pork butt roast (or pork shoulder roast), which weighs about 10 pounds. (I'm not sure it would even fit in my Instant Pot Wide 7-quart pot). I assume it would have to cook even longer than 2 hours at high pressure, but I don't know how long.

Other cuts of pork

I am a pork shoulder purist when it comes to pressure cooking. Other cuts of pork don't work with this pot roast technique and tend to dry out in the long cooking time. If you don't have a pork shoulder roast, a pork leg roast will work with this technique, as long as it is 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches thick and weighs roughly 4 pounds. Don't try this with a frozen pork loin roast or pork tenderloin - those cuts are too lean and will dry out in the long cooking time,

Other root vegetables

You can use other root vegetables instead of potatoes, carrots, apples, and onions. I'd suggest turnips, parsnips, or sweet potatoes cut into 1-inch chunks. You can also add bell pepper cut into 1-inch squares.

Skip the alcohol

I like having hard cider in the pot; some flavors (especially the herbs and tomatoes) dissolve better in alcohol. I bring the cider to a boil to simmer out some of the alcohol, but there is still alcohol left in the dish. If you can't drink alcohol (or don't want to), use apple cider, apple juice, or extra chicken broth instead.

Worcestershire sauce

I like adding Worcestershire sauce to my pot roasts; it adds a bit of umami depth to the flavors. If you don't have Worcestershire sauce, you can substitute soy sauce or skip it.

What to serve with Pork Shoulder

This pork shoulder is a one-pot meal; it's got protein (pork pot roast), vegetables (carrots and celery), and starch (potatoes). I like to serve pork shoulder with something to soak up the liquid, mashed potatoes or dinner rolls. And, more vegetables are good with it, especially something green, like

Instant Pot Green Beans, Instant Pot Collard Greens, or Pressure Cooker Kale.

Want to see the frozen chuck roast version of this recipe? Try Instant Pot Frozen Pot Roast
If you've thawed your pork shoulder, I've got a bunch of recipes for you. Instant Pot Pulled Pork - Quick and Easy is my weeknight shredded pork recipe. Instant Pot Chashu Pork Shoulder (Japanese Braised Pork), Instant Pot Puerto Rican Pulled Pork (Pernil al Caldero), and Instant Pot German Pot Roast with Mustard (Senfbraten) are three different international ways to cook a pork shoulder.

If you're looking for different cuts of pork shoulder, try my Instant Pot Boneless Pork Ribs (Country Style Shoulder Ribs) or Instant Pot Pork Shoulder Chops with Apples and Onions recipe.

For a traditional pork stew, try Instant Pot Pork Stew.

If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

Sous Vide Salmon (with a simple spice rub)

March 4, 2025 by Mike Vrobel Leave a Comment

Sous Vide Salmon recipe. Cooking salmon sous vide gives you buttery, tender salmon with a melt-in-your-mouth texture you can't get with regular cooking methods. I sprinkle the salmon with a spice rub, sous vide it for 45 minutes, and give it a quick sear on one side for a browned, crispy crust. And you can cook from frozen!

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Salmon is my favorite fish, and sous vide salmon is my favorite way to cook it. Well, except maybe for grilled salmon. Or salmon nigiri. Hmm...

Let me start again: Sous vide salmon is definitely one of my top three ways to cook salmon. Tender and buttery all the way through if cooked to medium-rare, it is a unique way to serve salmon.

Equipment

Sous vide setup (I use an Anova Sous Vide and a Lipavi Sous Vide Tank and rack)
Quart-sized zip-top freezer bags (or vacuum bags and a vacuum sealer)
Heavy skillet (Optional, if you want to sear the salmon. I use a 10-inch or 12-inch cast iron skillet.)

Ingredients Notes

Salmon: Farmed or wild-caught salmon will work in this recipe, use whichever you prefer.
Spice blend: I like my mix in this recipe, but if you have a favorite spice blend for salmon, go ahead and use it. Or, season with salt and pepper for a simple salmon - if the salmon is good enough, it doesn't need a lot extra.

How to Make Sous Vide Salmon in pictures

Season and bag the salmon, then dry brine for 30 minutes

Sprinkle the salmon with the seasoning, drizzle with olive oil, then vacuum seal the salmon (using the "wet" setting if your vacuum sealer has it.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to dry brine the salmon.

Sous Vide the Salmon for 30 minutes at 122°F

Vacuum-sealed salmon in a sous vide water bath

Set a sous vide bath to 122°F/50°C for medium-rare salmon. Cook for 30 minutes to 1½ hours.

Sear (optional) and serve:

Remove the salmon from the vacuum bag and pat dry. Poached salmon is done; if you want to serve seared salmon, sear the flesh side in a ripping hot pan for about 1 minute.

Tips for the best Sous Vide Salmon

Get quality salmon

Sous vide is low-temperature cooking, which is not going to kill food-borne pathogens. Make sure you have high quality fish, kept at the proper temperatures. If you really want to pasteurize your salmon, get inch-thick pieces and sous vide them at 131°F/55°C for 3.5 hours - but the texture of the fish dries out when you cook it that long.

Salt the salmon early

If you don't salt the salmon ahead of time, and let it rest, some of the protein in the salmon will be pulled to the surface while it cooks, giving the salmon a white, chalky appearance. (This protein is albumen, the same type of protein in the white of eggs. If this happens, it will taste fine, but it won't look like a beautiful pink piece of salmon.)

Salting early also lets the salt absorb into the fish, dry brining it and seasoning it deeply. I like to salt the salmon 30 minutes to an hour ahead of time, but 10 minutes ahead is enough to deal with the albumen.

Cook from fresh or frozen? Both work.

You can cook the salmon directly from frozen; it just takes a little more time. I add an extra 15 minutes if I'm cooking 1-inch thick pieces of salmon (or thinner), or add 30 minutes if the salmon is more than an inch thick. The downside to cooking from frozen is you can't do the dry brine ahead of time unless you salt and season the salmon before you vacuum seal it and freeze it. (If I'm buying pre-frozen, individually vacuum-packed salmon fillets, I'll quickly thaw them so I can do the dry brine afterward - see below.)

Can I cook vacuum-packed frozen salmon in their packages?

You can, but I don't recommend it. The individual wrappers are usually not a heavy enough plastic to stand up to sous vide, especially with how they are sealed. (The "easy peel" corner is a weak point - I've had them come apart in my sous vide water bath. Yuck). I transfer the salmon to my own vacuum bags, or to zip-top bags and then squeeze out all the air. (See below for a tip on getting rid of extra air).

Quick thawing of individually wrapped salmon

If each piece of salmon is shrink-wrapped in plastic, you can thaw it in a bowl with a thin stream of cold water running over it. It will take 15 to 30 minutes to thaw the salmon, depending on how thick the pieces are. I check them by gently bending the salmon, feeling if it is thawed all the way through.

How long can I cook salmon sous vide?

Salmon, unlike meat, will fall apart if cooked too long sous vide. I wouldn't go much beyond 1.5 hours, and the best texture is after 45 minutes.

Dry fish sears better

Make sure to gently pat dry the fish before searing. Wet fish will steam, not brown, until all the liquid on the outside is boiled away. To get a good crust on wet salmon takes so long that the salmon starts to cook all the way through, defeating the whole "sous vide gives the salmon great texture" reason for sous vide in the first place.

No vacuum sealer?

For salmon, that's OK. Put a piece of salmon in a quart-sized zip-top bag, zip the bag halfway closed, then slowly lower it into the water, letting the water push all the air out of the bag. Keep lowering until the zip-top is just above the water, then zip it shut.

Cooking for at-risk people

If you are cooking for someone who needs to be sure their fish is pasteurized, you have to cook to Medium-well doneness and extend the cooking time. Cook 1-inch (25mm) thick salmon fillets at 140°F (59°C) for 90 minutes. That is enough time to pasteurize the salmon and kill any bad bacteria. (Also, I would cook farmed salmon, which are fed a much more careful diet than wild salmon.) My source is Douglas Baldwin's fantastic website on Sous Vide cooking.

Adapted from: A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking, Douglas Baldwin, and Sous Vide Salmon Recipe, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt/Serious Eats.

Want to try some other salmon recipes? My Sear Roasted Salmon with Knob Creek Maple Orange Glaze and Salmon Saute With Tequila Orange Sauce are easy ways to cook it on the stovetop. On the grill, I like to cook whole sides of salmon using my Grill Smoked Salmon and Easy Cedar Plank Salmon recipes. Or, to grill individual fillets, try my Grilled Salmon with Mustard Barbecue Sauce. Last but not least, a quick, sushi-like appetizer (with cooked fish) is Salmon Salad Bites with Sushi Flavors. Give it a try if you like a kick of wasabi.

If you're looking for something else, here is my Sous Vide Recipes Index.

Instant Pot Walking Tacos

February 25, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 13 Comments

Instant Pot Walking Tacos. A single-serving bag of Doritos covered with ground beef taco mix and taco toppings like shredded lettuce, cheese, and salsa. The taco filling is easy to make in an Instant Pot and makes a fun recipe for kids.

Instant Pot Walking Tacos in a Doritos bag

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No, I'm not sponsored by Frito-Lay this week. No matter how much it looks like it. (Pepsi! The choice of a new generation!)

