4 ms·

How does pressure affect the time needed to break down collagen? The sweet spot temp. for most BBQ cooking is 225˚F, which is already above water's boiling poin

How does pressure affect the time needed to break down collagen? The sweet spot temp. for most BBQ cooking is 225˚F, which is already above water's boiling point at standard pressure, so I'm unclear on how increased pressure would benefit cook time.

CarVac 8y ago
That's the temperature outside the meat. The meat itself is kept cool by evaporation. Pressure cooking lets the internal temperature rise faster by suppressing the boiling on the surface.
- lr4444lr 8y ago
  slaps forehead Of course! It would totally demolish "the stall". I have a pellet grill, and I'd love it if it had a high pressure mode that would kick in, sealing off the vents, once the internal temp's rate of change slowed to a certain point.
oh_sigh 8y ago
Collagen breakdown is a kinetic process(that is, a function of temperature * time). So you can decrease the time if you increase the temperature, that gets you part of the way there. But then there is also the fact that in a BBQ smoker, you are getting almost 100% of your heat on meat from air convection, whereas in a pressure cooker your food is either submerged in liquid, or in a high pressure steam, meaning that the heat transfer is much, much higher in a pressure cooker(this is the same concept why exposing skin to 40 degree air is much more pleasant than dunking that same skin in 40 degree water). I haven't cooked pulled pork in a while, but I have been making some pulled chicken in my pressure cooker every now and then the past few months. After 15 minutes on high pressure(~15 psi, 250 degrees), the chicken is fully cooked and literally falling apart as I pick it up under its own weight, which is something I never get even when I smoke chicken in my digitally controlled electric BBQ. On a side note, I can get boneless skinless chicken thighs for $1.50/lbs, and cook up a big pile of delicious meat in 30 mins that lasts a week. Highly recommended for the cheap, lazy, or people who just like pulled chicken.
alexbeloi 8y ago
What you need to break down collagen to gelatin is just energy. Energy = heat * time, so you can break it down in less time by using higher heat differential (higher temperature), which is exactly what a pressure cooker does. I have a stew that would normally take 3 hours simmering on the stove that can be done in 20 minutes in a pressure cooker.
- lr4444lr 8y ago
  Except you don't want to do that in BBQ because it can toughen, dry out/over-moisten, or burn the meat in some combination. I know the pressure cooker is better than the dry air convection of a smoker to some degree, but if it were that simple, then people would just crank up temps and use a large internal water pan.
  - alexbeloi 8y ago
    Agreed, I was only addressing the part about collagen breakdown. Pressure cooking makes most sense when you don't change the medium of cooking, as you say, boiling bbq doesn't make much sense. Otherwise the principal is the same, apply pressure to prevent water from turning to vapor. When boiling a stew, this lets water reach higher temperatures without evaporating (breaks down collagen faster), in air convection it prevents moisture from evaporating and cooling/drying the food.

CarVac 8y ago

That's the temperature outside the meat. The meat itself is kept cool by evaporation. Pressure cooking lets the internal temperature rise faster by suppressing the boiling on the surface.

lr4444lr 8y ago
slaps forehead Of course! It would totally demolish "the stall". I have a pellet grill, and I'd love it if it had a high pressure mode that would kick in, sealing off the vents, once the internal temp's rate of change slowed to a certain point.

oh_sigh 8y ago

Collagen breakdown is a kinetic process(that is, a function of temperature * time). So you can decrease the time if you increase the temperature, that gets you part of the way there. But then there is also the fact that in a BBQ smoker, you are getting almost 100% of your heat on meat from air convection, whereas in a pressure cooker your food is either submerged in liquid, or in a high pressure steam, meaning that the heat transfer is much, much higher in a pressure cooker(this is the same concept why exposing skin to 40 degree air is much more pleasant than dunking that same skin in 40 degree water). I haven't cooked pulled pork in a while, but I have been making some pulled chicken in my pressure cooker every now and then the past few months. After 15 minutes on high pressure(~15 psi, 250 degrees), the chicken is fully cooked and literally falling apart as I pick it up under its own weight, which is something I never get even when I smoke chicken in my digitally controlled electric BBQ. On a side note, I can get boneless skinless chicken thighs for $1.50/lbs, and cook up a big pile of delicious meat in 30 mins that lasts a week. Highly recommended for the cheap, lazy, or people who just like pulled chicken.

alexbeloi 8y ago

What you need to break down collagen to gelatin is just energy. Energy = heat * time, so you can break it down in less time by using higher heat differential (higher temperature), which is exactly what a pressure cooker does. I have a stew that would normally take 3 hours simmering on the stove that can be done in 20 minutes in a pressure cooker.

lr4444lr 8y ago
Except you don't want to do that in BBQ because it can toughen, dry out/over-moisten, or burn the meat in some combination. I know the pressure cooker is better than the dry air convection of a smoker to some degree, but if it were that simple, then people would just crank up temps and use a large internal water pan.
- alexbeloi 8y ago
  Agreed, I was only addressing the part about collagen breakdown. Pressure cooking makes most sense when you don't change the medium of cooking, as you say, boiling bbq doesn't make much sense. Otherwise the principal is the same, apply pressure to prevent water from turning to vapor. When boiling a stew, this lets water reach higher temperatures without evaporating (breaks down collagen faster), in air convection it prevents moisture from evaporating and cooling/drying the food.