Gourmia GPS-650 Smoker Pressure Cooker and Steamer Review

Have you ever walked down the street and smelled the most amazing smell in the world…smoked bbq cooking and not for you. I don’t know about anyone else, but I always tell myself that I will someday plan ahead far enough to devote the 10-12 hours needed for one of those wonderful smells, and then never actually do. But there is good news for all those fellow procrastinators out there. Up for review today is Gourmia’s 1-hour smoker pressure cooker model #GPS-650.  It’s a game changer in all sense of the word!

Features and specs:

Combining a Programmable Pressure Cooker, Steamer and a smoker all-in-1 appliance.

Digital display shows time temperature and status.

3 Adjustable Pressure control settings. Cooks food up to 70% faster.

Variable two-level rack which holds up to 4 lbs. of food in the aluminum, thermal-coated inner pot.

Automatically switch to warm feature. ETL Certified. Size: 6.5QT. Product Dimensions: 12 x 16 x 12.5.

The Gourmia GPS-650 came securely packaged in a nice looking color printed box, with photos and specs printed on the outside. Opening the box revealed the cooker securely packaged with a fitted Styrofoam holder. Materials used in the construction was both metal and plastic.  Quality of materials used was excellent as was the fit and finish.  The cooker came with its power cord, a smoker cube, a rack and the instruction manual.

The cooker has several pieces to it: the outer casing, the lid and the inner cooking pot. These can be used for a variety of cooking possibilities. There is the pressure cooker setting, the smoker setting and the steam setting. It does not have the sauté setting that typically appear on a regular instapot. This is partially because the heating element sticks up in the middle of the cooking pot and so it doesn’t heat up quite like a typical instapot. It is possible to slow cook in this pot using the steam setting.

While there wasn’t a recipe book included with the GPS-650, they do have a recipe book on the product page of their website. The instructions on how to prepare to use were clear and easy to follow. Our first attempt at smoking was bbq pulled pork for a football game. We had perfectly cooked and seasoned meat after only an hour in the pressure cooker. They were yummy! We were out before we had eaten our fill! We also tried a roast and employed the cold smoker option to add some flavor to cheese. Everything turned out perfectly. One word of caution, do NOT forget to include liquid in the bottom of the pan before cooking, it ensures that there is enough steam in the pot to adequately cook and to keep everything tender and at its best. We did forget to add water one time, and the meat did shrink some.  Definitely add the water! The smoke flavor can be a bit intense if you eat food directly after it’s done, but this mellows fairly quickly, so don’t worry too much if you take a quick taste after it’s done and it seems a bit strong.

And when I stated before that it is a game changer, I cannot emphasize that enough!  Just think about what this does……smoked meat in 1 hour.  That’s right….smoked meat in just 1 hour!  No longer will it take hours and hours!  I love my instapot, and I use it regularly. The GPS-650 fits right into my kitchen needs and will be loved for many seasons to come. We are planning on using it to smoke the turkey this Thanksgiving!   And I plan on telling my bbq buddies how I can now smoke meat in just an hour.  

At the end of the day, the Gourmia GPS-650 is a great smoker as well as pressure cooker and steamer.  But the real magic is in the smoker, both as a hot and cold smoker.  And the smoked cheeses were also great as well!  It’s also a well made quality product that should provide years of use.  And with an MSRP of $259 it is also well priced.  Based on design, features, quality, and performance, the Gourmia GPS-650 has earned our Editor’s Choice Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.gourmia.com.