My kids get money to buy one lunch a week at school. They mark Walking Taco Day on the calendar so they won't forget. I always thought it was the same thing as Frito pie - chili on top of Fritos but with taco toppings.
I was close, but I was still wrong. I found out the difference at Cedar Point. After a few terrifying roller coasters, I was finishing a smoked turkey leg when I saw the Walking Taco stand. And the kid walking away from it, digging into a bag of Doritos with a spoon.
Doritos plus taco filling? What kind of mad genius came up with this?
So, to summarize:

Frito Pie = Fritos + Chili + Cheese
Walking Tacos = Doritos + Taco meat + Salsa + Cheese + Lettuce + Sour Cream (+ other taco toppings)
I mean, really, I'm the last person to figure this out. Even Taco Bell knew it out before I did. What kind of a food blogger am I when I'm this far behind a food trend?
That's OK. You should have seen the kids when I told them what we were having for dinner. I'm officially the "Best Dad Ever," at least until I make them eat something healthy to balance out this meal.

Step-By-Step Pictures

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker
A flat-edged wooden spoon

Scaling

This recipe doubles easily in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Cut all the ingredients in half, and it will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same amount of time to cook the meat, no matter how much is in the pot.

Storage

The meat filling stores well; it will last for a few days in the refrigerator, or for months in the freezer. I usually make this as a two-dinner meal; I use half the meat and store the rest for a future taco night.

Notes

No pressure cooker? No worries. Cook the meat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Increase the water in the recipe to 2 cups. Follow the recipe up to step 3, then instead of pressure cooking, simmer the meat on the stovetop until everything thickens up, about 1 hour. Continue with the serving step.
Simple version: Skip the onion, and start with the ground beef and spices. Cut the spices back to chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder. Keep everything else (water, salt, brown sugar, canned tomatoes and chilies,
Simplest version: Want to take the easiest way out? Use Taco Seasoning Mix, ground beef, and water. (You'll need 2 packs of taco seasoning and 1 ½ cups of water for 2 pounds of ground beef). Set your Instant Pot to Sauté mode, add the ground beef, and cook, stirring and breaking up, until it loses its pink color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the taco seasoning mix and pour in the water, then pressure cook for 12 minutes at high pressure, with a Natural Release.
No single-serve bags of Doritos: If you don't want to mess with individual serving bags, get a big bag of Doritos and serve them in bowls. Start with a base of Doritos, crush them a bit, and pile on the taco meat and toppings. It won't look as impressive, but it tastes just as good.
Different chips: Any single-serving-sized bag of chips, like Fritos or Sun Chips, will work with this recipe. (I got a mixed bag of single-serving chips, and my kids liked tacos with Sun Chips almost as much as the Doritos.) I would avoid potato chips, though; they are very thin and get a bit soggy under the taco meat.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Looking for a taste of southern Ohio? Try my Pressure Cooker Cincinnati Chili.
If you prefer Fritos to Doritos, you want my Pressure Cooker Frito Pie recipe.
If you want a sloppy (but quick) weeknight meal, here is my Instant Pot Sloppy Joes recipe.
For some quick chilis, try Instant Pot 5 Ingredient Chili, Pressure Cooker Quick Chili with Canned Beans, or Instant Pot Quick Turkey Chili with Canned Beans - DadCooksDinner.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Instant Pot Sloppy Joes (Easy Weeknight Recipe)

February 18, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 3 Comments

Instant Pot Sloppy Joes. Looking for weeknight sloppy joes from your pressure cooker? Try this recipe. You'll love it!

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I picked up this Sloppy Joe recipe from Pam Anderson's Perfect Recipes for Having People Over cookbook years ago; it's been one of my go-to weeknight recipes ever since. This is the pressure-cooked version of Pam's recipe. I cook sloppy joes in my Instant Pot because I can set it and forget it while it simmers.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 pounds lean ground beef (preferably 85% lean ground beef or leaner)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup water (or chicken broth)
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon Franks Red Hot sauce (optional)

Accompaniments (Optional)

Hamburger buns (recipe makes enough to top 8 to 12 buns)
Hot sauce (I like more Franks Red Hot)
Pickle chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Sauté the onion

Add the vegetable oil to an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - high (or medium-high heat in a stovetop PC), and heat until the vegetable oil shimmers. Add the onion and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions start to soften around the edges, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the ground beef and cook until it just loses its pink color

Sprinkle the ground beef evenly with the garlic powder and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Add the beef to the pot and cook, stirring and breaking it up until it loses its pink color, about 5 minutes.

Ketchup and mustard layered on top of cooked ground beef in an Instant Pot

Everything in the pot (but don't stir the ketchup)

Stir the ½ cup of water into the pot, then scrape the bottom with a flat-edged wooden spoon to ensure nothing is sticking. Pour the ketchup over the top of the beef, then add the mustard and brown sugar, and the (optional) soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Don't stir - we want the water on the bottom and the ketchup on top, to keep the ketchup from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.

Instant Pot set to pressure cook on high for 10 minutes

Pressure cook for 10 minutes with natural pressure release

Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes in an Instant Pot, electric pressure cooker, or stovetop pressure cooker. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-custom mode set to 10 minutes in an Instant Pot.) After the cooking time is over, let the pressure come down naturally, about 10 more minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 5 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.

Stir the pot and serve

Stir the ketchup into the beef until everything is evenly mixed. Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite accompaniments on the side. Enjoy!

Substitutions

Different ground beef: This recipe works as written lean ground beef, 85-15 (85% lean) or leaner. If you're OK with a little extra fat, 80-20 will work. If you are using regular "ground beef" (which usually means 73-27 lean to fat), drain the fat out of the pot after cooking the beef and before adding the water.
Ground Turkey (aka Sloppy Janes): You can replace the ground beef with ground turkey; everything else stays the same.
Extra spices: To make the recipe fancier, add 1 tablespoon of paprika and ½ teaspoons of onion powder to the garlic powder.
Extra-sloppy: If you want even sloppier joes, add an extra ½ cup of ketchup.
Extra veggies: Add a cored and diced bell pepper with the onions - red or green bell peppers are my favorite.

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker

A flat-edged wooden spoon

Scaling

Storage

Sloppy joe meat freezes beautifully; this recipe makes about 2 quarts. I portion any leftovers into quart-sized containers; each quart will top 4 to 6 buns, depending on how sloppy you want to get. Cooked sloppy joe meat will last for a few days in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer if you store it in airtight containers.

Tips and Tricks

Frozen ground beef: If you have frozen ground beef, you can toss it directly in the pot, and keep cooking it with Sauté mode until it thaws, breaks up, and loses its pink color. This will take at least 10 minutes. Keep scraping the outer layer of cooked meat to expose the frozen inside until it is all thawed.
Avoid the burn warning - don't stir in the ketchup! The layers are the key - the water and ground beef keep the ketchup away from the bottom of the pot.

What to serve with Instant Pot Sloppy Joes

As I mentioned in the recipe, I want my sloppy joes on cheap hamburger buns, with pickle chips and some more hot sauce sprinkled on top. I like to serve sloppy joes with coleslaw and some type of potato - potato salad, potato chips, or Air Fryer Frozen French Fries.

Adapted from Perfect Recipes for Having People Over by Pam Anderson

For another easy meal with ground beef, try Instant Pot Walking Tacos
Instant Pot Shredded Beef
Instant Pot Sirloin Tip Roast
Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Instant Pot Sausage Ragu
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes

Easy Instant Pot Sausage Ragu (Sausage Pasta Sauce)

February 11, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 7 Comments

Sausage Ragu in the Instant Pot is a quick and easy pasta sauce, thanks to pressure cooking. Sauté onion, celery, carrot, and garlic with some herbs, add the sausage and cook until it just loses its pink color. Add some broth and the tomatoes, pressure cook for 20 minutes, and you are ready to top some pasta.

A bowl of Instant Pot Sausage Ragu on Spaghetti

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When I was a kid, spaghetti with meat sauce was part of my mom's regular rotation. We're not even slightly Italian, but that didn't matter to us kids-we loved it, especially with a cheap loaf of garlic bread.
Now, I'm cooking for my own kids, and spaghetti night is still a fan favorite. I love traditional Ragu Bolognese, long-simmered on a Sunday, but that's too much work for a Tuesday night after work. This Instant Pot Sausage Ragu is a quick weeknight recipe. I use my pressure cooker to bend time to my will and use Italian sausage for a quick and easy flavor boost. Is it as good as a sauce lovingly stirred by grandma all afternoon? No, of course not. But it's still made with love for my kids - just a little faster than Grandma used to make.

Looking for a simple Instant Pot tomato sauce for pasta? Try my pressure cooker tomato sauce.

Ingredients

Soffrito

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning spice blend

Everything Else

½ cup red wine (or water)
2 ½ pounds Italian sausage (bulk sausage or links with casings removed)
1 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade chicken broth, or water
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

How to make Instant Pot Sausage Ragu

Fry the soffrito

Heat the oil in an Instant Pot set to sauté mode - high (or use medium-high heat with a stovetop PC). When the oil shimmers, about 3 minutes, add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Sprinkle with the crushed red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoons of salt, and dried Italian seasoning, then saute, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

Simmer the wine

Pour the wine into the pot and stir, scraping any stuck bits of onion loose from the bottom. Simmer the wine for 1 minute to boil off some of the alcohol.

