Ranch Style Beans

If you live in Texas, you gotta love you some 'Ranch Style' beans. While I love a good ole pot of plain pintos beans to go with my cornbread, my favorite type of beans when I was growing up were the Great Western 'Ranch Style' beans. In fact, I still love 'Ranch Style' beans! Sometimes known as 'western', 'chili' or 'cowboy' beans, they are a combination of pinto beans, tomato paste, sugar and spices cooked just right, not to spicy and not to sweet. I have a recipe in which I add all the ingredients into quart mason jars and can them, but because so many of you do not have the equipment to can your own beans, I wanted to share my crockpot version with you.

As I have mentioned in several of my posts, it is winter once again and the cool weather is a perfect time to dust off those soup, stews and chili recipes. While I love my beans, sometimes there just never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done that you need to do. That is where slow cookers or 'crock pots' come to the rescue.

These simple devices make it easy for you to gather all your ingredients and throw them in to pot, turn it on and walk away returning after several hours to a hot cooked meal. Well...not exactly, but they do make your life easier when it comes to cooking certain types of dishes. And beans do well when cooked in a crockpot or slow cooker. Slow cookers allow you load up the cooker overnight or during the day before you go to work and have a fresh hot meal waiting for you when you get home. The following is my recipe for 'Ranch Style' beans and it makes about 8 to 10 four ounce servings.

Ranch Style Beans

2 cups of dried pinto beans (soaked overnight)

¼ cup diced onion

1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon

3 teaspoons beef bouillon

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground chile's (5 Ancho, 3 California, 3 New Mexico)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon oregano

Chef's Note: I grind my own chile's to make a chile powder I take dried chile's (5 ancho, 3 California, and 3 New Mexico) cut off the tops and remove the seeds. I then place them on a cookie sheet and roast them in a 300 degrees oven for 2-3 minutes. For more information on making your own chile powder you can check out my video. Episode 2: HomemadeChile Powder.

Sort though and remove any small rocks you may find. Yes, I said small rocks, as I generally find at least one in every bag of pinto beans I buy and you really do not want to break a tooth. Add the pinto beans to the crock and cover with 2 to 4 inches of water, then soak the dried beans overnight. They will absorb a lot of water and will double in size overnight. In the morning drain the water (pour it in your houseplants or garden, why waste it) and add 5 cups of fresh water to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and set your slow cooker on the desired temperature (Low or High).

The only decision left to make is to determine when you want your beans to be ready. If you want to be able to eat your 'Ranch Style' beans within the next 5 to 6 hours then cook them on high. If however you are wanting to cook the beans over night, or you want it took cook while you are at the office or running errands, then set the heat to low and cook for 8 to 10 hours. If cooking overnight, you may also want to increase the amount of water from from 5 to 6 cups as you will not be around to monitor the moisture content and you do not want your beans to run dry and get scorched.

Cost Analysis

So lets look at the actual cost of our homemade 'Ranch Style' beans versus the most popular commercially prepared 'Ranch Style' or 'Chili' beans available on supermarket shelves here in Texas. I realize that in other parts of the country there may be different brands and prices may very, but the following prices are pertinent as of 10/2015 here in East Texas.

Great Western 'Ranch Style' beans $0.86 for 15oz can ($0.057 cents per ounce)
Great Value 'Chili' beans $0.72 for 15oz can ($0.048 cents per ounce)
Bush's 'Chili' beans $0.92 for 15oz can ($0.059 cents per ounce)
Slow Cooker 'Ranch Style' beans $1.26 for 40 ounces ($0.031 cents per ounce) A 50% Savings over store bought!

Pinto beans $0.96 ($0.07 cents per ounce), onion $0.10 (5lbs for $1.00), garlic $0.10 (approx), seasoning and spices $0.10, for a total cost of about $1.26 or $0.03 cents per ounce for homemade 'Ranch Style' beans. Any way you look at it, making your own 'Ranch Style' beans at home saves you 50% over commercially prepared brands and the flavor as well as the nutritional value is greatly enhanced when you make your own. To validate the nutritional claim, let's look at the following ingredients list.

The Ingredients

So is making your own 'Ranch Style' or 'Chili' beans more healthy? In my opinion that is a definite yes! Just to emphasize my point, let's take a look at the ingredient list of the Great Western 'Ranch Style' bean ingredients versus our homemade beans.

Great Western 'Ranch Style' Beans: Pinto beans, water, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), less than 2% of: blend vf vegetable oils and animal fat (partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil and rendered beef fat), salt, chili peppers, sugar, paprika, vinegar, spices, onion powder, garlic powder, natural flavorings, soy lecithin.

Slow Cooker Homemade: Pinto beans, tomato paste, onions, garlic, paprika, salt, sugar, ground chile peppers (Ancho, California, New Mexico), cumin, black pepper, oregano, chicken bouillon*, beef bouillon* and water.

*Because powdered bouillon tends to be high in sodium, I do not add any additional salt to the crockpot when making beans. You can adjust the seasonings when you open the jars and heat up the contents. In addition, some powdered bouillon's like the Knoor brand that I use contain MSG which you may not want to use. For more information on powdered bouillon's check out my article Restaurants Use Them So Should You?

Now I do not know about you, but if you are concerned about what you and your family eat, I definitely know which chili I would rather serve my loved ones. I am not saying that commercially prepared ranch style or chili beans are bad or that you should avoid them, I am simply stating that if you want to avoid certain ingredients, and wish to limit the extra stuff in pre-processed foods that your family consumes, then making your own beans is far cheaper as well as being healthier for you and your loved ones.

