How to Pressure Cook a Turkey

Pressure cooking drastically reduces food preparation time. Food that would normally take a large amount of time to cook can usually be ready in half the time when pressure cooked.Practically any food, including turkey, can be pressure cooked. Most smaller cuts of turkey, such as the breast and drumsticks, will fit comfortably into a standard-size pressure cooker; however, if one has a big enough cooker, the entire turkey can be pressure-cooked.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Turkey, turkey breast, or turkey drumsticks
• Water or chicken broth
• 1 to 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or sage
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 medium onion
• ½ cup butter or margarine

COOK A TURKEY IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

1. Rinse turkey, but do not pat dry.

2. Place turkey in pressure cooker, add spices and onion. If possible, leave onion whole; do not halve or chop it.

3. Add the ½ cup butter.

4. Add the water or chicken broth. Be sure the liquid completely covers the meat, but leave 1 to 2 inches between the liquid and the top of the pressure cooker.

5. Fit the top on the pressure cooker, making sure it is secure. Fit the pressure cooker regulator on the pressure cooker, if it is a separate piece.

6. Turn heat on under pressure cooker. Start on high, until the regulator has assumed a rhythmic rocking motion, then adjust heat as needed to maintain a steady rhythm.

7. Once the regulator has started rocking, start timing the cooking process. Allow 30 to 45 minutes for turkey breasts or drumsticks. A whole turkey may take one hour or longer.

8. Allow the pressure to release gradually by removing the pressure cooker from the heat source and placing it on a heatproof or heat-resistant surface.

9. Carefully remove pressure cooker lid; transfer meat to serving platter or dish, or continue with the recipe.

Tips & Warnings

• Prepare food in advance, in the morning or even the night before, place into the pressure cooker, and place the pressure cooker in the refrigerator. It will take a little longer for the pressure cooker to heat up, but extra time was gained by the advance preparation.
• If a little more cooking time is desired after the pressure has been released, it is not necessary to replace the lid. Simply place the container portion of the pressure cooker back on the heat source, allow the food to boil, then cook until desired doneness is reached.
• If other ingredients are to be added to the recipe, allow the turkey to cook first, release the pressure, then add the other ingredients. Replace the lid, allow the pressure to re-build, then cook for another 10 to 15 minutes or until other ingredients are tender.
• It is possible to speed up the pressure release by running cold water over the pressure cooker; however, extreme care must be taken when doing so. See the warning concerning this.
• NEVER, NEVER attempt to force the lid on a pressure cooker to unlock or release until the pressure has been totally released. The lid could come off without warning, and the contents could literally explode out of the cooker, causing severe burns.
• Don’t come into contact with the steam that is being released around the regulator. Scalding could result.
• Set the pressure cooker well back on the stove, or turn the handle away from the front of the stove so that it cannot be pulled or knocked off.
• Use extreme caution when removing the pressure cooker from the heat source to the heat-resistant or heatproof surface for natural pressure release. The cooker and lid will be hot, and could cause burns.
• Likewise, use extreme caution if you decide to release the pressure by running cold water over the cooker. It will be necessary to remove the cooker from the heat source to the sink, and it will be heavy.

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