Cooking bulk Italian sausage in the Instant Pot

Add the sausage, then everything in the pot

Stir the sausage into the pot and cook, stirring often and breaking up any clumps of sausage until it loses its pink color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and crushed tomatoes.

Instant Pot set to 20 minutes at high pressure

Pressure cook for 20 minutes

Lock the lid. Pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes in an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker or for 16 minutes if using a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-Custom mode in an Instant Pot, set to 20 minutes.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you're in a hurry, quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.)

Serve

Unlock the lid, opening it away from you. (The steam is still hot). Stir in the fresh ground black pepper. Serve over a pound of pasta.

Substitutions

What kind of Italian Sausage? Sweet or Hot?

It's up to you. I usually make it with hot Italian sausage, because my family likes to bring the heat. But it's also great with sweet Italian sausage, if you have sensitive eaters.

Dried Italian Seasoning?

If you can't find a dry Italian Seasoning blend in your spice aisle, use dried basil, dried oregano, or a mix of the two.

Fresh herbs?

Instead of the dried herbs, you can use 1 sprig of fresh basil, 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, and 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme. Add them with the tomatoes, and remove the stems before serving.

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker
A flat-edged wooden spoon

Scaling

Storage

Pasta sauce freezes well; I will often make a double batch and freeze half of it in a 6-cup container. It will last for months in the freezer and makes an even quicker weeknight sauce - just microwave it until it is steaming hot.

Tips and Tricks

Using wine tomato sauce

Alcohol brings out tomato flavor-see any vodka tomato sauce for the ideal example. So, I like to use a little wine in my sauce because I think it adds to the flavor. You can skip it if you are trying to avoid alcohol.

Defat the sauce by resting overnight

If you want to cut back on the fat in the sauce, skim as much fat from the surface of the pot as possible before serving. Or, make the sauce the night before, and refrigerate. The fat will float to the top and form a solid fat cap that you can easily scrape off. Reheat the sauce, and it will be ready to serve.

Chicken broth (or water) to keep the tomatoes from burning

1 cup of chicken broth (or water) is the right amount to keep the tomatoes in this recipe from burning…or at least, it's enough in my Instant Pot. (Tomatoes love to sink to the bottom of the pot and burn.) If the sauce is scorching on the bottom of the Instant Pot (or you are getting a burn warning), add a second cup of chicken broth (or water) to the recipe, and don't stir the tomatoes in; just pour them on top of everything else in the pot.

Even easier version of Sausage Ragu

Is this recipe too complicated? Here it is stripped down to its most important ingredients. To cut this down to 6 ingredients (plus salt and pepper), use:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
2 ½ pounds Italian Sausage
1 ½ cups chicken broth
28oz can crushed tomatoes

Follow the instructions in the recipe: sauté the onion and Italian seasoning in the olive oil until the onion softens. Stir in the Italian Sausage and chicken broth, and cook until the sausage loses its pink color. Pour in the tomatoes and pressure cook for 20 minutes at high pressure. That's it!

What to Serve with Instant Pot Sausage Sauce

I love this sauce with pasta-it's great over spaghetti or a larger tube-shaped pasta like penne or rigatoni. I like to sprinkle it with some grated parmesan cheese. This sauce is also great on polenta. I like to serve it with a green vegetable (like my Instant Pot Kale with Garlic and Lemon or Instant Pot Green Beans, a salad, and a loaf of garlic bread.

Want a some Pasta Fazool from your Instant Pot? Try my Pressure Cooker Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta e Fagioli) recipe.
My Pressure Cooker Chicken Broth and Shredded Chicken is a great way to make multiple meals from one whole chicken.
If you're looking for an Eastern European stew, try my How to Make Instant Pot Goulash.
Rolled Instant Pot Braciole in Sauce is a fancy Italian dinner with extra sauce to top some pasta.
If you want the fancy, real-deal version of this recipe, try my Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu.
Or, for a lighter Italian soup, here's my Instant Pot Tortellini Soup recipe.
If you want a tray of baked pasta, check out my Instant Pot Baked Ziti recipe.
For other ideas, check my Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes index

Pressure Cooker Italian Meat Sauce | DadCooksDinner.com

Quick Air Fryer Tilapia (with Spice Rub)

February 4, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 3 Comments

Air Fryer Tilapia. This quick weeknight main dish is ready in about 20 minutes with thawed tilapia. (If the tilapia is still frozen but individually plastic-wrapped, it only takes another 15 minutes to thaw it under cold running water.) Sprinkle the tilapia with the spice rub, spray with some cooking oil, and air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes. Done!

An air-fried tilapia fillet on a plate with a lemon wedge

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After years of using the air fryer lid on my Instant Pot pressure cooker, I finally cracked and bought a dedicated Air Fryer. (The Black Friday deal on Amazon was too tempting.) With our kids away at college a lot of the time, I'm learning to enjoy having what is essentially a small convection oven in my kitchen, so I don't have to heat up the whole oven to cook, say....two tilapia fillets.

Quick weeknight fish has been a recipe in my rotation for years, but the air fryer makes it easy. Season the tilapia with a spicy Cajun rub, spray it with cooking spray, and air fry it for 10 minutes. It's not fried, really, but it is well cooked, flaky and juicy, and a little crispy around the edges, a great way to make an easy main dish on a weeknight.

Ingredients

2 tilapia fillets
½ teaspoon Paprika (preferably smoked paprika)
½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon fine sea Salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black Pepper
¼ teaspoon Cayenne (optional)
Cooking oil spray (preferably no-propellant cooking spray)

How to Air Fry Tilapia

Tilapia fillets with spice rub in an air fryer basket

Season and oil the tilapia

Pat the tilapia fillets dry with paper towels. Mix the paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne and sprinkle it evenly over the fish fillets. Spray both sides of the fillets with a light coat of cooking spray.

Air Fry for 10 minutes at 400°F

Preheat your air fryer to 400°F, then add the tilapia fillets, flat side down. Air fry for 10 minutes, flipping the fillets halfway through the cooking time.

Serve

Remove the tilapia from the air fryer (Be gentle; it will want to flake apart.) Serve and enjoy!

Substitutions

Can I use a different type of fish? This recipe works well with any thin, white fish - trout, catfish, and mahi-mahi are good substitutes.
Can I use a different spice blend? Absolutely! The spices I include above are a simple version of my Cajun spice mix (plus salt), and a store-bought cajun spice blend will work just as well. Or, if you want to aim for Chesapeake Bay, replace all the spices with Old Bay seasoning (you will still need the salt). Or, try seasoned salt, or a salt + pepper + garlic mix.

Scaling

The number of tilapia fillets you can cook depends on your air fryer basket size. You can cook as many as you can fit in a single layer without the tilapia overlapping each other. In my cooker, I can just squeeze in 3 fillets. Or, cook in batches. Scale up the spice rub to the number of fillets you are cooking - use ¼ teaspoon each of paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper, and then ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne per fillet.

How to Quick-Thaw Vacuum-Sealed Tilapia

When I buy frozen tilapia at my local grocery stores, the fish fillets are individually plastic-wrapped. I put the plastic-wrapped fish in a bowl and ran cold water over them for about 15 minutes. (If you have large fillets, check that the fish thawed; they should be easy to bend and not feel frozen anymore. If they are still a little frozen in the middle, leave them under the running water for another 5 minutes or until they are bendable and don't feel frozen anymore.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen tilapia without thawing?

Yes, you can. Season and spray the tilapia as directed, then air-fry for 15 minutes (an extra 5 minutes). But...I much prefer the results when I use the quick-thaw method above.

Do I need to preheat the air fryer?

Now, I can't tell you what to do in your own kitchen, but yes, you should preheat your air fryer. The fish will be less likely to stick to the basket and come out a little more crispy on the edges. My air fryer lets me know when it's up to temperature, and it only takes about 3 minutes to preheat.

How do I keep the fish from sticking to the air fryer basket?

Preheat the air fryer (see above) and oil the fish, not the basket. I spray both sides of the fish with vegetable spray before adding it to the basket.

Why didn't my tilapia get crispy?

Air frying isn't really frying-it is convection baking-so you will not get the same crisp as a deep-fried fish. But you should get nice browned spices, and the fish should be crispy around the edges. If your tilapia was not crispy, it was probably still wet; water is the enemy of crisp food. Thoroughly pat the tilapia dry with paper towels before seasoning and oiling it.

What if I don't have an air fryer?

You can cook this recipe as written by baking it in the oven on a small baking sheet with a rack. It won't come out as crispy, but it will still be good. If you have a convection oven, then you do have an air fryer-just turn on convection mode. When cooking with an oven, make sure to preheat the oven.

What to serve with Air Fryer Tilapia

I like to serve these fish with a lemon slice and hot sauce. (I use Tabasco or Crystal hot sauces since the spice rub is Cajun-inspired.) They are great with a vegetable side like Instant Pot Collard Greens or Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Green Beans. I also like to serve with a little tartar sauce or cocktail sauce on the side. French fries are the obvious choice for a starchy side (I break out my old Air Fryer lid so I can cook Instant Pot Air Fryer Frozen French Fries with the fish), and a batch of simple white rice also works.