No Chile Grind Variation

Because I know many of you may not want to grind your own chile's I have modified the following recipe to use a commercial chili powder. Now commercial chili powders contain cumin, salt, paprika, as well as a blend of various chile's. No two are the same, but they are all similar. I do not think this recipe is as good as grinding your own, but it is easier, and it is 'minimalist' pantry friendly.

Ranch Style Beans

2 cups of dried pinto beans (soaked overnight)

¼ cup diced onion

1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon

3 teaspoons beef bouillon

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons chile powder

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

¼ teaspoon oregano

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Conclusion

The flavor of this recipe is pretty close to the original Great Western brand of 'Ranch Style' beans, and my family loves them! They have become one of the most popular side dishes served with any grilled, smoked, BBQ or baked foods our family eats. That is a good thing as they are not only inexpensive to make, but they are a good additional source of protein and fiber. Besides, 'Ranch Style' beans go with just about anything. And did I mention, making your own 'Ranch Style' beans at home saves you 50% over the store bought brands?

Slow cookers help you stretch your food budget by making if convenient to cook meals slowly overnight or during the day why you are at the office, or spending the day running errands. Cooking meals at home allows you to stretch your food budget and keeps you from spending your hard earned money at the drive though on the way home from a busy day. As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Related Articles On Our Blog:

Texas Style Slow Cooker Chili

Restaurants Use Them So Should You?

Buying More With Less: Strategies To Stretch Your Food Dollar.

Making Your Vegetable Stock For Free...

I may have mentioned in one of my earlier articles that one of the things that was drilled into my head many years ago during culinary school was that nothing goes to waste. In our kitchen, each time that my wife or I cut or prep vegetables, we save all the ends, pieces and peelings (carrot, zucchini, squash etc.) and they go into a one gallon zip lock bag and are placed in the freezer. When we get 1 – 2 bags full of ends and pieces I throw them in a large stockpot, and add enough water to cover the vegetables by two inches and bring to a boil. I then reduce the heat and simmer the vegetable pieces for 45 to 60 minutes, or I add them to the pressure cooker and process the vegetables for 30 minutes to get out all those great flavors and nutrients.

Then I strain the vegetable ends and pieces through a fine mesh strainer. Most of the time I keep the strained stock hot and can it in 1 quart mason jars. However, if you wish, you can cool the stock and then pour the stock into the freezer safe container of your choice. For this article I canned all the vegetable stock in 1 quart mason jars. Once the vegetables have been cooked and all the flavor and nutrients have been extracted, the veggies are then cooled and fed to our chickens.

The Recipe

There are a couple of different ways to make vegetable stock. I use to simmer it on my stove top for 1 – 2 hours, but now I pressure cook the vegetables and then can them in my pressure canner. For small batches (1-2 gallon bags of ends and pieces) I cook the vegetables in my electric pressure cooker. For this article I had three 1 gallon zip lock bags of vegetable pieces so I pressured them at 10psi for 30 minutes in one of my two Mirro Matic 23 quart pressure cookers. Because I had such a large batch of veggies it was simply easier and faster for me that cook them in my large pressure canner. But by all means cook your stock however you are most comfortable.

Vegetable Broth

3 gallons of mixed vegetables pieces (3, 1-gallon bags)

2 gallons of water

2 teaspoons salt (optional)

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns (optional)

Combine all ingredients into your stockpot or pressure cooker and cook thoroughly. If you are using a stockpot, then cook the vegetables for 1 to 2 hours, if using your pressure cooker, cook them on 10PSI for 30 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and strain out the solids.

If you are going to freeze the stock, allow it to cool completely. Fill the container of your choice about 75% full, as the liquid will expand as it freezes, and place in your freezer until needed. If you want to can your vegetable stock, then follow proper canning procedures and can pints for 20 minutes at 10PSI or 25 minutes at 10PSI for quarts. I am not going to go into the step-by-step procedure for canning in this article, but you can find such instructions is my article 'Canning Basics: A Step-By-Step Guide'.

Chef's Note: I realize the ingredient list for this recipe is not in exact quantities, but a good starting ratio would be 3 quarts of liquid for every 1 gallon bag of ends and pieces. Usually, I just fill my pot about two inches above the vegetables and get good results.

Storing Or Preserving Your Stock

If you are not going to use your stock right away, you need to find a proper way to store it as it is only good in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. So you have a couple of decisions to make, when I have small amounts of stock and I do not want to tie up my canning jars I pour the stock in 20oz Gatorade or 2-liter soft drink bottles and place them in the freezer. Just remember that liquid expands when it freezes so if you decide to freeze your soup stock only fill the bottles about 75% full. If you have a vacuum sealer, you can freeze your stock in small containers, then once it is fully hardened take it out of the container and vacuum seal your blocks of stock.

Most of the time I prefer to can my stocks and soup bases. Fortunately, I have the storage space and the equipment to do so, but I understand not everyone does. The added advantage to canning my stock is that it does not take up precious space in my freezer and the stock is shelf stable until opened. You will need to use your pressure canner as stocks are a low-acid food and all low acids foods must be pressure canned to make sure they are safe for you and your family.

