Just got reminded again that it's super easy to accidentally make way too damn much in this pot. 6 quarts is plenty.
I threw something like this into the pot for some easy chili:
- 3 diced tomatoes
- 2 diced small potatoes
- 1 diced onion
- 1 diced carrot
- about half a pound of ground beef
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 1 cup of kidney beans
...aaaaaand I've been eating chili for lunch and dinner all week.
So I impulse purchased one of these during that Amazon/BB sale. I haven't used it yet, but figured I'd try ribs first. I was at the grocery today and bought a slab of frozen ribs that were on sale, but none of the rest of the ingredients. I noticed a lot of the recipes I saw online seem to call for practically making your own BBQ sauce during the process. Does anyone know of any pathetically simple recipes to use that use a minimum of extra seasoning outside a bottle of prefabricated sauce and the typical seasonings a non-cook would have in their cupboard?
Haven't tried this before, but it sounds good.
https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/easy-bbq-instant-pot-ribs/
Quick notes since it's your first time using it:
- Make sure you have the release valve closed (the knob looking thing on the lid) when you start the pressure cooker. It should have an indicator showing whether it's open or closed. If it's turned clockwise, that should be closed. And don't worry if it looks loose when the pot is not pressurized; that's normal. If you turn the pot on when that valve is open, the pot won't be able to build pressure.
- "Natural release" in the recipe means leave the pot alone until it depressurizes itself after cooking. This can take 15-20 minutes. There's a metal plunger on the lid that will drop down when the pot is not pressurized. That's the sign that says you can open the lid on the pot. I don't think the pot will physically let you open it while it's pressurized.