Tilapia In Crazy Water (Pesce All'Acqua Pazza)
Grilled Salmon With Coriander-Fennel Spice Rub
Tilapia with Brown Butter and Lemon Sauce
Grilled Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw
Grilled Barramundi with Avocado Salsa
Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
Air Fryer Asparagus
My other Air Fryer Recipes

Instant Pot Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs

January 28, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 4 Comments

Instant Pot Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs with boxed stuffing mix are a low-effort dinner with the taste of a Thanksgiving feast. Soak a box of stuffing mix with some milk, mix in ground turkey, minced onion, and dried cranberries, and form that into meatballs. Pressure cook the meatballs, then serve with the pot liquid. Quick and easy!

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This recipe was a "why didn't I think of that?" moment, inspired by The Secret to Great Turkey Meatballs? Stuffing Mix in Bon Appétit magazine. Of course the right way to make juicy turkey meatballs is to use the Italian trick of a panade - bread crumbs soaked in milk - mixed into the meat. But why use plain bread when you can use stuffing mix and lean into a turkey and stuffing theme? And, then, why not mix in some dried cranberries as well?

Once I formed the meatballs, I continued with my Instant Pot Meatball technique, the one I used in many recipes (like my Instant Pot Meatballs with Tomato Sauce, Instant Pot BBQ Meatballs, or Instant Pot Kofta Meatballs.) It worked great. I mean, what's better than turkey and stuffing rolled into one?

Ingredients

6oz box stuffing mix (preferably Sage or Turkey stuffing mix)
1 cup milk
1 pound ground turkey
1 small onion, finely minced
½ cup dried cranberries
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 egg, beaten
1 packet (about 2 ½ teaspoons) unflavored gelatin (optional)
1 cup water (or chicken broth or turkey broth)

How to make Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs

Shape the meatballs

Put the stuffing mix in a large bowl and stir in the milk. Let the stuffing sit for 5 minutes to absorb the milk. Add the ground turkey, sprinkle the onion, cranberries, (optional) gelatin, and fine sea salt over the meat, and add the egg. Mix until everything is combined, then keep mixing for a couple of minutes, really working the meatballs - this will help them hold their shape. Form the turkey mix into 12 golf-ball-sized meatballs, each about 2 inches in diameter.

Meatballs in the pot

Put the meatballs into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, trying for a single layer of meatballs. (I usually end up with one that has to sit on top of the others in a 6 quart pot). Pour the broth (or water) over the meatballs.

Instant Pot set to pressure cook for 15 minutes

Pressure Cook for 15 minutes with a Natural Release

Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 15 minutes (Use "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot) or for 13 minutes if using a stovetop pressure cooker. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, let the pressure come down for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.)

Serve

Unlock the lid on the pressure cooker. Scoop the meatballs out of the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl for serving. Strain the liquid in the pot and serve it with the meatballs as a pan sauce. Enjoy!

Substitutions

Lean ground turkey: I prefer regular ground turkey for this recipe - 85% lean, 15% fat. But, the stuffing panade adds moisture, which helps lean turkey - 93% lean, 7% fat - from making too dry of meatballs. So, use whichever you prefer, regular or lean.
Leftover homemade stuffing: You can use leftover cooked stuffing in this recipe. Mix 6 ounces of leftover stuffing with ½ cup of milk (it is already wet), and let it absorb the milk. If the stuffing has big chunks of bread, break it up with your fingers, mashing the stuffing into a smoothish paste before adding the turkey. And, if the stuffing already has onions, skip them.

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker or larger; this recipe actually works better in an 8-quart pressure cooker because the extra width allows you to fit all the meatballs in a single layer.

Scaling

This recipe can be doubled or halved. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same time to cook a single meatball, no matter how many are in the pot.

Make ahead frozen meatballs

You can mix and shape the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them. Then, when it is time to cook, put the frozen meatballs straight into the pressure cooker. (There is no need for thawing.) Add five minutes to the pressure cooking time for frozen meatballs-pressure cook at high pressure for 20 minutes.

Leftovers

Meatballs make good leftovers. They can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for a few months.

Tips and Tricks

Stuffing Panade

The big trick to this recipe is using a panade, the Italian mix of milk and bread, to help keep the meatballs tender. Stuffing mix works perfectly as the bread, and brings a lot of flavor too.

Why add gelatin to meatballs?

This is another trick I learned from Kenji Alt: If you add a packet of unflavored gelatin to meatballs, they become even moister and juicy. You can skip this if you want, and the meatballs will still be fantastic, but they are even juicier with the added gelatin.

Shaping meatballs

A quick way to shape meatballs is with a large cookie scoop. My large cookie scoop makes 2-inch diameter meatballs, the size I want for this recipe.

What to Serve with Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs

I love these turkey meatballs with potatoes or rice. If you have a second Instant Pot, try my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe or Pressure Cooker White Rice - Instant Pot Recipe. I also love them with a green vegetable, like my Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts Sauté or Instant Pot Collard Greens.

Instant Pot Greek Meatballs with Tomato Sauce (Soutzoukakia)
Instant Pot Chinese Pork Meatballs (Lion's Head meatballs)
Instant Pot Spanish Meatballs (Albondigas) with Tomato Sauce
Instant Pot Turkey Thighs with Thanksgiving Flavors
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes

Pressure Cooker Tuscan Bean Soup

January 21, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 26 Comments

Instant Pot Tuscan Bean Soup. A hearty vegetarian soup from the heart of Italy, by way of my pressure cooker, with dry cannellini beans and lots of vegetables. Looking for a stick-to-your-ribs soup? Try Tuscan beans.

A bowl of tuscan bean soup with kale and tomatoes

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Tuscan Bean soup was one of the first times I thought, "you know, with enough beans, I could probably be a vegetarian." (Or, at least it was one of the first vegetarian recipes that didn't leave me saying "that was good. But I'm still hungry - can we stop on the way home and get something to eat?")

This is also the recipe that introduced me to kale, back before kale was cool. I know kale is overdone - it has gone from "cool new healthy ingredient" to "New Yorker piece complaining about hipsters and their kale" in the space of a couple of years. That's OK, because kale is in this recipe for old school reasons. This soup gets Tuscany through Italian winters. It's a collection of odds and ends - dried beans, root vegetables, a Parmesan rind tossed in the pot to add flavor - and kale, a winter crop that loves growing in the snow.

INGREDIENTS

Soaked beans

1 pound dried cannellini beans, sorted and rinsed
1 tablespoon fine sea salt (or table salt)
2 quarts water

Tuscan Bean Soup ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 cups water
1 (14- to 16-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 parmesan rind (optional - roughly 3 inches by 1 ½ inches)
1 (2-inch long) sprig fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 ounces kale, stems removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Grated parmesan for garnish
Minced parsley for garnish

How to make Instant Pot Tuscan Bean Soup

Soak the beans overnight

Sort the cannellini beans, removing broken beans, stones, and dirt clods. Rinse the beans, put them in a large container with the fine sea salt, and cover with 2 quarts water. Let the beans soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse the beans.

OR: Quick Pressure soak for 30 minutes

Sort the cannellini beans, removing broken beans, stones, and dirt clods. Rinse the beans, put them in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, sprinkle with the fine sea salt, and cover with 2 quarts water. Lock the lid and pressure cook for 1 minute at high pressure. (In an Instant Pot, use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Custom mode.) Let the pressure come down naturally for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse the beans. Wipe out the pot before using it in the next step.

Sauté the aromatics

Add the oil to an Instant Pot set to sauté mode - high. (Or other pressure cooker over medium-high heat.) Heat the oil until it starts shimmering, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic, and sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

Everything in the pot

Add the drained cannellini beans to the pressure cooker and stir them to mix with the aromatics. Stir in the water and diced tomatoes. Add the parmesan rind, rosemary, and thyme sprigs.

Pressure cook the soup for 15 minutes

Lock the lid and pressure cook for 15 minutes at high pressure in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 12 minutes in a stovetop PC. (In an Instant Pot, use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Custom mode.)
After pressure cooking, let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid carefully, opening away from you - even when it's not under pressure, the steam in the cooker is very hot.

Simmer the kale, then serve

Fish out the parmesan rind and discard. Turn the heat under the pressure cooker to medium-high (sauté mode on an electric PC) and stir in the kale. Simmer, uncovered, until the kale is tender, about 3 minutes. Stir the salt, fresh ground black pepper and balsamic vinegar into the pot. Serve, sprinkling each bowl of soup with fresh grated parmesan and minced parsley. Enjoy!

Substitutions

Other beans: Cannellini beans are the traditional Tuscan white bean, but if you can't find them, great northern beans make a good substitute (and cook in the same amount of time), or navy beans (which, after soaking, only take 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or 10 minutes in a stovetop PC).
Vegan: If you want to cook vegan, leave out the parmesan cheese.
Not vegetarian: If you want to go carnivore, add 4 ounces of diced pancetta with the onion and carrots. (The smoked pork adds an extra layer of flavor to the beans.)

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker. (Or larger - this recipe was originally cooked in my 10-quart stovetop pressure cooker, but I switched to full time Instant Pot use years ago.)
Pressure cooker dried beans are one of the reasons I became a pressure cooker convert. Try them - you'll never go back to canned beans. (OK, maybe you will, for convenience - but see the Storage section for tips on make ahead freezer beans.)