Pressure Canning Your Vegetable Stock

By this point you have done all of the complicated stuff, now comes the easy part. One at a time, ladle your hot stock into your sterilized jars leaving 1-inch of head space. Then, wipe the rim of the jar with a damp clean paper towel. Place the heated lid on the jar then hand tighten the ring and using your tongs, place the jar in the simmering pressure canner. Repeat this process until your canner is full, then place the lid on the canner and process at the USDA recommended time and pressure (see below).

Chef's Note: The USDA does not give a specific time for processing vegetable both, but does give times for meat broth 20 minuted for pints, 25 for quarts. I have used the same processing time as recommended for vegetable soups 60 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts. I realize the time may be longer than necessary, but it will not hurt your vegetable stock. I have included the recommended times per the Ball Blue Book of Preserving below, the recommended time is quite a bit shorter, but I process all my soups and stocks for longer than recommended.

If you have more stock to process than your canner will hold, only fill enough jars to completely fill the canner. Once the first batch of stock has been processed and removed from the canner, check the water level in the canner and adjust it as necessary. Then fill additional jars with stock following the previous instructions and process the remaining stock. Continue to do this until all of your stock has been safely processed.

If per chance, you do not have enough jars of canned stock to fill the pressure canner (which happens to me all the time) Take empty jars filled with warm water without lids and add those to the canner to take up the empty space. These water filled jars will keep your precious bounty from falling over and possibly breaking during the pressure canning process. Remember to take care as the stock in the canning jars will be boiling and quite hot to touch.

USDA Recommended Processing Time In Dial Gauge Pressure Canner for Vegetable based Soups.

Pint Jars 60 minutes at 11lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 12lbs (2,001 – 4,000ft), 13lbs (4,001 – 6,000ft) and 14lbs (6,001 or greater).

Quart Jars 75 minutes at 11lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 12lbs (2,001 – 4,000ft), 13lbs (4,001 – 6,000ft) and 14lbs (6,001 or greater).

USDA Recommended Processing Time In Weighted Gauge Pressure Canner for Vegetable based Soups.

Pint Jars 60 minutes at 10lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 15lbs (greater than 1,001ft altitude).

Quart Jars 75 minutes at 10lbs (0 – 1,000ft), 15lbs (greater than 1,001ft altitude).

In my Ball Blue Book of Preserving (2011) it lists the following canning times for vegetable stock pints 30 minutes, and quarts 35 minutes at 10PSI of pressure.If you live at altitudes greater than 1000ft above sea level, Ball recommends that the increase the pressure to 15PSI and use the same recommended cooking time. As mentioned earlier, I process my stock for the same amount of time as my soups, if you have a lot of stock to process, then the recommended lower processing times as recommended by Ball will definitely same you some time.

Conclusion

Homemade soups and stews are an inexpensive way to feed your family. Making your own vegetable stock from leftover ends and pieces costs you absolutely nothing except the cost of the storage container. This stock can be the basis for many vegetarian meals and soups, it can be used to enhance other stocks, or as an additive to soups and stews to give them additional flavor, body and essential nutrients that your family will rave about. I find vegetable stock a really nice way to ramp up the flavor and nutritional component of all different types of beans as well. Remember if you are going to can vegetable stocks you need to pressure can them, no water baths allowed here!

If you are looking to find additional ways to stretch your food dollars, be sure and check out some of my other articles on the subject on our blog. And as always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Additional Article On Our Blog:

Yes You Can! Preserving Your Harvest

To Pressure Or Not To Pressure, That Is The Question

Additional References On the Web:

USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, Revised 2015

Ball' Guide To Pressure Canning Low Acid Foods

Pressure Cooker Spaghetti (Pasta with Red Sauce)

When I was a bachelor, my brother and I lived off spaghetti. I think we must have had it 3 times a week, plus leftovers to take to work for lunches. It is cheap, quick, filling, and my recipe is delicious. Spaghetti takes almost no time in an electric pressure cooker as the overall cook time is only 6 to 8 minutes. Because red sauces give my wife so much acid reflux, I do not eat much pasta with red sauce anymore unless we have company or the family is over to visit. We have a large 8 quart electric Power Pressure Cooker XL, but this recipe should work in any electric pressure cooker.

This is one of the few recipes that I like to cook my pasta with the sauce. I personally think the spaghetti re-heats better if the pasta and sauce are in separate containers (I like my pasta al-dente and when reheated in the sauce is more done than I prefer). However, it does not make a lot of sense to cook a pasta sauce in the pressure cooker without the pasta. This recipe has a lot on ingredients, but I have also included a 'Minimalist Pantry' version that uses pre-made pasta sauce

The Recipe

8 to 16 ounces of ground beef

1 12oz package of spaghetti or pasta of choice

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced petite tomatoes, undrained

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

2 cups beef broth

2 ½ cups of water

½ cup red wine

2 bay leaves

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 ½ teaspoons basil, dried

1 ½ teaspoons oregano, dried

1 ½ teaspoons parsley, dried

1 teaspoon marjoram, dried

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (optional)

Place the inner pot in the pressure cooker, add the ground beef and cook until brown and no longer pink. Remove the ground beef and sauté the onions in the remaing fat. If you are using lean ground or beef, you may need to add a small amount of olive oil (1-2 tablespoons) to the pot and sauté the onions. On the 'Instant Pot' cooker select the sauté button to sauté the onions brown the beef. If you are using the 'Power Pressure Cooker XL' press any preset buttons with the lid off to sauté the onions and beef.

