Crock Pots /Slow Cookers

Crock Pot is a brand of Slow Cooker. There are other brands.

Make sure you get one big enough for what you want. Hubby and I have a medium sized one, but since we LOVE leftovers, it's not big enough.

The only recipe I have is for a pot roast. Get a cheap hunk of meat (like a bottom round or something.) I like to cut most of the fat off b/c fat tastes icky to me. Then I stuff the thing in the slow cooker, fill it up with water over the top and leave it cooking 6 hours on high or 8-10 on low, depending on how full I've stuffed it. It's done when the meat falls apart. Yum. Then I make some gravy real quick and maybe some mashed potatoes or something. You can put potatoes and carrots and such in the pot with the roast too.

I second Clair, get a large one. Also, get one where the insert is removable for easy cleaning.

There's scads of recipes online. Google and you'll find more than you can ever hope to make.

1. Look for one with a removable crock. Easier to clean... and look for one with a dark crock... the white ones will, after a time, always look dirty.

2. I'll get to that in a minute... have to go look 'em up.

3. I don't convert, actually. I do it the same as I would on the stove for soup or stew. For chili, we just throw it together in the crock while we're browning the meat, then put the meat in, give it a stir, slap on the lid and leave it while we go do other stuff.

4. I'm assuming crock pots and slow cookers are the same, too.

I love pork tenderloin done in the crock - especially if I've got time at the end to finish it off with about thirty minutes in the smoker. Turns out tender, juicy, and delicious.

Boneless pork ribs 'country style) are wonderful! Just throw those in with some onions, garlic, a cup or so of wine or chicken stock and when you serve, drain and pour on some warmed bbq sauce.


Here's Mama's stew recipe (as close as possible, since you know she never wrote anything down, don't you?). You simply *must* serve it with cornbread and lots of butter. And sliced, fresh onion, of course!



Start with a big pot... the biggest one you have. A big stock pot is perfect, 'cause if you start with a small one, you're just going to end up washing more dishes as you move into a bigger one when you begin to overflow.



Put a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in the pot and cut some nice beef - round steak, roast, etc. - into bite-size pieces. Don't spare the fat. You can also use ground beef - but Donna says it's not as good - I like it. When the oil is hot, put in the meat and brown it. When meat is browned, add:


1 large, chopped onion
3-6 cloves chopped garlic

1 #303 can beef stock or chicken stock (or equivalent in water plus 2-3 beef/chicken bullion cubes... liquid should cover all the vegetables.) Donna lets it simmer a while before putting in the veggies... I throw 'em right in. All comes out in the wash.

3-4 medium potatoes, washed and cut into 1" cubes
2 #303 can tomatoes, peels and stems removed, crushed
3-4 stalks of celery, de-veined and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 #303 can corn (optional)
1 #303 can sliced carrots or 1 lb. Baby carrots, fresh
1 8oz can tomato sauce
½ medium head of cabbage, chopped or ½ bag of frozen Brussels sprouts (optional)
1 small can sliced mushrooms
½ C Barley
1 beer (optional - mother didn't add this, but Jenny does)
Salt and Pepper to taste

You should start this in the morning and let it simmer on 'low' all day. Daddy always said it was *much* better as leftovers, after the flavors had had time to mingle.

Ol' Boy's Chili

I know... some folks don't use burger and some don't use beans... but this is the recipe I love most.

There are a couple things that man can cook - Chili is his piec d'resistance. It's better than Mama's. It's better than mine. It's better than any chili I have ever eaten in my life. Try it.

1 lbs. lean, ground beef (chili grind, if available)
1 lb hot breakfast sausage
4 strips bacon, cut in pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 roasted, peeled, chopped poblano pepper
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomatoes, crushed
1 can William's Tomatoes and Green Chiles OR 2 cans RoTel Tomatoes and Green Chiles
1 1/2 cups water
1 dried Cayenne pepper, broken up
1 tsp ground cumin
Lots of chili powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 cans Ranch Style Beans OR 3 cans chili beans
1-2 bottles or cans of Beer

Cut bacon into bits and brown. Fish bacon out, drain on paper towel. Sauté onions, green pepper and garlic in bacon grease. Do not drain. Fish out veggies and add to fried bacon. Brown ground beef and sausage, covering them with plenty of chili powder.

Start dumping each ingredient into a big pot or a crock pot. Stir in un-drained tomatoes, and remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours or so, stirring occasionally. You might have to add another beer or some water, if you're not using beer. This is one of those dishes that's better the next day. Makes excellent Frito Chili Pies by layering Fritos, then chili, then chopped onion in a bowl. Also makes really good 'Chili Mac' - serve the chili ladled over cooked elbow macaroni or spaghetti.

Frito's, by the way, must be sprinkled with something addictive. They were Dad's favorite munchy... mine, too.

I finally broke down and when Ol' Boy asked me what I wanted for Christmas year-before-last, I asked for KitchenAid crock pot. It's 7.5 quarts - HUGE - and it's been dubbed 'The Queen Mary', but it's perfect for stew, chili, a whole chicken, a big roast... you name it. It's about $129.00... but it's as big as they come.

Important crock-saving tip: don't heat up the crock before putting in a cool liquid. Breakage will occur.

Google crock pot recipes, Lisa. There are hundreds of sites dedicated to them. Beef stew is one of my favorites.

Buy two crock pots; a small version and a large version. They're inexpensive enough. The little one is great for quick daily meals. I usually prepare two or three small crocks (I order extras) a week so I can come home to a ready made meal when I know I'll have little time to cook. I use the big one when I want to make a large portion of something when the ingredients are cheaper to buy in bulk. I freeze a few containers afterward to use later.