Scaling

This recipe scales down easily - cut everything in half if you don't need as many beans, or have a 3-quart pressure cooker. Scaling up runs into space issues; if you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, or larger, you can double this recipe, but it's too much to fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker.

Soaking dry cannellini beans?

I get the "to soak, or not to soak?" question all the the time. I soak my cannellini beans, because they cook more evenly.
If you forget to soak the cannellini beans, sort and rinse them, then change the pressure cooking time to 35 minutes at high pressure. After the natural pressure release, check the beans; if they are not cooked through, lock the lid and pressure cook them for another 5 minutes.

Sorting Beans

Beans are an agricultural product, and stuff tends to creep in when they are processed. Beans should always be sorted and rinsed before using, to get rid of any twigs, stones, clumps of dirt, or broken beans.
To sort the beans, I pour them out on one side of a rimmed baking sheet (a half-sheet pan), to keep the beans from escaping. Then I slowly run my fingers through the pile of beans, pulling them towards me on the sheet. I watch the beans as they move, looking for anything that doesn't seem right. If I see something, I poke around in the beans until I find what caught my eye, and discard it. I repeat this a couple of times, until I'm satisfied everything is out of the beans.
Then I dump the beans into a fine mesh strainer and rinse them under cold running water, to wash off any dirt or dust still on the beans.

What to serve with Tuscan Bean Soup

This soup is heavy enough to be its own main course, served with a salad and a loaf of bread.

Storing leftovers

Tuscan bean soup makes great leftovers. It can be refrigerated for a few days and reheated, or frozen for a few months. I freeze the soup in 2-cup containers (or Ball jars) so I have single servings of soup ready when I need them. All it takes is about 6 minutes in the microwave to heat them through.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

For some other Italian bean soup ideas, check out my Instant Pot Minestrone Soup, Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup with Sausage Recipe, or Pressure Cooker Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta Fazool).
For other Italian Pressure Cooker recipes, try Pressure Cooker Italian Meat Sauce, Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco), or Pressure Cooker Tomato Sauce.
If you want a taste of the US Senate, try Pressure Cooker Senate Bean Soup.
Looking for a vegetarian main course? Try my Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili recipe.
Or, check out my other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes index.

Cajun Rub Recipe

January 14, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 8 Comments

Cajun spice rub. A kick of seasoning from Louisiana, salt-free so you can add your own salt separately.

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Inspired by loyal reader Jason, who asked about spice rubs…
I hate buying spice blends from the store. It's not that they aren't good; some of them are great. It's not that they don't work. Spice blends are a quick way to add a punch of flavor. It's that spice blends are all salt.
Check the label - store bought spice blends always have salt as the first ingredient. That means salt is the most common ingredient in the jar. Salt, which sells for sixty-nine cents a pound (or three bucks a pound if you buy fancy Kosher salt like me.) Spice blends sell for three bucks an ounce, if not more. I can understand why the spice companies do it - people want the blends, and they can make a lot of money that way.
There are exceptions, of course: blends that don't have any salt include chili powder, herbes de provence, curry powder, and italian seasoning. But, I always check the label - if salt is the first or second ingredient, I'm paying spice prices for salt. And, obviously, that bothers me.
The other problem is spice blends with salt in them make it hard to season food properly. If you use brines as often as I do, you can't use store-bought spice blends without over salting the food.
OK, rant over. I usually throw together my spice blends, from my spice cabinet, in small quantities. But I make Cajun seasoning in big batches, so I always have it at hand.
I've been a fan of Cajun seasoning ever since I heard my first "BAM!" from Emeril, over ten years ago. Back then, there was no choice - if I wanted Emeril's essence seasoning, I had to make my own. When Emeril started selling his line of spice blends in the grocery store, I thought my work was over. That's how I found out about salt in spice blends - I flipped the jar over, to see if it matched the recipe I used, and saw salt listed as the first ingredient. Oh, well, back to mixing my own.

Cajun Rub Ingredients

½ cup paprika
½ cup garlic powder
¼ cup onion powder
¼ cup fresh ground black pepper
¼ cup dried oregano
¼ cup dried thyme
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper

Step-by-Step Process

Mix up the blend

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, and stir until completely mixed, breaking up any clumps of spices with your fingers. Store in a sealed container for up to six months.

Helpful Tips

How much does this make? This recipe makes about 2 cups of spice blend, which lasts me for months. You can scale up or down depending on how much you need.
Kick it up a notch:If you want to kick it up a notch (BAM!) increase the cayenne to ¼ cup. And stand back, it's going to be HOT.
Smoke and heat: Substitute smoked paprika for the regular paprika.

Adapted From: Emeril Lagasse, Louisiana Real and Rustic
Special Thanks to: Dan Koontz for crystallizing my thoughts about spices with is Ten Tips to Save Money on Spices [CasualKitchen.blogspot.com]

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Instant Pot White Beans

January 7, 2025 by Mike Vrobel 4 Comments

Instant Pot Cajun White Beans. A taste of Louisiana from dried Great Northern Beans, ready in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking.

A bowl of Cajun White Beans with cajun rub and an Instant Pot

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I got my first Camellia bean box from the New Orleans bean company. (#NotSponsored, I just can't help but pick up bean subscriptions...) Much to my surprise, there was a seasoning packet for Cajun white beans to go with the pound of Great Northern beans in the box. Cajun…white beans? Why didn't anyone tell me there were Cajun white beans?

(To paraphrase Terry Pratchett, I'm such a Northerner that I'm approaching the South from the other side. That's probably why I didn't know about Cajun white beans.)

I knew I could do better than a pre-mixed seasoning packet, so I got to work.

This Instant Pot White Beans recipe is similar to my red beans and rice and Cajun pinto beans, but with white great northern beans. This is a hearty side dish, or the center of a meal served with white rice. (Sure, white rice and white beans doesn't have the pop of color that red beans give - but they still taste great together.)

🥫Ingredients

Dried Great Northern beans
Onion
Green bell pepper
Celery
Garlic
Cajun seasoning
Smoked sausage
Baking Soda

See recipe card for quantities.

🥘 Substitutions

You can substitute smaller Navy beans for the Great Northern beans; cut the pressure cooking time back to 30 minutes at high pressure.

Canned Great Northern beans: Really, you want to use dried beans in this recipe. But, if you can't, substitute 3 15-ounce cans of beans, drained. Since these beans are already cooked, cut the water back to 2 cups, and pressure cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.

The aromatics are the Cajun trinity that I learned from Emeril Lagassse (Bam!), with onion, bell pepper, and celery. If you have to skip any of them, just add more of the other two. And don't forget the garlic!

Cajun seasoning is what gives these beans the taste of New Orleans. You can use my homemade Cajun Spice Rub, or use a store-bought cajun seasoning. There are all sorts of brands, and I think they're all about the same.

If you want to remove the heat, skip the Cajun seasoning and replace it with 1 ½ teaspoons of fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, and ½ teaspoon of paprika. It's not Cajun any more, but it will still be good.

Smoked sausage is what Camellia recommended in their white bean spice pack; andouille sausage is the authentic smoked sausage you want, if your grocery store carries it. Or, substitute diced ham. It won't be as smoky, but it will be fine.

Baking soda helps keep the beans tender in case of hard water. (Hard water is acidic, and baking soda helps counter that.) I add it to all my bean recipes as insurance…when I remember. You can skip it if you want, but if you're having problems with beans not cooking all the way through, give it a try.

🛠 Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker. (Though it will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker).
Pressure cooker dried beans are one of the reasons I became a pressure cooker convert. Try them - you'll never go back to canned beans. (OK, maybe you will, for convenience - but see the Storage section for tips on make ahead freezer beans.)

📏Scaling

This recipe scales down easily - cut everything in half if you don't need as many beans, or have a 3-quart pressure cooker. Scaling up runs into space issues. If you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, you can double this recipe, but it's too much to fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker.

🤨 Soaking Great Northern beans?

I get the "to soak, or not to soak?" question all the the time. I don't soak my Great Northern beans in this recipe. They don't need an overnight soak, and cook to tenderness with 40 minutes at high pressure.

That doesn't mean you can't soak the beans. They turn out fine. Soaked beans cook much quicker, 20 minutes at high pressure. I use that when I'm cooking the beans with ingredients that overcook; the ingredients in this recipe can handle the heat, so I don't add an extra soaking step.

Sorting Beans

💡Tips and Tricks

Salt your bean water! "Salt toughens beans" is a myth. Salting before cooking helps season the beans all the way through as they cook.
If your beans are still tough when the cooking time is over, especially any "floaters" at the top of the pot, give the beans a stir, lock the lid, and pressure cook for another five minutes. Older beans take longer to cook, and if the beans have been sitting in the shelf at your store for a while, they may need extra time.
Make ahead beans - I cook chickpeas by the pound, freeze them in 2-cup containers, and then I have homemade chickpeas ready for recipes like this one. I thaw them in the microwave (about 5 minutes), then continue with the drying and roasting steps.