Chef's Note: We purchase large amounts of fresh ground beef (3 to 5lb chubs) when it is on sale and pre-cook the meat with diced onions. Then we rinse it under hot water to remove any additional fat from the cooking process. We allow the ground beef to dry in a colander, and then bag it into 1lb zip lock bags and place it in the freezer. When we need it, either throw it in the fridge the day before, or quickly defrost it in the microwave to have pre-browned meat and onions ready for a quick meal.

Once you have browned the meat and sautéed the onions, drain the inner pot of any unwanted fat, then add the remaining the ingredients to your pressure cooker, place the lid on and lock it in place. Switch the pressure release valve to the closed position (or it will not build up pressure). Press the RICE/RISOTTO button and increase the cook time to 7 minutes (well done pasta) or 6 minutes (al-dente pasta).

Chef's Note: If your electric pressure cooker does not have a RICE/RISOTTO button like the Power Pressure Cooker XL, then set it on low pressure and select 6 to 7 minutes as the cook time. Different pastas cook slightly differently under pressure. In the picture below, I used a 12oz bag of Skinner Brand 'Trio Italiano' pasta (rigatoni, shells, and mostaccioli) and they all came out great, having said that some pastas tend to be more delicate than say elbow macaroni or rigatoni. So if you use different sizes or types of pasta you may have to try the recipe and adjust the cook time to get the results you like.

The Minimalist Pantry Recipe

8 to 16 ounces ground beef

1 12oz package of spaghetti or pasta of choice

1 24 ounce can Hunt's Pasta Sauce

1 cup beef broth

2 cups of water

2 bay leaves

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (optional)

Time Savings

Before we purchased or electric pressure cooker, this recipe used to take about 45 minutes to cook on the stove top to allow all of the flavors of the pasta sauce to simmer and blend together. In the pressure cooker, 6 to 7 minutes. If you want to save additional prep time, do all of your vegetable prep the day before and simply add everything to the cooker, and set the time for 6 or 7 minutes depending on how you like your pasta.

Conclusion

There you have it, quick fast and easy. If you do not like spaghetti noodles, then substitute the pasta of your choice, there are no fast and hard rules when you are cooking for you and your family. Remember cook what you like, not what someone else thinks you should. Different pastas cook differently, smaller pastas cook really fast and can turn into mush. If your kids love shells or elbow macaroni then try and use the medium sized ones rather than the small or large. As always, we ask that if you find this information interesting that you please share it with your friends on Facebook and Google+. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+. You can also subscribe to our blog so that you do not miss any of our new recipes or articles.

Other Related Articles On Our Blog:

Electric Pressure Cookers, A Review Of Sorts…

Pressure Cooker Stroganoff

Pressure Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is one of our favorite recipes that we cook in the electric pressure cooker. I had to play with this recipe a couple of times to get the sauce to the right consistency that we liked as it initially came out too thin. We have a large 8 quart electric Power Pressure Cooker XL, but this recipe should work in any electric pressure cooker. I like to cook my pasta or rice separately as we make meals for the freezer, and I also pre-cook meals to take for my lunch. I personally think the stroganoff re-heats better if the pasta and rice are in separate containers. However, I have included instructions based on other recipes for adding the pasta or rice to the pressure cooker should you want to cook everything in one pot, just note this is not the way I cook this recipe and your results may vary by doing so.

The Recipe

2 ½ to 3lb chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cubed

1 12oz package of egg noodles or 1 cup uncooked long grain rice

1 cup sour cream

¾ cup beef broth

¼ cup dehydrated shitake mushrooms, chopped (optional)

3 cans cream mushroom soup

1 onion, diced

1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Place the inner pot in the pressure cooker, salt and pepper the cubed roast and set aside, then add a small amount of oil to the pot and sauté the onions. Remove the onions and then brown the meat in batches. On the 'Instant Pot' cooker select the sauté button to sauté the onions beef. If you are using the 'Power Pressure Cooker XL' press any preset buttons with the lid off to sauté the onions and beef.

Chef's Note: Honestly, I have gotten into the habit of skipping the browning stage and simply add the cubed roast and onions to the pressure cooker without browning either of them. It saves time, and no one seems to be able to tell the difference.

Once you have sautéed the onions and browned all the meat, add the remaining the ingredients except the sour cream or pasta to your pressure cooker, place the lid on and lock it in place. Switch the pressure release valve to the closed position (or it will not build up pressure). Press the CHICKEN/MEAT button and increase the cook time to 40 minutes (yes the meat will cook in about 20 minutes, but if you want the meat to be tender, you need to cook it for 40 minutes).

Chef's Note: If your electric pressure cooker does not have a CHICKEN/MEAT button like the Power Pressure Cooker XL, then set it on high pressure and select 40 minutes as the cook time.

Cooking The Pasta or Rice In The Pressure Cooker

After 40 minutes, release the pressure from the cooker and add your dried egg noodles and stir throughly. Close the lid making sure it locks, then close the pressure release valve and select the RICE/RISOTTO button and cook for 6 minutes. If your pressure cooker does not have a 'rice/pasta' button then cook on low pressure for 6 minutes. Once complete, release the pressure and remove the lid. Add the sour cream just before you are ready to serve, make sure you mix it throughly. If you want to use rice in this recipe rather than pasta, then add 1 cup uncooked long grain rice and select the RICE/RISOTTO button and increase the cook time to 10 minutes. If your pressure cooker does not have a 'rice/pasta' button then cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.