I don't know if you live alone, but I do, so I have a smaller (3 1/2 qt. crock pot). I mostly make soups, beans, and steel-cut oats in it. As far as meat goes, any recipe that is stewed or braised can be converted to a crockpot (I usually double the cooking time called for in original recipe and cook on the low setting). One thing to watch out for: don't overcook the meat or else it will taste sour.

Good luck!

Mable's Easiest-Ever Pot Roast

Mom's pot roast is the best - not to mention the easiest - I've ever made. She served it with potatoes and carrots cooked right along with the roast in the crock pot.

One beef roast - 7 Bone is excellent, but any cut will work
One envelope Lipton's Onion Soup Mix
Carrots
Potatoes
2 Cups Water (or red wine)

You can brown the roast first if you like, but it's not necessary. Cook on 'High' for two hours, shift to 'Low' and cook 'til tender - it's an all-day affair.

By the way, does anyone have a good crockpot corned beef and cabbage recipe?

Go to your local grocery store and find the basic Crock Pot recipe cook book (they usually cost $3 or so). This is a great place to start, gives you ides. I stole borrowed it from my Sister in law... Then, when you're more comfortable, you can google.

I like to make hot drinkage in my crockpot every year. And yes, the best crockpots have the removable insert. This is a recipe I came up with years ago, and it was one of the most popular on my About.com site last year at Yule. Enjoy!

BASIC WASSAIL RECIPE
Ingredients:
1 Gallon apple cider
2 C. cranberry juice
1/2 C honey
1/2 C sugar
2 oranges
Whole cloves
1 apple, peeled and diced
Allspice
Ginger
Nutmeg
3 cinnamon sticks (or 3 Tbs. ground cinnamon)
1/2 C - 1 C brandy (optional)

Preparation:
Set your crockpot to its lower setting, and pour apple cider, cranberry juice, honey and sugar in, mixing carefully. As it heats up, stir so that the honey and sugar dissolve. Stud the oranges with the cloves, and place in the pot (they'll float). Add the diced apple. Add allspice, ginger and nutmeg to taste -- usually a couple of tablespoons of each is plenty. Finally, snap the cinnamon sticks in half and add those as well.

Cover your pot and allow to simmer 2 - 4 hours on low heat. About half an hour prior to serving, add the brandy if you choose to use it.

You can also do this one:

HOT BUTTERED RUM

Ingredients:
2 Quarts apple juice
2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 stick butter (use the real stuff, not margarine)
3 Tbs. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 C. your favorite rum
Refrigerated whipped dessert topping
Cinnamon sticks and nutmeg for garnish

Preparation:
Warm up the apple juice and brown sugar in a pot. Add the butter (dice up the stick before you put it in there, so it'll melt faster). Stir until the butter is melted. Add the spices and the rum. Cover the pot, and allow to simmer on low for 2 - 4 hours.

Ladle into mugs for serving. Top each with a dollop of whipped topping and a cinnamon stick. Sprinkle with a dash of nutmeg.

Y'all have inspired me. I am now watching Craigslist for crock pots.

Clair Dickson said:

Crock Pot is a brand of Slow Cooker. There are other brands.

Make sure you get one big enough for what you want. Hubby and I have a medium sized one, but since we LOVE leftovers, it's not big enough.

The only recipe I have is for a pot roast. Get a cheap hunk of meat (like a bottom round or something.) I like to cut most of the fat off b/c fat tastes icky to me. Then I stuff the thing in the slow cooker, fill it up with water over the top and leave it cooking 6 hours on high or 8-10 on low, depending on how full I've stuffed it. It's done when the meat falls apart. Yum. Then I make some gravy real quick and maybe some mashed potatoes or something. You can put potatoes and carrots and such in the pot with the roast too.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I put potatoes and carrots in with mine. I also add two cans of condensed French onion soup, two cans of water, and slice up one big ol' stinky onion, scattering the slices over the top of the rest of the ingredients. Then I plug in the cooker, set it on high, and leave it alone for about 4 or 5 hours.

Another slow cooker tip: DO NOT remove the lid of the cooker under any circumstance, save fire. You need that heat built up and if you remove the lid "for just a sec", you're losing heat and cooking time.

Medievalist said:

Dawno talked me out of buying a used one, and I found a four quart one with a dark removable insert from Hamilton Beach for 19.99.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13689598

Click to expand...

I have a similar model. The lid lift came off after a few months but I superglued it back on. Otherwise, it's held up well after being used daily in a restaurant. We made a lot of pork and kraut with it.

Oh... that's it... I've been saying for 12 years I want a crock pot. I'm goin' out and gettin' me a damn crock pot now...

Medievalist said:

Dawno talked me out of buying a used one, and I found a four quart one with a dark removable insert from Hamilton Beach for 19.99.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13689598

Click to expand...

So I bought this crock pot yesterday! I'm cooking my first meal in it right now!

But I have a problem. My apartment is very small. The food has been cooking for one hour now and already my mouth is watering and my stomach is rumbling at the smell. And I have FIVE HOURS TO GO.

This is actually a torture instrument, right?

Yes. Yes it is. Aren't we devious?

For future reference for purchases. I have a slow cooker made by West Bend. The cooking vessel is metal, not crockery, and is not attached to the cooking base. This means you can put it on the stove to brown your meat before starting the 'cook all day' part. It's non-stick on the inside, so easy to clean. I wore out the first one and bought another.

MM

Smells... so... good...

Welcome to the joys of crockpottery!