Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 5)

[Anna N]

 Elsie, I am with @rotuts.   If I ever get my hands on some pork cheeks I will be looking to cook them sous vide and not in the Instant Pot. 

 

 I am certainly not telling you what to do but out of curiosity I did a bit of research and if it were up to me, which it isn't, it didn't come out of my paycheck, I would do them at 80° for 8 hrs a la British Chefs. They are often compared to pork belly and Chef Steps, another trusted site, suggests it should be done at 80°C for seven hours. 

 

 My feeling is that I would be less likely to destroy such an expensive piece of meat doing it sous vide than in the IP as much as I love the IP. 

 

 Sorry. I know that's not the answer you're looking for. 

[Anna N]

 I take absolutely no responsibility for this but it might be a starting point for you. 

 

Click

 

OOPS. WRONG LINK

 

Try this, @ElsieD

Edited September 11, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[rotuts]

@Anna N 

 

thanks for that Vid

 

this didn't work for me the last time I tried it.

 

it might have been w textured bags for a Vac system that was not a chamber  vac

 

as I have one of these now,

 

Ill try it again.

 

I do note that on the vid , the bag they are using seems to have significant ' texture and thickness based on some sounds I hear

 

thanks again

[Tropicalsenior]

Back from my research, it seems that in almost all instances they have prepared them exactly like pork belly. Though not an expert on it, I have been cooking a lot of pork belly in my instant pot. I don't have an SV system and I probably couldn't get one here anyway if I wanted one. I don't think I would be much of a fan of one. I'm too much into instant gratification. SV sounds too much like raising the chicken and waiting for it to get big enough to eat. The anticipation would outlast the desire to eat it. However, to get back on the subject.

Yesterday I cooked pork belly to be made later into BBQ Chinese pork. This is how I did it. I browned the pork thoroughly. Then I put it on a rack and poured two cups of water directly into the browned bits below. I steamed the pork for 25 minutes and let it release naturally. it wasn't quite done to my liking so I steamed it 10 minutes more, let it release naturally, and it was done to perfection. I put it in a bag with the Chinese BBQ marinade and put it in the freezer to be cooked later. that way I have my almost instant barbecued ribs without having to wait 3 hours of cooking in the oven.

I don't see why the browning and steaming wouldn't work the pork cheeks. The trick will be under cooking them if necessary and adding more time if they needed it. And, very important with meat, use natural release. That way the moisture goes back into the meat and keeps it succulent. I dried out several cuts of meat before I found out this important feature of pressure cooking.

[Tropicalsenior]

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

pig cheeks

If you do happen to be looking for recipes, I came across this in my search: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/24/cheek-meat_n_5522070.html. if you don't figure out what to do with those beef ribs, Send them to me. They sound wonderful. They're beginning to learn about aging here, but most of the beef that you get was grazing in the pasture yesterday.

[Okanagancook]

My local butcher smokes pork cheeks.  They are delicious but I describe them as 'fat with streaks of meat'.  We use it like very smoky and fatty bacon.  You may be disappointed at how little meat is there.

Good luck.

[Tropicalsenior]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

OOPS. WRONG LINK

I was wondering about the first link but this one is wonderful! I got hungry just reading it.

[ElsieD]

@Okanagancook  this is what my pig cheeks look like.  They are from the Big Black Pig breed if that makes any difference.  As you can see, they are quite lean, at least from what I can see.  These have been separated from the jowls which is indeed, very fatty.  The pictures below are of the front and back.  Total weight is about 13 ounces.

 

I am about to settle in and read the referenced links.  Thank you all for your help.  I have vacuum packed them and they are in the freezer until I decide how to cook them.

[Tropicalsenior]

1 minute ago, ElsieD said:

Thank you all for your help.

They look delicious. I hope all of this helped.

[ElsieD]

4 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Back from my research, it seems that in almost all instances they have prepared them exactly like pork belly. Though not an expert on it, I have been cooking a lot of pork belly in my instant pot. I don't have an SV system and I probably couldn't get one here anyway if I wanted one. I don't think I would be much of a fan of one. I'm too much into instant gratification. SV sounds too much like raising the chicken and waiting for it to get big enough to eat. The anticipation would outlast the desire to eat it. However, to get back on the subject.

Yesterday I cooked pork belly to be made later into BBQ Chinese pork. This is how I did it. I browned the pork thoroughly. Then I put it on a rack and poured two cups of water directly into the browned bits below. I steamed the pork for 25 minutes and let it release naturally. it wasn't quite done to my liking so I steamed it 10 minutes more, let it release naturally, and it was done to perfection. I put it in a bag with the Chinese BBQ marinade and put it in the freezer to be cooked later. that way I have my almost instant barbecued ribs without having to wait 3 hours of cooking in the oven.

I don't see why the browning and steaming wouldn't work the pork cheeks. The trick will be under cooking them if necessary and adding more time if they needed it. And, very important with meat, use natural release. That way the moisture goes back into the meat and keeps it succulent. I dried out several cuts of meat before I found out this important feature of pressure cooking.

 

I think I might try this.  Thank you.  How much pork belly do you cook at one time?

[ElsieD]

3 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

If you do happen to be looking for recipes, I came across this in my search: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/24/cheek-meat_n_5522070.html. if you don't figure out what to do with those beef ribs, Send them to me. They sound wonderful. They're beginning to learn about aging here, but most of the beef that you get was grazing in the pasture yesterday.

 

@Tropicalsenior  lots of goid looking ideas there.  I never have a problem figuring out what to do with braising ribs.  They look amazing, very well marbled.  They are swimming away in their water bath and will be for the next 48 hours.