Chef's Note: Different pastas cook slightly differently under pressure, egg noodles tend to be more delicate than say elbow macaroni or rigatoni. So if you use different sizes or types of pasta you may have to try the recipe and adjust the cook time to get the results you like.

Cooking The Pasta Separately

After 40 minutes, all the steam to slowly release and the pressure cooker will go into keep warm mode while you cook your pasta or rice per the package instructions. Once you pasta or rice is ready, remove the lid, from the pressure cooker and add the sour cream just before you are ready to serve, make sure you mix it thoroughly.

Time Savings

Before we purchased or electric pressure cooker, this recipe used to take about 90 minutes to cook on the stove top in order to get the beef to be nice and tender. Using thinner cuts of meat could reduce the cook time, but we generally use any roast that we can get on sale (usually $1.49 - $1.99/lb). This tougher cut of meat takes longer to cook if you want it to nice and tender. Using the pressure cooker cuts the cook time to about half. If you wanted to save additional time, do all of your vegetable prep the day before and simply add everything to the cooker, and set the time for 40 minutes.

Conclusion

There you have it, quick fast and easy. If you do not like egg noodles, then substitute the pasta of your choice, there are no fast and hard rules when you are cooking for you and your family. Remember cook what you like, not what someone else thinks you should. I do not cook my pasta or rice in this dish, rather I cook the pasta and rice separately, so some experimentation on your part may be necessary if you want to totally go with one pot cooking. As always, we ask that if you find this information interesting that you please share it with your friends on Facebook and Google+. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+. You can also subscribe to our blog so that you do not miss any of our new recipes or articles.

Other Related Articles On Our Blog:

Electric PressureCookers, A Review Of Sorts...

Pressure Cooker Spaghetti
 

Electric Pressure Cookers, A review of Sorts...

If you have read any of my articles, then you know I have more than my share of pressure cookers and pressure canners. While my wife has used a few in her lifetime, she is not a big fan of the old style rocker/jiggler weight gauge pressure cookers. About 6 months ago she asked me about what I knew about electric pressure cookers, and I must admit I had to say “nothing”. So after our conversation, I spent the next evening trying to find out all the things I could about electric pressure cookers.

While there is a lot of good information out here on the “wide world web”, as with anything sometimes the information can be quite vague. While there are a lot of videos out there that share a good bit of information regarding specific products, sometimes weeding through them all to find that one specific answer to your question can be quite daunting. My parents already had a 6 quart 'Instant Pot' brand electric pressure cooker that they purchased about 4 months previously and they were very happy with it. Anyway, a couple days after our initial conversation, it was evident that my wife wanted an electric pressure cooker and I admit I was intrigued by the idea. So after looking on-line at prices and reviews, off we went to Walmart to purchase our 8 quart 'Power Pressure Cooker XL' electric pressure cooker.

The Power Cooker XL

Not rated the best in the top ten of electric pressure cookers, the Power Pressure Cooker XL ranked somewhere in the middle (4 or 5), but was definitely the best value for the money. As I mentioned, my parents owned an 'Instant Pot' electric pressure cooker, but it was about $20.00 more for a smaller 6 quart pressure cooker and we wanted an 8 quart model. In addition, the 'Power Pressure Cooker XL' claimed in their infomercials that I had watched on YouTube that you could can in them. My wife was excited about this as she was eager to help with some of the canning I do and she will not use a conventional pressure canner. So off we went an purchased a Power Pressure Cooker XL 8 quart electric pressure cooker. In this article I want to share with you some of our experiences that we have had so far with our electric pressure cooker.

One Pot cooking (Sort Of)

One of creator's or 'pitch man' for the Power Pressure Cooker XL claims you can do all your cooking in their pressure cooker, it fact it is their biggest selling point that he continually repeats in his videos. "No need to sauté your meat in another pan, you can do it in the Power Pressure Cooker XL". Unlike the Instant Pot, the Power Pressure Cooker XL does not have a specific button to sauté foods. On all their infomercials and videos on YouTube, to sauté they tell you to hit the meat button with the lid off to sauté or brown your meats and vegetables. The information on their website states “On the Power Pressure Cooker XL press any preset buttons with the lid off to sauté”.

What I have found is that no matter they type or amount of oil or cooking spray I use in the Power Pressure Cooker XL, the meat sticks and then burns to the bottom of the Teflon coated pot. Chicken, rabbit, and pork would all stick to the bottom of the pan every time I tried to sauté them in the pressure cooker. In addition, onions browned two quickly and would burn using this approach. The bottom line is that sautéing in the Power Pressure Cooker XL is a pain in the backside. This is not a deal breaker for me, but it is one their biggest claims, and in my experience it is an absolute fail. I now sauté my meats and vegetables in a separate pan on the stove and then add them to the pressure cooker. So much for one pot cooking.

My parents had told me that they sauté meats and vegetables all the time in their Instant Pot pressure cooker with no problems. So this weekend while I was there to help my father lay some new flooring, I took the opportunity to try out the Instant Pot. Unlike the Power Pressure Cooker XL, the Instant Pot has a stainless steel cooking pot. It also has a specific saute button you use to sauté meats and vegetables. So I added a little olive oil to the pan, hit the sauté button and browned a 3lb roast with no problems, it did not stick once during the process. Whether it is because of the stainless steel pot, or the fact that maybe the Instant Pot regulated the temperature better using the 'sauté' button I do not know, but it actually performed the way I expected it too when sautéing meats and vegetables and that was nice.

