How to Cook Tripe in the Instant Pot
Organ meats are hands down one of the best ways to make your diet more nutrient-dense, even when you’re on a tight budget. They’re inexpensive and delicious when cooked properly (yes they are, in spite of what the liver haters say). Tripe is one of my favorite organ meats to cook because it is very mild and takes on spices and seasonings beautifully.
Because tripe is rich in collagen, it can take quite a while to cook until tender. This is where my Instant Pot is a game changer. It allows me to cook tripe in about 30 minutes instead of simmering it on the stovetop for 2 hours, and the tripe always comes out tender and flavorful.
In this post, I’ll show you how to cook tripe in the Instant Pot (or any other pressure cooker) so you can have perfectly tender tripe ready to use in soups, stews, or any of your favorite tripe dishes.
What Is Tripe?
Tripe is the stomach tissue of a ruminant animal such as cattle or sheep. When cleaned and prepared properly, it can be sliced or chopped and added to soups, stews, and many other dishes.
There are four main types of tripe: blanket tripe, honeycomb tripe (the most common type you’ll find for sale), book tripe, and reed tripe. They are all perfectly edible, although they differ in texture and appearance.
I’m passionate about organ meats and their important place in an ancestral diet because they are some of the most nutrient-dense cuts of the whole animal. Tripe, in particular, is a good source of protein, vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, and iron. It is also rich in collagen—which is one of the reasons it can take quite a while to cook until tender.
Why Cook Tripe in the Instant Pot?
Because tripe is rich in collagen, it needs a long, slow cooking time to become tender. On the stovetop, it usually takes around 2 hours, depending on which animal it came from and what type of tripe you’re cooking. The Instant Pot shortens the cooking time considerably while producing tender, flavorful tripe with very little hands-on effort.
Ingredients
- Tripe: You can use any type of tripe—blanket, honeycomb, reed, or book tripe. I used lamb blanket tripe, but beef tripe works just as well.
- Coarse salt: Used for scrubbing and cleaning the tripe.
- Lemon juice or vinegar: Used for soaking the tripe before cooking.
- Onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf: Add flavor to the tripe as it cooks.
How to Prepare Tripe for the Instant Pot
Before you cook tripe in the Instant Pot, you need to scrape and clean it, then parboil it. Parboiling isn’t strictly essential, but I find it helps clean the tripe and reduce its smell.
Will it whiten the tripe? Not really—not in my experience with lamb tripe. Natural tripe can be tan, brown, or even greenish in color. This color can come from residual plant matter and natural pigments in the stomach lining.
The bright white tripe you often see in shops has usually been treated with oxidizing agents such as chlorine or hydrogen peroxide. This isn’t something you want to do at home. So, when preparing tripe yourself, expect it to become cleaner and less pungent after scrubbing and parboiling, but don’t expect it to become dramatically whiter.
If you’re short on time, you can skip the soaking and parboiling steps. Just give the tripe a thorough scrub, then cook it in your Instant Pot with the aromatics. I include the soaking and parboiling steps because they help reduce the tripe’s smell, which can make a big difference if you or your family are new to eating organ meats.
Rinse the tripe very thoroughly. Lay it flat, then scrub it vigorously with coarse salt, covering the entire surface, for 5–10 minutes. You can also scrape it gently with the edge of a knife. I used a butter knife to avoid accidentally making holes in the tripe.
For 2 lb (1 kg) of tripe, combine 2 liters of water with ½ cup lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of coarse salt. Add the tripe and refrigerate for 1–2 hours.
How to Cook Tripe in the Instant Pot
Cut the parboiled tripe into pieces about 5–8 cm (2–3 inches) across and place them in the Instant Pot. Add the quartered onion, bay leaf, smashed garlic cloves, salt, and black pepper.
Close the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Cook on high pressure for the time specified in the chart below.
Let the pressure naturally release for 15–20 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Check the tripe—it should be soft and tender but still pleasantly chewy, not falling apart. If it’s still too chewy, pressure cook it for another 10 minutes.
Once the tripe has cooled enough to handle, slice or chop it according to the recipe you’re using it for.
Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart
The times I show in the chart below are just a general guideline – the cooking time can vary a little based on age of the animal and size of the pieces you cut it into before cooking.