[ElsieD]

5 hours ago, Anna N said:

 I take absolutely no responsibility for this but it might be a starting point for you. 

 

Click

 

OOPS. WRONG LINK

 

Try this, @ElsieD

 

 

@Anna N  thank you.  I have made note of the time she cooks them at in case I ever take leave of my senses and buy them again but you have convinced me to do them sous vide.  As mentioned, I have them in the freezer until my circulator has been freed up.  I'll post my results over on the sous vide thread when I do them.

[Okanagancook]

35 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@Okanagancook  this is what my pig cheeks look like.  They are from the Big Black Pig breed if that makes any difference.  As you can see, they are quite lean, at least from what I can see.  These have been separated from the jowls which is indeed, very fatty.  The pictures below are of the front and back.  Total weight is about 13 ounces.

 

I am about to settle in and read the referenced links.  Thank you all for your help.  I have vacuum packed them and they are in the freezer until I decide how to cook them.

Well those are clearly different from what I had in mind.  They look really nice.

it is the jowel that I can get smoked.  I will have to ask my butcher about the cheeks.

thanks

[Okanagancook]

I am enlightened after watching this.  I  have missed this little gem each time we have our pig roast.  Next year I will find it.  The jowel is exactly the piece I get smoked.

 

[kayb]

@Okanagancook

 

Fascinating. Thanks for that. I had assumed it was what I grew up knowing as "Hog jowl," and always had cured, only later learning it was really guanciale. It was a treat in place of bacon when I was growing up. I can only assume the cheek muscle was either cut along with the jowl (seems like a remember a "streak of lean" along one side), or it got ground up in sausage. The head always got rendered for "head cheese," aka scrapple or souse meat, which is one reason I won't touch the stuff (the watching it being made).

[Okanagancook]

I love and have made my own Guanciale.  The smoked jowel I get is awesome...probably would go great in the cheek dish being made here.  And it is sooo cheap...$3.00 for a whole jowel.

hail to the pig

[Tropicalsenior]

3 hours ago, kayb said:

head cheese," aka scrapple or souse meat

Scrapple: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple is completely different than head cheese: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_cheese  I know from bad experience. My mother used to make scrapple, which I loved and my ex mother-in-law made head cheese, which I couldn't even gag down to be polite.

[Tropicalsenior]

6 hours ago, ElsieD said:

How much pork belly do you cook at one time?

I started with 48 ounces which left me with a cooked weight of 31 and a half ounces. They had quite a bit of fat on them. I also had two cups of good broth from the water that I poured in after browning them and that I used to steam them.

Edited September 12, 2017 by Tropicalsenior
Consistency of measurements (log)

[rotuts]

@Okanagancook 

 

I can't play the vid ' embedded.

 

does someone have the url so I can go to the site.

 

Ive always thought the jowl was the ' whole piece   skin an all

 

masseter muscle and all surrounding fat and skin

 

cheek would be the muscle  ' cleaned '  ?

[Tropicalsenior]

8 minutes ago, rotuts said:

 

does someone have the url so I can go to the site.

https://youtu.be/WXJMO54Bwbk

Give this a try. If it doesn't work let me know.

 

[rotuts]

thanks

 

works fine

 

learn something every day

 

there is the masseter muscle    and then the cheek  i.e. a thin muscle w skin and lots of fat.

 

nice to know

[rotuts]

Id like to find a reference on eG to useful iPot accessories  

 

this one was probably on this thread  but I can't find it.

 

I have soi many bookmarks as they are getting close to useless 

 

I did goggle ipot accessories and that was useful

 

this ref included a stainless steel bowl one might use for

 

pressure steaming rice  :  above the trivet and 1 cup of water

 

the bowl had rice + water and was thought to be a better method to do rice in the iP

 

as then you only had that bowl to clean

 

ring any bells ?

 

many thanks

 

[blue_dolphin]

8 minutes ago, rotuts said:

Id like to find a reference on eG to useful iPot accessories  

 

this one was probably on this thread  but I can't find it.

 

I have soi many bookmarks as they are getting close to useless 

 

I did goggle ipot accessories and that was useful

 

this ref included a stainless steel bowl one might use for

 

pressure steaming rice  :  above the trivet and 1 cup of water

 

the bowl had rice + water and was thought to be a better method to do rice in the iP

 

as then you only had that bowl to clean

 

ring any bells ?

 

many thanks

 

 

Over on one of the IP Facebook groups, someone posted a link to this list of accessories that may be helpful.  The Amazon links in that list are just straight links, not affiliate links.

 

Edited to add that I purchased this stainless steel bowl:  Tovolo Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl - 1.5 Quart and it works well for rice or grains. I often use a 1 qt pyrex bowl for the same purpose.

Edited September 14, 2017 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

10 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

stainless steel bowl one might use for

 

pressure steaming rice

Do you have a restaurant supply business in your area? I can't buy things from Amazon here, so I went to a Chinese restaurant supply house. I bought so many great accessories that will fit in my instant pot that I probably will never use them all. They are of excellent quality and will outlast me. Just be sure to measure the inside dimensions of your instant pot to make sure that they will fit. Don't forget to measure the height of the rack that they will sit on like I did. I now have a nice stainless steel pot that I am trying to figure out what to do with. Maybe I'll plant basil in it.

[Shelby]

@Anna N  Waaaaaay back in 2015 you made a savory cheesecake that I swore I was going to make, and then, in my usual fashion, I forgot.   I am looking for some different make ahead appetizers to have on hand for when our hunter is here.  Do you think this would hold up if instead of using sun-dried tomatoes, I used fresh--if I made sure they were diced finely and paper towel dried?  Also, would this be good at room temp, sliced in say, bite sized squares?