Is Canning In Your Electric Pressure Cooker Safe?

While they initially claimed that you could can using the Power Pressure Cooker XL, the company has backed off somewhat on that claim. However, on their website they still state “the units reach 80-kPa/11.6 psi, which is the required pressure for canning”. So in theory, any foods that only require a minimum of 10psi or less should be able to be canned safely, while any foods that require 15psi could not be canned safely in the Power Pressure Cooker XL. The National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) does not recommend any electric pressure cookers for canning except the 'Ball Automatic Home Canner' for which they give three specific reasons “(1) is not a "multi-cooker", but a dedicated canner, (2) comes with its own instructions and pre-set canning options for specific food preparations, and (3) has had proper thermal process development done to support the recommendations with it.”

Ok, so I am no thermal engineer, I am only a cook, but personally, I believe any experienced canner should be able to take foods that need only 10psi and should be able to safely can in an electric pressure cooker. I will admit canning is not an exact science, you have to adjust the jiggler (weight gauge) or pressure gauge until you get the right rhythm or sound coming from your pressure canner or until you get to a specific pressure reading. So if you want to can in an electric pressure cooker, use your noggin, look at your recipe, and follow the same process that you would when using a standard pressure canner. I am not endorsing this process, I am simply saying I think that it can be done safely. For those of you who live at high altitudes, I would not attempt to do this as higher altitudes require a higher pressure rating than the Power Pressure Cooker XL can reach (15psi minimum).

The NCHP's biggest concerns regarding electric pressure cookers appears to be as follows “low-acid pressure process times rely on a combination of heat from the time the canner is coming to pressure, during the actual process time, and then during the early stages of cooling the canner and jars. Even after the heat is turned off under the canner, at the end of the recommended process time, the food remains at high enough temperatures for another period of time that can still contribute to killing of bacteria. This retained heat while the canner has to cool naturally to 0 pounds pressure before opening is used to advantage in calculating the total sterilizing value of the process to preserve some food quality. If anything is done to shorten the cooling period, including using a very small cooker, then the food could cool down more quickly, and be under-processed. (That is why we recommend using only pressure cookers that hold four or more quart-size jars.) Bacteria are not killed in the food only during the process time; the time it takes the canner to come up to pressure, the process time, and the cool-down time all matter. There is no way at this point in time to know exactly the percentage of contribution from cooling for each of the canning recommendations.” If you are concerned about the quicker cool down time when using a electric pressure canner, the simple fix would be to increase the processing time of the recipe for about 10-15 minutes. Again, this is not a recommendation, just a personal observation.

So the big question is have I pressure canned in my Power Pressure Cooker XL? Not yet, I may try a few canning recipes that require only 10psi, but spring is just now here, and I have nothing from the garden that needs to be canned at this time, but I may try a few soups and sauces (spaghetti w/o meat, and barbecue) just to check it out.

Clean Up

I must admit I have also been disappointed with the Power Pressure Cooker XL's ease of cleaning. While one would assume that a non-stick Teflon coated pot would be easier to clean than one that does not have a non-stick coating, I have not found this to be true. For some reason, the cooking pot of the Power Pressure Cooker has a small textured hexagon shaped pattern on the bottom of the cooking pot. I am not sure if this pattern was designed to make foods less likely to stick but it does not work, and it makes it quite a bit harder to clean the inner cooking pot. Honestly, I found the stainless steel cooking pot of the Instant Pot that my parents own quite a bit easier to clean and that was somewhat surprising. As for the lid, it comes apart quite easily and you can throw it in the dishwasher and it is easy to clean, only the pot is cantankerous.

I will be honest, we used stainless steel pots and sauté pans in just about every restaurant in which I worked during my 18 years in the restaurant business and they clean pretty easily, and the coating never comes off. In the long run, I would prefer a stainless steel cooking pot, but the power pressure cooker does not offer one at this time.

Performance

So if you have read this far, you probably think that I hate my Power Pressure Cooker right? Actually, I like it quite a bit, for the most part it performs as advertised, and there are only a few minor inconveniences that bug me (sautéing, and non-stick surface), but nothing is perfect. In fact, I think it cooks quite well, meats come out tender in about a third of the time it would need to cook in a conventional oven. I make beef stroganoff in my electric pressure cooker in 40 minutes that is super tender, and it is about the best tool for boiling a dozen eggs in 6 minutes that peel perfectly and are cooked just right. We have actually began to use our electric pressure cooker quite a bit, because it requires less time and energy to cook the same recipes that we like as opposed to a conventional oven or slow cooker. Btw, it has a slow cooker mode, we have just never used it yet.

The instruction and recipe books that come with the Power Pressure Cooker are a joke, it has a few recipes (maybe 10-15). My parents use a book titled “The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book: 500 Easy Recipes for Every Machine, Both Stovetop And Electric” for use with their Instant Pot. I liked it so much I purchased one off Amazon for $15.09 with free shipping and had it here is two days, and it has some very good recipes in it. In addition, I will be posting some of our favorite recipes that we use in our electric pressure cooker here on the blog.