☃️ Storage

Make ahead: This recipe can be cooked ahead of time, stored in 2-cup containers, and reheated for serving. It will last for a couple of days in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Instant Pot Cajun Pinto Beans
Instant Pot Dirty Rice
Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice
Instant Pot Cannellini Beans
Instant Pot White Chili with Ground Chicken and Navy Beans
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes

Crockpot Pork and Sauerkraut Recipe

December 31, 2024 by Mike Vrobel 18 Comments

Crockpot pork and sauerkraut. The traditional New Year's Eve recipe for good luck in the new year. Pork shoulder and sauerkraut, with apples, onions, and bacon to add flavor, cooked in the crock pot all afternoon.

A platter of pork shoulder ribs, sauerkraut, and potatoes

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I'm republishing this recipe because my sister-in-law asked me about it, and I figured polishing it up for the New Year is a good idea.

Pork and sauerkraut is a New Year's tradition in my wife's family. She remembers the tradition fondly. Or at least, she does now. When she was growing up, she wasn't a big fan. (Sauerkraut? Eeew!) Her grandma would always hound the kids to eat at least one strand of sauerkraut, "because it brings good luck in the new year". Needless to say, the grandkids weren't convinced.

I grew up loving sauerkraut; I have fond memories of hot dog carts in downtown Cleveland, dogs loaded with everything, where the highlight was the sauerkraut. My love of these hot dogs was a turn-off to Diane when we were dating; she couldn't believe I loved those "smelly dogs" so much. I was thrilled with her family's New Year's sauerkraut tradition. I had to work on Diane, thought; she ate her sauerkraut out of obligation, not because she wanted to. Eventually I was able to find some sauerkraut recipes that she didn't hate. In fact…she kind of likes this one.

And! Now I get to torture our kids with sauerkraut on New Years Eve. "Come on, kids, you have to eat one strand. Great Grandma is watching you!"

Want to guarantee good luck in the new year? Have some pork and sauerkraut! You can only have one strand if you have to. But I'll bet, once you taste it, that you'll have more than that.

Ingredients

8 ounces bacon, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
2 pounds sauerkraut, drained and rinsed (I prefer bagged sauerkraut)
1 pound new potatoes, scrubbed
2 apples, cored and diced
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon coriander seed
½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 pounds pork western ribs or pork country ribs
3 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups Riesling or other dry white wine

Equipment

6-quart or larger crock-pot or other slow cooker.

How to Make Crockpot Pork and Sauerkraut

Brown the bacon

Put the bacon in a cold fry pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook, rendering the bacon fat and turning occasionally, until the bacon is browned and crispy, about ten minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon. Leave 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan and discard the rest.

Prep and layer ingredients in the crock pot

While the bacon is browning: Drain and rinse the sauerkraut, and place in the bottom of the slow cooker crock in an even layer. Scrub the new potatoes and put them in a ring against the outside edge of the crock. Core and dice the apples, and put them in the middle of the potatoes. Sprinkle the brown sugar, thyme, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and bay leaves into the crock. Sprinkle the pork with 3 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon ground pepper, then layer on top of the other ingredients in the pot. Put the browned bacon in the pot whenever it is ready; in my case it wound up on top of the apples.

Saute the aromatics

When the bacon is done, add the diced onion and crushed garlic to the pan, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, scraping the browned bacon drippings into the onions, until the onion is starting to brown around the edges, about five minutes. (While the onion is cooking, continue with the layering the ingredients step if it is not done yet.) Add the wine to the pan and bring to a simmer. Scrape any remaining browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then pour the onion/garlic/wine mixture into the crock over the top of the pork.

Slow cook the pork

Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 4 hours.

Platters of pork, potatoes, and sauerkraut, ready to serve

Plate and serve

Remove the pork ribs to a plate. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon, cut into quarters, and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves and throw them away. Stir the ingredients left in the crock into the sauerkraut, then remove the sauerkraut to a serving platter using a slotted spoon. Ladle a cup or two of the liquid left in the crock over the sauerkraut, ribs and pork. Put the pork and potatoes on top of the platter of sauerkraut, serve, and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

Riesling: Riesling comes in a variety of sweetness levels, from dry (no sweetness) to syrupy sweet (dessert wines). A dry to semi-sweet Riesling is my preference for this recipe. German Rieslings have their sweetness level as part of the name; look for halbtrocken (off-dry), or trocken (dry). Really, any inexpensive white wine that isn't too oaky will work. (The only wine I would avoid is cheap chardonnay, which tends to be heavy on the oak.)
Why a cheap white wine? Because about half a bottle goes into the slow cooker. I want to drink the good stuff, not cook it. If you're serving a crowd, get a cheap bottle for the pot, then some better wine for everyone to drink with the meal.
No Alcohol: The alcohol helps bring out the flavors in the meal - some flavors are only alcohol-soluble - but if you don't drink alcohol, just replace it with water or apple juice.
Apples: I use granny smith apples because they hold up better to the long cooking time, but you can use whatever apples you have on hand.

Variations

Pork Roast: Instead of the pork ribs, use a pork shoulder roast. Increase the cooking time to 10 hours on low or 5 hours on high.
Add smoked sausage: If you have a pound of kielbasa or smoked sausage, slice it and add it on top of the apples. You'll have bacon, smoked sausage, pork ribs, and sauerkraut. What could be better?
Red wine instead of white wine: Red wine is common in German sauerkraut, so if that's what you have on hand, ahead and use it.

Storage

Leftovers are good for a few days in the refrigerator, or for months in the freezer. Try to add some liquid from the pot into the container when you freeze it.

What to serve with crock pot pork and sauerkraut

Crock pot pork and sauerkraut can be a one-pot meal. But, if you want to serve a spread of dishes, I recommend mashed potatoes, green beans, and a salad on the side, as well as some crusty French bread or dinner rolls.

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

December 24, 2024 by Mike Vrobel 4 Comments

Brussels Sprouts Gratin Decadent Brussels sprouts, bathed in heavy cream and covered with cheese, are a great side dish for a celebration meal.

A baking dish of Brussels sprouts gratin on a colorful napkin

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I was shocked. Brussels sprouts were the surprise hit of Thanksgiving dinner.
Brussels sprouts are controversial in my wife's family - none of her siblings will eat them, but they were there, reaching for seconds. After dinner, the requests all started: "I don't like Brussels sprouts, but…can I have the recipe?"
I almost skipped Brussels sprouts, knowing how unpopular they are with my in-laws. I was looking for a make-ahead side dish when I saw Kenji Alt's Over the Top Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin. It looked too good to pass up. (I figured if they don't eat them, great! More sprouts for me.) I followed Kenji's basic technique but left out the bacon because some of my guests are vegetarians.
Now, you may be thinking: Brussels sprouts? Vegetarian? What, are you serving health food? No. These are rich, decadent sprouts, bathed in heavy cream and covered with cheese. They are a great side dish for a celebration meal.
If you're looking for weeknight sprouts, use shaved Brussels sprouts in my basic Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts Sauté recipe or my fancy Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Honey recipe.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, plus more for the baking dish.
1.5 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
6 ounces shredded Fontina cheese (or an Italian shredded cheese blend)

How to make Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Pouring cream into pan with brussels sprouts

1. Sauté the Brussels sprouts and reduce the cream

Turn the oven to 425°F. Melt the butter in a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and sprinkle with salt. Saute the Brussels sprouts, stirring often, until they are browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Pour the cream into the pan and simmer, occasionally scraping the bottom, until the cream thickens and the bubbles start stacking up on themselves, about 5 more minutes.

Simmering the cream with the brussels sprouts

2. Prep the baking dish

Butter the inside of the baking dish. Pour the sprouts and cream into the baking dish and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

Baking dish of brussels sprouts gratin browning in the oven

3. Bake and brown the gratin

Put the baking dish in the oven and bake until bubbling and the cheese is melted and browning, about 15 minutes.

Substitutions

Other cheese: In the original recipe, Kenji recommends Emmental cheese, which is traditional for a French gratin. It's a fantastic cheese, but it is expensive in my local grocery stores, so I substituted a blend of shredded Italian cheese that includes Fontina and Asiago. A sharp cheddar or a cheddar jack blend would also be good.
Want bacon? If you're not cooking for vegetarians, halve the butter in the recipe and add a quarter pound of bacon cut into thin strips. In the first step, cook the bacon instead of melting the butter. When the bacon is browned, remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat behind in the pan as possible. Melt the butter in the bacon fat and continue with the recipe, stirring the bacon back in right before pouring the sprouts into the baking dish.
Frozen Brussels sprouts: I got this question from a reader, and yes, you can use frozen Brussels sprouts. They won't be as good as fresh sprouts, but the cheese and cream carry a lot of flavor, so you won't notice unless you cook them head-to-head. Get frozen halved sprouts if you can. In the sauté step, turn the heat down to medium and put the frozen sprouts straight into the pan. It will take a little longer to brown them - about 10 minutes - then continue the recipe as written.
Less rich: If you want a less rich version of this dish, use milk instead of cream, or skip the cream altogether. Also, you can cut back on the cheese - use half the cheese.

Equipment

2-quart baking dish (either a 12-inch oval dish or an [8-inch square dish][Square)

Make ahead

For me, the key to this recipe was how easy it was to make ahead. Finish through step 2-put everything in the buttered baking dish, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When you need the sprouts, remove the plastic wrap and continue with step 3. The cooking time will be closer to 20 minutes because it will take a little extra time to warm up the cold sprouts and dish.

