I don’t know about you, but sometimes I just really don’t want to sift through an entire recipe just to whip something up for dinner. I just want to use my own seasoning and set the time! However, I have found that no matter what you are cooking in the IP, all you can find online is a recipe to follow. So, I decided to create an Instant Pot Meat Cheat Sheet.
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Quick Release/ Natural Release
For most meats, you will want to do a natural release for a certain amount of time. This allows the meat to absorb the juices and become more tender. A natural release is just leaving the pot alone once it beeps. If you need further information about releasing your pressure, please visit our post Quick Release VS. Natural Release and Keep Warm Function.
Saute Function: Instant Pot Meat Cheat Sheet
For many recipes that you will come across, you are asked to saute your meat before you pressure cook it. Slightly browning your meat on each side helps to keep the juices in while cooking. You can do that with any of the meats below before doing the pressure cook times.
Remember to scrape the bottom of the pot before pressure cooking if you choose to saute your meat! If you don’t, you will most likely get the dreaded BURN NOTICE! Use the liquid and a wooden utensil to scrape the bottom of any debris after you saute anything.
Trivet or Not?
I personally do not like to use the trivet when I cook meat. I like to plop it right in the juices as I find it makes the meat juicier and tastier. With that being said, I do use a trivet for chicken wings so that I can easily crisp them in the broiler. Using the trivet is completely up to you!
Instant Pot Meat Cheat Sheet
From chicken to beef, we are giving you a cheat sheet that will help you with just times, water/broth, and releasing the pressure!
Chicken
With chicken, it really depends on what kind of chicken you are cooking. Chicken breasts are going to be a different time than chicken wings. So, here is the breakdown!
Related: 31 Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
Wings
Liquid: 1 Cup water or broth
Time: High pressure 10-minutes
Release Pressure: Natural release for 5 minutes then quick release
*Use the broiler to crisp up your chicken wings.*
Legs
Liquid: 1 cup water or broth
Time: High pressure 22-minutes
Release Pressure: 5-minute natural release then quick release
*Use the broiler to crisp up your chicken wings.*
Thighs
Liquid: 1-2 cups water or broth
Time: High pressure 12-minutes
Release Pressure: 5-minute natural release then quick release
Breasts
Liquid: 1-2 cups water or broth
Time: High pressure 6-minutes (small sized); high pressure 7-minutes (medium sized); high pressure 8-minutes (large sized)
Release Pressure: 10-minute natural release then quick release
Pork
Again, with pork, you will have different cooking times depending on what you are trying to cook. Here are the most popular cuts and their times:
Tenderloin
Liquid: 1 cup water or broth
Time: High pressure 3-minutes
Release Pressure: 15-minute natural release then quick release
Pork Chops
Liquid: 1 ½ cups water or broth
Time: High pressure 10-minutes
Release Pressure: 10-minute natural release then quick release
Pork Steak
Liquid: 1 cup water or broth
Time: High pressure 15-minutes
Release Pressure: 15-minute natural release then quick release
Pork Ribs
Liquid: 2 cups water or broth
Time: High pressure 25-minutes
Release Pressure: 15-minute natural release then quick release
*Don’t forget to remove rib membrane and place ribs around the inner pot not stacked on each other*
*Use a broiler to crisp them up. I put BBQ sauce and crisp*
Ham
Liquid: 1 cup of pineapple juice, water, or broth
Time: High pressure 5-minutes for 5 pound ham
Release Pressure: 10-minute natural release then quick release
*Cook ham 1-minute per pound*
Pork Loin
Liquid: 1 cup water or broth
Time: High Pressure 15-minutes
Release Pressure: 15-minute Natural release then quick release
Pork Roast /Pulled Pork
Liquid: 2 cups water or broth
Time: High pressure 35-40-minutes
Release Pressure: 10-minute natural release and then quick release
Beef
Beef also has different times depending on what you are cooking. Here are the most popular cuts of beef and their times.
Related: Instant Pot Beef Recipes You Will Love
Brisket
Liquid: 1 cup water or broth
Time: High pressure 75-minutes
Release Pressure: 15-minute natural release then quick release
*It is best to marinate brisket overnight*
Steak
Liquid: 1 cup beef broth or water
Time: High pressure 5-minutes (medium)
Release Pressure: For medium done do a quick release; for well-done, do 5-minute natural release
*For a more rare steak, you only need to cook it 1-2 minutes*
Hamburger/Ground Beef
Liquid: 1 ½ cups water
Time: High pressure 20-minutes (flat packaging); High pressure 25-minutes (tube packaging)
Release Pressure: 5-minute natural release then quick release
Ribs
Liquid: 2 cups water or broth
Time: High pressure 22-minutes
Release Pressure: 10-minute natural release then quick release
*Don’t forget to remove rib membrane and place ribs around the inner pot not stacked on each other*
*Use a broiler to crisp them up. I put BBQ sauce and crisp*
Roast
Liquid: 2 cups water or broth
Time: High pressure 55-65 minutes depending on size
Release Pressure: Natural release 10-minutes then quick release
Frozen Instant Pot Meat Cheat Sheet
The great thing about the Instant Pot is that you can cook your meat from frozen! In most instances you do not have to add additional time to your meat when cooking from frozen. However, thicker cuts of meat will require additional time and you always increase time for frozen chicken!
A good rule of thumb is to simply add 1-3 additional minutes to your cook time if you are using frozen meat. Because it will take longer to come to pressure with frozen meat, you will not have to add much time.
For chicken that is frozen, add an additional 5-minutes.
If you loved this cheat sheet, don’t forget to pin it to Pinterest! Sharing is caring!
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I love this! Thank you for doing all the work to compile it for me 🙂
Is the liquid and cooking times the same for every size of instant pot? I have an 8 qt.
Yes. A larger pot may take longer to come to pressure but the cooking times are the same.
Are the times the same for the 10 qt? What about if I want to cook larger amounts of food? How does the time change?
yes the cooking times remain the same.