Pressure Settings (Low and High)

According to the The Power Pressure Cooker XL manual, all cooking modes except canning, use low pressure for cooking (7.2PSI or 50kPa). The canning mode is the only function that uses high pressure (12PSI or 82.7kPa) The only function that the preset buttons perform is giving you a suggested or default starting time for a particular type of food for which the cook time can be increased or decreased. From what I can tell from their website (under the cooking information), all of the Instant Pot default buttons indicate that it cooks at a higher pressure (10-2-11.6PSI or 70-80kPa) than the Power Cooker XL regardless of the cooking mode.

Conclusion

Overall, we are happy with our electric pressure cooker purchase. In hindsight, had I been afforded the opportunity to have tried my parents Instant Pot before purchasing the Power Pressure Cooker XL, I probably would have purchased the Instant Pot brand. However, the canner in me is intrigued at the possibilities of using the Power Pressure Cooker for canning food that require 10psi or less. This was after all my wife's original reason for wanting an electric pressure cooker so that she could attempt to help me can and preserve some of our harvest.

Eventually I am sure I will try and can with my Power Pressure Cooker regardless of the objections of the NCHFP. I have been canning long enough and know how to maintain proper food safety that I believe that I can overcome their concerns and or objections safely. If you wish to do so, it is at your own risk and I am not endorsing the Power Pressure Cooker XL as a safe canning device, I am simply stating my opinion. As always, we ask that if you find this information interesting that you please share it with your friends on Facebook and Google+. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+. You can also subscribe to our blog so that you do not miss any of our new recipes or articles.

Electric Pressure Cooker Recipes On Our Blog:

Pressure Cooker Beef Stroganoff 

Canning Related Articles On Our Blog:

To Pressure Or Not To Pressure, That Is The Question.

Canning Basics: A Step-By-Step Guide.

Yes You Can: Preserving Your Harvest.

References:

Power Pressure Cooker XL Website, www.powerpressurecooker.com

Instant Pot Website, www.instantpot.com

Burning Issue:Canning In Electric Multi-Cookers: Should I can in my electricmulti-cooker appliance?, National Center for Home Food Preservation, February 13, 2015.

Arthur Bryant's Original Style BBQ Sauce

In continuous operation since 1908, Arthur Bryant's has been written about many times and it's praises are sung by many throughout the internet. In an 1972 article in Playboy magazine author and self proclaimed food aficionado Calvin Trillian wrote “it has long been acknowledged that the single best restaurant in the world is Arthur Bryant's”. Now, that is quite a statement and while Arthur Bryant's was well known throughout the state of Missouri, this article thrust Arthur Bryant's into the national limelight.

Personally, I think Mr. Trillian made quite a bold statement, and I am not actually sure how you can very such a claim. After all we all have different tastes and what I may find as delicious, you may think tastes horrible. But the is the nature of opinions, we all have them and are entitled to our own unique perspective. I happen to think there are better barbecue places here in my home state of Texas, than Arthur Bryan's but that is just my opinion.

Anyway I digress, Famous for their 'burnt ends', the one thing that all the fans of Bryant's barbecue try and replicate is their original style barbecue sauce. As long as there have been blogs and message boards on the internet, there have been barbecue fanatics who have been working on creating a copy cat recipe for Arthur Bryant’s original style BBQ sauce that is served at their restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri.

According to Southern Living magazine “Bryant's uses double-strength pickling vinegar in the sauce, which makes for one hell of a punchy tang”. A double strength pickling vinegar is 10% (10% acid), most of the distilled white vinegar you buy on the local shelves of your supermarket is diluted to 5% (5% acid). In fact, I could only find one brand (Ozark White Pickling Vinegar) of 10% vinegar available on the internet. For some, even the power of 5% white distilled vinegar is too much, let alone 10% vinegar and many BBQ enthusiasts began to experiment with substituting the more mild apple cider vinegar for distilled white vinegar.

I have read from other's that a Bryant's that an employee once said that they used “double strength pickle juice”, to give their sauce that unique twang. While I have never seen or heard of commercially prepared pickles that were pickled “double strength”, using leftover pickle juice as the acid component to make barbecue sauce intrigued me. Barbecue restaurants go through a lot of 5 gallon buckets of dill pickle slices and using the leftover juice makes economic sense, especially in the early part of the 20^th century when few things in a restaurant went to waste. Even if it was only as a flavor enhancer and it comprised only half of the total vinegar component it would add a unique flavor to the sauce.

The Sauce

Bryant's is not the typical 'Kansas City' style sauce which has become popular today. It tends to be thinner, less sweet, and have more of a vinegary tartness that the typical Kansas City style barbecue sauce. The sauces found in the region tend to be thicker, sweeter and use quite a bit less vinegar. If anything, Bryant's sauce seems to be a cross between a Lexington or Piedmont style North Carolina sauce and a Kansas City style sauce.

The Recipe (My Version Of Arthur Bryant's Original Sauce)

As long as there have been blogs and message boards on the internet, there have been barbecue fanatics who have been working on creating a copy cat recipe for Arthur Bryant’s original style BBQ sauce. I have been playing with the following recipe over the years and I think it is a pretty good representation of Arthur Bryant's original sauce.

There are some things you need to take into account when trying to copy a particular recipe. The choice of ingredients makes a difference. A dark chili powder as opposed to a 'regular' chili powder has a greater depth of flavor, types of paprika have a different flavor component depending on whether it is Hungarian, Spanish, or whether it is labeled simply as paprika. Without knowing the specific brands and type of spices used in a recipe, you simply have to go with what you have in your pantry.