Reheating

This recipe also reheats well - cook it all the way through, then warm it in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is soft and warm.

Scaling

You can double the recipe by doubling all the ingredients. There will be too many sprouts to fit in the fry pan, so switch the sauté and simmer step to a Dutch oven, or do it in two batches, wiping out the pan after each batch. Use a 3-quart baking dish to fit all the extra sprouts.

Adapted From: Over The Top Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin, Kenji Alt, SeriousEats.com

Swiss Chard Gratin
Oven Roast Crispy Fingerling Potatoes
Pressure Cooker Beets with Blue Cheese
Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Honey
Brussels Sprouts Gratin
Instant Pot Cranberry Bean Gratin
Instant Pot Cannellini Beans and Greens
Quick Baked Potatoes (Start in Microwave, finish in Oven)

Sous Vide Porterhouse Steak

December 17, 2024 by Mike Vrobel 11 Comments

Sous Vide Porterhouse Steak, butter basted in a cast iron pan. A low-effort dinner for an amazing cut of beef. I cooked it straight from the freezer, but you don't have to - this recipe works with a fresh or frozen steak.

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Sous vide from the freezer is becoming my favorite "I'm too busy to cook" trick. My [local grocery store] had a sale on Certified Angus Beef porterhouse a month ago; they were so gorgeous that I bought two. One was dinner that night. The other I salted, vacuum sealed, and stored in the freezer for later.
Last Saturday was "later." I was working on my blog redesign all day, and I didn't have time for an elaborate dinner. At 4 PM I took a break from the keyboard. I filled my sous vide with water, dropped in the frozen porterhouse, and set the temp to 133°F. While I was in the kitchen, I put a few russet potatoes in the oven, along with my cast iron skillet, and set them to time bake. Five minutes, end to end, and I was back on the internet, fixing missing pages.
At 6:15, my wife asked if we were ever having dinner. I dragged my focus away from the laptop, stood up, and said dinner is at 6:30. That got me the "fifteen minutes? I've heard that one before" look.
I tossed a salad, pulled the potatoes out of the oven, and moved the preheated pan from the oven to the stove top. I patted the porterhouse dry while a couple of tablespoons of butter melted in the pan; A quick sear on each side, basting all the time, and the steak was ready.
Even better? The comments at the table. "Ohh…this steak is so good." Twenty minutes of active cooking time and dinner earns raves.
Try a sous vide porterhouse. You'll be a hero.

Equipment

Sous vide machine (I use an [Anova Precision Cooker] and a [Lipavi Sous Vide Tank and rack])
Vacuum sealer (or a gallon sized zip-top bag with all the air squeezed out)
Heavy skillet (I use a 10-inch or 12-inch [Lodge cast iron skillet])

Ingredients

1 thick-cut porterhouse steak (1½ inches thick, about 2 pounds)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of butter

How to Sous Vide Porterhouse Steak

Sous Vide the porterhouse

Sprinkle the porterhouse with the salt and pepper, put it in a large (gallon) vacuum pouch, and vacuum seal. (The vacuum sealed steak can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for months.) Set the sous vide to 133°F/56°C for medium-rare plus, my preferred steak temperature. (Use 125°F/51.5°C for rare, 131°F/55°C for medium-rare, 136°F/58°C for medium, 141°F/60.5°C for medium well.) Drop the porterhouse in the sous vide water and cook for 1 ½ hours to 6 hours. (Cook for at least 2 hours if the steak is frozen.)

Sear and butter baste the porterhouse

When the steak is done cooking sous vide, preheat the pan over medium-high heat. (I preheated my cast iron pan in a 425°F oven for at least 20 minutes, then moved it to the stove top over medium-high heat.) Remove the porterhouse from the vacuum bag and pat dry with paper towels. Add the butter to the pan, and the moment it stops foaming, add the porterhouse. Sear the porterhouse until it is well browned, about 1 minute a side, constantly spooning the melted butter over the top side of the steak to give it even browning. Remove the porterhouse to a cutting board, carve, and serve. Enjoy!

Tips for the Best Sous Vide Porterhouse

Cook from fresh or frozen? Both work great.

The only difference between cooking a fresh and frozen steak is time. I give my steak an extra half hour if I am cooking from frozen, to make sure the steak comes up to temperature all the way through.

How long can I cook sous vide?

The reason the cooking time is so wide - 1.5 hours to 6 hours - is because we can't overcook a steak sous vide. The water bath is the exact temperature we want, and the steak will sit at that temperature (perfect medium-rare for me, thanks) forever. The only downside to longer sous vide cooking is eventually the meat will get soft. I use this to my advantage with tough cuts of meat like my [Sous Vide Chuck Steak (24 hours) recipe]. For tender steaks like porterhouse (which is a New York strip and a tenderloin on the bone), I don't want to go more than six hours.
That said, one of the big advantages of sous vide cooking is you can hold the meat at the right temperature for hours. If you don't know exactly when dinner is going to be, just leave the steak in the sous vide water bath, and pull it out when you need it.

Dry off the meat before searing

Make sure to dry the outside of the steak as much as possible before searing. A wet steak will steam, not brown, until all the liquid on the outside is boiled away.

Butter baste for even browning

The bone in the porterhouse can result in uneven browning - one side of the steak has good contact with the pan, the other does not. Use the butter basting to even out the browning, concentrating the butter on the less browned parts of the steak.

Don't sear for too long, and flip often

I try to sear my steak for a minute a side, and use the basting butter to even out the browning. If you want a more browned crust, keep flipping the steak every minute, constantly basting with the butter.

No sous vide water bath? No vacuum sealer?

Try [the bubba sous vide technique] with zip-top bags and a beer cooler full of hot water. The advantage to a sous vide water circulator is that it's less work and more precise, but if you don't have one, you can still sous vide your steak.

 What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Grilled Delmonico Steaks

December 10, 2024 by Mike Vrobel 6 Comments

Grilled Delmonico Steak with Tex-Mex Rub. 1-inch thick Ribeye steaks with a spicy dry rub - my favorite cut of steak and a quick dinner.

A grilled Delmonico steak on an orange plate

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What Is a Delmonico Steak?

Delmonico steak. That means a ribeye, right? When I picked up these steaks at my local grocery store, I decided to investigate. And, it turns out, it's not that simple.
Delmonico's Restaurant was a famous New York City steakhouse back in the 1800's, and a "Delmonico steak" became synonymous with a quality cut. The problem is, Delmonico's said their steaks were cut from the sirloin. But, a sirloin is not a ribeye?
It looks like, over time, the definition of Delmonico has shifted. Or, maybe they meant the french "Sur Loin", which means "from the loin", and it really was a ribeye ad Delmonico's restaurant.
Nowadays, Delmonico mostly means ribeye - but for this recipe, make sure you are getting a ribeye.

Ingredients

3 (1-inch thick) bone in ribeye Delmonico steaks, about 16-ounces each

Tex-Mex Rub

3 teaspoons kosher salt
3 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon garlic powder

How to Grill Delmonico Steaks

Spice rub the steaks

One to four hours before cooking, mix the Tex-Mex Rub ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the steaks, put the steaks on a platter, and rest in the refrigerator until it is time to cook. (If you don't have time to pre-season the steaks, sprinkle them with the rub right before putting them on the grill.)

Set the grill for direct high heat (450°F or higher)

Set your grill up for direct high heat. Details:

Gas Grill

On my Weber Summit, I turn all the burners to high and let the grill preheat for 15 minutes. Then I brush the grates clean with my grill brush and turn off any burners I won't need. (For these size steaks I left 3 burners on).

Charcoal Grill

On my Weber kettle, I light a full chimney starter of charcoal, wait for it to be mostly covered with gray ash, and then pour it over half the grill grate, giving me a layer of coals about two coals deep. Then put the grate on the grill and brush it clean.

Grill the steaks in a 3-3-3 pattern

Set the steaks over direct high heat, with the steaks pointing towards 10 o'clock on the grill. (If you are using a gas grill, keep the lid closed as much as possible.) Grill for 3 minutes, or until they have dark browned grill marks on the bottom. Flip the steaks, keeping them pointed towards 10 o'clock, and grill for another 3 minutes, or until they have dark brown grill marks on the bottom. Flip and rotate the steaks so they are pointing towards 2 o'clock, and grill for another 3 minutes. At this point, they should be 125°F measured in the thickest point (which is medium-rare after carry over cooking). If you want them cooked more, flip the steaks again, keep them pointing towards 2 o'clock, and cook for another minute for medium (135°F internal) to 3 minutes for medium-well (145° internal, or as I call it, the point of no return.)

Rest the steaks and serve

Let the steaks rest for ten minutes, serve, and enjoy!

Substitutions

Other cuts of steak: This method will work with any steak cut - ribeyes, New York strip, tenderloin, sirloin, t-bone, and porterhouse steaks - as long as they are cut about 1-inch thick.
Simple steak: Just use the salt and pepper instead of the spice rub.
Hot spice rub: Replace 1 teaspoon of ancho chile powder with 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder. Or, leave the rub as-is, and add in ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Expert Tips

How do I grill steaks that are NOT thick cut?

These Delmonico ribeyes are not my usual thick cut steaks. (I got a deal on a family pack, cut about an inch thick). I don't want to want to overcook them. How do I cook them?