Always use 15–20 minutes of natural pressure release, especially for the tougher rumen and beef tripe.
| Type of tripe | Lamb | Sheep | Beef | Texture when done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanket / flat tripe (rumen) | 25–30 min | 40–50 min | 55–65 min | Tender, pleasantly chewy |
| Honeycomb tripe (reticulum) | 20–25 min | 35–45 min | 45–55 min | Tender and slightly springy |
| Book / bible tripe (omasum) | 20–25 min | 30–40 min | 35–45 min | Tender, with layered texture |
| Reed / lace tripe (abomasum) | 15–20 min | 25–30 min | 25–35 min | Softer and more delicate |
How to Tell When Tripe Is Done
Don’t judge tripe by whether a fork can penetrate it. Properly cooked tripe should be tender but not necessarily fall apart like shredded meat. To test if your tripe is done, bite into a thick piece – If you can bite through it easily but it still has a pleasant springiness, it’s done. If it is rubbery or difficult to chew, you need to cook it a little longer. Tripe will have a somewhat springy/chewy texture even when properly cooked – it won’t be tough but it won’t be like shredded beef either.
If the tripe isn’t tender enough after the initial cooking, put the lid back on and give it another 10 minutes under pressure.
How to Serve Instant Pot Tripe
If your family is new to tripe, I wouldn’t personally serve it simply boiled in its cooking broth. Instead, try one of these ways to serve it:
- Crispy fried tripe: Pat the tripe dry, then cut it into bite-sized strips. Toss it with salt, paprika, garlic, and black pepper, then fry it in butter until lightly browned and crispy. Serve with a garlic yogurt sauce.
- Chicken soup: Slice the tripe thinly or chop it into small cubes, then add it to chicken noodle soup in place of the chicken. I especially like it in Chinese-style noodle soup.
- Mexican tripe soup: Red menudo is another great way to serve tripe, especially if you love spicy Mexican food. In this soup, finely sliced or chopped tripe is simmered in a rich broth with vegetables and warm spices.
Recipe FAQ
Final Thoughts
Most of us didn’t grow up eating organ meats, so the thought of cooking them can seem a little scary—it certainly did to me! I persevered, though, because after reading Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, I understood how important organ meats could be in our diet. They’re especially valuable for our family because we’re on a budget and simply don’t have the funds for expensive powdered organ supplements.
Now, cooking liver, heart, tripe, and even tongue is almost second nature to me, and it can become second nature to you too. It just takes a little practice and the willingness to try them a few times. Tripe is especially good for beginners because, unlike liver, it has a very mild flavor and readily takes on your favorite spices and seasonings.
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More Organ Meat Recipes
Red Menudo (Mexican Tripe Soup)
How to Cook Tripe in Instant Pot
Ingredients
- Tripe: any type
- Coarse salt
- Lemon juice or vinegar
- Onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf (for cooking the tripe)
Instructions
- Rinse the tripe thoroughly. Lay it flat and scrub vigorously with coarse salt, covering the entire surface, for 5–10 minutes. Gently scrape it with the edge of a knife if needed.
- For 2 lb (1 kg) tripe, combine 2 liters of water, ½ cup lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons coarse salt. Add the tripe, cover, and refrigerate for 1–2 hours.
- Rinse the tripe, place it in a pot, and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and give it a quick rinse.
- Cut the tripe into pieces about 5–8 cm (2–3 inches) across and place them in the Instant Pot. Add the quartered onion, bay leaf, smashed garlic cloves, salt, and black pepper.
- Close the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Cook on high pressure for the time specified in the cooking-time chart.
- Let the pressure naturally release for 15–20 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
- The tripe should be soft and tender but still pleasantly chewy, not falling apart. If it’s still too chewy, pressure cook for another 10 minutes.
- Let the tripe cool enough to handle, then slice or chop it according to the recipe you’re using it for.
Notes
- If you are short on time, you can skip the soaking and parboiling steps. Just give the tripe a good scrub, then cook it in your Instant Pot with the aromatics.
| Type of tripe | Lamb | Sheep | Beef | Texture when done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanket / flat tripe (rumen) | 25–30 min | 40–50 min | 55–65 min | Tender, pleasantly chewy |
| Honeycomb tripe (reticulum) | 20–25 min | 35–45 min | 45–55 min | Tender and slightly springy |
| Book / bible tripe (omasum) | 20–25 min | 30–40 min | 35–45 min | Tender, with layered texture |
| Reed / lace tripe (abomasum) | 15–20 min | 25–30 min | 25–35 min | Softer and more delicate |