While I have included it as part of the recipe, I no longer add lard to my sauce. Lard adds no specific flavor component and I believe that it was originally used to help thicken the sauce. I have found that by using diced onion and minced garlic rather than their powdered form that the sauce thickens sufficiently when blended that I did not need to add lard.

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup dill pickle juice or apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar or 12 to 16 drops of liquid sucralose

¼ cup prepared mustard

¼ cup lard(optional)
2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon turmeric

Cook over medium high heat. Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Then take your immersion blender or place the cooled sauce in your blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to meld and mellow. The sauce will thicken as it cools, but will still be looser than a standard KC style sauce.

Chef's Note: I actually like substituting pickle juice for the vinegar component in this sauce, and it is my preferred way to make it as the pickle juice gives the sauce a unique taste that I like. Doing this may make it taste substantially different than Bryant's but my family likes it's tartness. If you do not have, or like lard, then use vegetable shortening or do as I do and simply omit it.

The hardest part about replicating this sauce for me is: 1) I do not have a sample of the sauce that is made in the store with me to compare side-by-side, 2 ) the label or ingredient list on the bottle makes it very easy to hide individual components of the commercial recipe under the umbrella title of “spices”. The following ingredients are listed on the label of Arthur Bryant's original barbecue sauce.

Arthur Bryant's Original Barbecue Sauce: Water, Seasoning (sugar, mustard, flour, spices, dried garlic, dried onion, soybean oil), Vinegar, Salt, Tomato Paste, Lard, Xanthan Gum, and Sodium Benzoate (preservative).

Conclusion

Many years ago, I started out making this recipe from combining many different ingredients of other recipes and then adding my own components and measurements. Over the years, I have tried adding various ingredients, keeping some, changing the amounts of some, and simply omitting others. This recipe started out as one posted on the 'Smoking Ronnies BBQ Blog' by a user identified as Mark Socha back in 2011. I felt his recipe used way to much paprika and was way to salty, however using his recipe as a base, I made many changes until it evolved into the sauce that I use today. 

So there you have have it, my version of the famous Arthur Bryant's original barbecue sauce. So how close is it to the original. Honestly, I remember it as being pretty close, however, memories fade and it has been many years since I have tasted their sauce and I have been making a version of this sauce for quite some time now. I do not know if the restaurant still makes their sauce from scratch or uses the commercially prepared sauce that they now sell in bottles. As always, we ask that if you find this information interesting that you please share it with your friends on Facebook and Google+. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+. You can also subscribe to our blog so that you do not miss any of our new recipes.

References:

Murphy, Morgan, “Behind The Scenes At Arthur Bryant's Barbecue In Kansas City.” Southern Living, Accessed 2015.

Trillian, Calvin, “NO!, One Of The World's Foremost Authorities On Ribs, Cheeseburgers, French Fries, And Frosty Malts, Takes A Gourmet Tour Of Kansas City.” Playboy, April 1972, 109 -110, 208-209.

Smoking Ronnie's BBQ Blog

Country Style Ham And Cheese Quiche

When you have chickens, you get a lot of eggs, well at least we do here on the TAP homestead. In addition to eating a lot of boiled eggs and egg salad, we eat quiche on a pretty regular basis. The great thing about quiche is that it is easy to make, although you have to wait about an hour for that cheesy, bacon-any goodness.

I know we have all heard the saying “real men don't eat quiche” right? So what it a quiche anyway? It is breakfast pie made with eggs, cheese, meat, milk, and optional greens. Pretty much the same thing that thousands of Americans sit down and eat at the breakfast table every morning. Anyway, on to the recipe.

The Recipe

Generally a quiche is made with the addition of heavy cream or half-in-half, but most of us do not keep either of those in the refrigerator on a regular basis, so this recipe has been modified so that it is more everyday friendly. After some experimentation here is my version of a traditional Quiche Lorraine modified to make it somewhat easier for the avergae American to make. I call it 'Country Quiche' as just about anyone has the ingredients in their fridge and or garden to make it.

1 deep dish pie shell

4 eggs

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

4 slices of bacon

¾ cup whole milk

spinach, kale, swiss chard or other greens of your liking (optional)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Remove your deep dish frozen pie shell from the freezer about 10 minutes before you want to make the quiche. After ten minutes, take a fork and push the tines (the pointy ends) all around the bottom of the crust to perforate it. This keeps the crust from bubbling up.

Place eggs in a bowl and beat until scrambled, then add the milk, salt and pepper and mix throughly, then set aside. Next, layer the cheese, meat, and greens then pour in the egg and milk mixture.

Chef's Note: When I made this quiche, we were out of bacon (say it isn't so right?). So I took two slices of Oscar Mayer cooked ham (lunch meat) and cut it into to small pieces and used it instead of the bacon. The greens I used for this quiche was kale taken from my parents garden.

Place the quiche in the preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Once it has cooked completely, remove form the oven and allow to cool for 3 to 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Eat it plain, or top it with the salsa of your choice.

Conclusion

This is one of those dishes that I prepare, throw in the oven and then go outside and feed and water the rabbits and chickens and check on the garden. By the time I am done the quiche is usally ready. And if I am not done, then my wife simply hollers out the back door at me to come eat. This recipe is quick, easy, and delicious and it is one way in which I sneak extra greens into my diet.

As always, we ask that if you find this information interesting that you please share it with your friends on Facebook and Google+. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+. You can also subscribe to our blog so that you do not miss any of our new recipes.