Give them a rub: I went with a spice rub, to give them a crisp crust quickly, before they overcooked.
Only over direct heat: I'm grilling them entirely over direct heat - no sear and move is necessary for 1-inch thick steaks.
Grill one side more than the other: A good browned crust is the key to a good steak, so I want to make sure I have one side that is nice and browned, without cooking the inside past medium-rare to medium. I cook these steaks more on one side than the other; I cook them for about 9 minutes total, with 6 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other. But, let's discuss that more:

Cook the steaks with 2 flips (maybe 3 if they are cooking slowly)

I use a 3-3-rotate-3 pattern to flip my steaks; 3 minutes, flip, 3 minutes, flip and rotate, 3 more minutes. I start all the steaks pointing towards 10 o'clock on the grill, and grill them for three minutes. Then I flip them, still pointing towards 10 o'clock, and grill the other side for three minutes. Then I flip and rotate the steaks to point towards 2 o'clock, giving them beautiful diamond grill marks on one side. Three more minutes and I check the steaks - one inch steaks over high heat are usually take nine minutes on my grill. If they're done, I get them off the grill, and serve them with the diamond patterned side facing up. If the steaks aren't done yet, they get one more flip, pointing towards 2 o'clock, and a diamond pattern on the other side.

Delmonico steak on the grill pointing to 10-o'clock

Delmonico steak with grill marks pointing to 10-o'clock

Cooking time really depends on your grill

Most cooking times are a best guess, based on the recipe writer's kitchen. Grilling is even more of a guess; different grills have different heat, and then we throw in cooking outdoors in any weather. So, you need to learn how your grill cooks.
I go with a 3-3-rotate-3 pattern because I know that works on my gas grill. You may need to adjust based on your grill. Maybe your gas grill has a searing station, and you need 2-2-rotate-2. Maybe your grill is less powerful, and you need 4-4-rotate-4. Start with 3, then flip and see how the grill marks look. if they're dark brown or just turning black, you're good. If they're light brown, you need longer; if the bottom of the steak looks burnt, you need less time. (If you know you have a powerful grill, check them earlier. Sorry.) Once you are familiar with your grill, use your experience to guide the timing of the flips.
If you're working over charcoal, then these timings are guidelines, not rules. Also, don't worry about the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock orientation, because charcoal browns evenly. (On a gas grill, the preheated grill grates give us grill marks; on charcoal, the heat from the coals themselves browns the steaks.)

Equipment

Grill (I use a massive Weber Summit)
Instant Read Thermometer (I love my Thermapen)

Scaling the recipe

This grilled Delmonico steaks recipe is for three steaks, because that's how many come in the family packs of steaks at my local grocery store. You can grill as many steaks as you want at the same time - or as many as will fit on your grill. For each 1-inch thick steak, mix up 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder, ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. (The spice rub amount in the recipe is for 3 steaks).

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Grilled Ribeye Steaks With Mediterranean Herb Butter
Grilled Flat Iron Steak With Salsa Verde
Grilled Tomahawk Steak - Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared
My other Grilling Recipes

Instant Pot Tortellini Soup

December 3, 2024 by Mike Vrobel 1 Comment

Instant Pot Tortellini Soup. This is a hearty Instant Pot soup recipe, loaded with cheesy tortellini, sausage, and vegetables. Pressure cook your own chicken broth for the best soup, or use store-bought chicken broth if you're in a hurry.

A bowl of tortellini soup with red pepper flakes and a spoon

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I'm always a fan of cozy fall soups, so when I saw a picture of tortellini soup go by on Instagram, I had to make it myself. This is an updated version of my Instant Pot Day-After-Thanksgiving Turkey Tortellini Soup, using my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken broth instead of turkey broth.

Ingredients

Chicken Broth (optional, substitute store-bought reduced-sodium chicken broth)

1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, chicken breasts removed for another use
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 carrot, scrubbed and broken in half
1 stalk celery, scrubbed and broken in half
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 cups water

Tortellini Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled, halved, and cut into thin rounds
1 large rib of celery, cut crosswise into thin slices
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
15-ounce can of diced tomatoes (with juices)
8 cups chicken broth (from above, or use store-bought low sodium)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
9- to 12 ounces of cheese tortellini (fresh, frozen, or dried)
A big handful of fresh baby spinach (about 2 cups)
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Shredded parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Fresh parsley, sliced thin (for garnish)

How to make Instant Pot Tortellini Soup

Everything in an Instant Pot to make chicken broth

Optional: Pressure cook the broth for 60 minutes with a Natural Release

(For more details, see my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Broth Recipe. Or for cheaper ingredients, see my Instant Pot Chicken Broth Recipe.) Put the rotisserie chicken carcass into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to the pressure cooker pot, then add the water. Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 60 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or 50 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally - about 30 minutes. (It takes a long time for all that water to cool off. If you're in a hurry, let the pressure come down for at least 20 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.) Scoop the bones and vegetables out of the pot with a slotted spoon and discard. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Reserve the broth for the soup; you should have about 8 cups of broth. (You can do this step ahead of time, and the broth can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a few months).

Sautéing the onions, celery, carrots, and tomato paste in an Instant Pot

Sauté the aromatics

Wipe out the pot (if you are continuing immediately from the previous step). Add the olive oil and butter, and set the pot to Sauté mode - high (medium-high heat in a stovetop PC). When the butter melts and stops foaming, add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon of salt and the red pepper flakes. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Italian Seasoning and a tablespoon of tomato paste, and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.

Cooking the sweet Italian sausage with the onions, celery, and carrots

Cook the sausage

Add the Italian sausage to the pot. Cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, breaking it up as it cooks, and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing sticks and burns. Cook the sausage until it just loses its pink color, about 5 minutes.

Tomatoes and broth into the pot

Pour in the can of tomatoes and then the chicken broth. If you are using homemade broth, stir in 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.

Pressure cook the soup for 10 minutes with a quick-release

Lock the lid. Pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes in an Instant Pot, electric pressure cooker, or stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot). Quick release the pressure once the cooking time is over. (If you're not in a hurry, let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes.)

Simmer to cook the tortellini and spinach

Unlock the lid on the pressure cooker, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Set the pot back to Sauté mode - high (medium-high heat on a stovetop PC), and cover the pot with a non-pressure lid if you have one. Wait for the pot to come back to a simmer, about 3 minutes - the broth is already very hot from the pressure cooking. Add the tortellini and baby spinach, adjust Sauté mode to low (medium-low heat in a stovetop PC), and simmer for the time on the tortellini package (I've seen as low as 3 minutes for fresh and up to 10 minutes for dried tortellini). When the tortellini are tender, stir in the ½ teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper.

Serve

Ladle the soup into bowls, and (optionally) sprinkle some grated parmesan and minced parsley on top. Serve and enjoy!

Substitutions

Homemade chicken broth vs Store-bought

Homemade chicken broth is fantastic and adds body to this soup. And, it's easy if you have a pressure cooker. I use a short version of my Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Broth in this recipe, using a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store; for a cheaper broth, use my regular Instant Pot Chicken Broth which uses cheap chicken backs from the store.

If you are in a hurry, though, store-bought reduced-sodium chicken broth will work fine. This soup is better with homemade broth-everything is better with homemade broth-but there are enough other flavors in this soup to cover for store-bought broth.

Fresh tortellini vs frozen tortellini vs dried tortellini

I usually use fresh cheese tortellini, because I see them in a refrigerator case at the front of my local grocery store. But, I've had success with dry tortellini and frozen tortellini in this recipe. Just simmer them for as long as the bag instructions recommend.

Spicy soup

If you want a spicy soup, use hot Italian sausage, or increase the red pepper flakes to 1 teaspoon, or both. If you don't want any heat, skip the red pepper flakes.

Vegetarian or Vegan Soup

If you want vegetarian soup, replace the chicken broth with Instant Pot Vegetable Broth or store-bought vegetable broth, and skip the sausage. Substitute a tablespoon of olive oil for the butter to make it vegan.

Extra vegetable soup

If you want more vegetables, add them in! Tough vegetables that need time to simmer, like green beans or chunks of sweet potato, should go in with the broth and get pressure cooked. Tender leafy vegetables, like arugula or Swiss chard, should go in with the fresh spinach and tortellini for a quick simmer.

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker

A fine mesh strainer (for the broth)

A flat-edged wooden spoon (to scrape and stir and make sure nothing is sticking to the pot)

Scaling

This recipe doubles easily, but you will need an 8-quart pressure cooker. Cut all the ingredients in half, and this recipe will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same amount of time to cook the soup, no matter how much you have in the pot.

Make ahead soup

If you need to make this on a busy weeknight, you can make the broth, refrigerate it for a few days, or freeze it for months. It's also a great way to use up any leftover chicken or turkey broth you have in the freezer. (What, I'm the only one who freezes big batches of broth?)

Or, if you make the entire pot of soup a day or two ahead, you can reheat it and serve.

Storing leftover tortellini soup

Soup makes great leftovers-it tastes every bit as good the next day. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I freeze leftover soup in 2-cup containers, so I have grab-and-go lunch-sized servings when needed.

What to Serve with Tortellini Soup

Serve this hearty soup with a salad and some bread, and have a nice, warm dinner for a cold evening.

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The broth is very thick after I cook the dumplings. I like a thin broth. What do I do?

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