So no attached lids, removable pots, and biggest I can afford. Sounds like a good list so far

11/9/2010 10:24:37 AM

But yeah, sometimes I make things that take 12 hours to cook, meaning that I have to start it at like 7AM if I want to eat dinner at 7PM. It is MUUUUUCH nicer to prepare it all the night before instead of having to get up at 6AM.

11/9/2010 10:27:23 AM

Well it does depend on how much you normally see yourself cooking. It's supposedly bad to cook with one less than 3/4 full (or something like that) so if you are just cooking for one or two and don't want a crapton of leftovers consider a smaller one. I am happy with mine most of the time, it's just like once a year I wish I could cook a bigger batch of something.

^ Theoretically you are not supposed to do that because of thermal cracking or whatever. I do the same thing though. But I imagine someday I will be the one person who wishes she'd listened to the warnings because my crock pot exploded all over everything.

11/9/2010 10:31:30 AM

I am planning on slow-cooking a pork tenderloin today. Pretty simple recipe:
Ingredients
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Just throw it all into the pot and cook for 4 hours.

My question is, can I do a pulled pork bbq with a tenderloin, or does that only work for shoulders?

11/9/2010 10:32:35 AM

^^ see, I thought the same thing. However I was told that the crockpot heats up so slowly that thermal cracking isn't an issue, especially when heating on Low. It's not like I am taking the ceramic pot and sticking it directly into a 400 degree oven.

[Edited on November 9, 2010 at 10:34 AM. Reason : a]

11/9/2010 10:33:30 AM

The instructions will tell you not to, but I guess that's mostly to cover their asses.

11/9/2010 10:38:19 AM

^^^ Doing that with a tenderloin is risky. It tends to dry out the meat too much since the loin is so lean there's no fatty moisture to speak of. I would maybe suggest browning it first, as it lets less juice out while cooking...also if you have time to brine, definitely do that. Best cuts of meat for slow cooking are the fatty-er, tougher meats that break down well. Go with a butt or shoulder cut for best results.

11/9/2010 10:46:12 AM

^Thanks. I think I will just go with my original plan. Usually a shoulder is way too big for me to cook and eat for myself, so I was hoping I could pull something smaller. I guess I will have to keep a look out for smaller cuts.

11/9/2010 11:10:12 AM

^ If you go to Well's or Nahunta pork center at the Farmer's Market they'll sell you whatever size cut you want.

11/9/2010 11:13:25 AM

you can pull a tenderloin, and you can cook it in the crockpot but you probably need to adjust the time (less). If it has any silver "skin" you should remove that as it is quite tough.

I second the browning recommendation. you will have to add some oil so it won't stick. Also, I've found the less liquid, the better. I would axe the extra cup of water unless you have a huge crockpot, replace it with 1/4 cup of apple juice, cider vinegar, oj or something that adds flavor. Ideally, your liquid should be nearly evaporated when your meat is done- I'd guess 2.5-3 hours on high, but use a thermometer for best results. 165 degrees for slicing, 175 for pulling. try not to exceed that, as tenderloin doesn't do well with long cooking times.

My other concern is that the onion soup mix is going to add a lot of sodium. if you have some dehydrated or minced fresh onion, that would be preferable.



so, here's the new recipe i suggest.

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
2 tbsp dried onions or minced fresh onion
1/4 cup juice or cider vinegar
3/4 cup red wine
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown in skillet with 2 tbsp oil.
Just throw it all into the pot and cook for 2.5-3 hours, until internal temperature reaches 165-175 degrees.

11/9/2010 11:29:53 AM

^ Good suggestion.

In the long run though its usually just easier to slap that bad boy in the oven tenderloins cook quickly (less than 30 mins in alot of cases) so it'll save you several hours of cook time

11/9/2010 11:46:55 AM

I've made bbq in the ol' crockpot several times and it's turned out pretty well.

I apply a rub to the pork the night before. Then, I sear the porkloin off in oil before putting it in the crockpot. Also, I put in some chopped onion, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.

11/9/2010 11:47:00 AM

If you want to cheat and give your crock pot bbq a bit of a smoky flavor, there's a place at the Flea Market that sells alderwood smoked salt for a reasonable price.

11/9/2010 11:49:27 AM

So, I went with TWW's advice and browned the tenderloin prior to slow-cooking. It came out pretty well. Very easy to pull. No where near as good as a couple shoulders cooked out at Carter-Finley, but still. I will definitely go with a shoulder next time though. Too bad I only have Kraft Mac and Cheese to go with it.

11/9/2010 7:06:16 PM

^^why not just use liquid smoke? you can get it at the grocery store... I've used it in something else I've made in a crock pot (can't remember what it was)

11/9/2010 7:09:48 PM

Because the solvent used to make liquid smoke is currently being investigated as being toxic to humans.

That and I think smoked salt tastes better

11/10/2010 10:17:54 AM

two of my friends made crockpot applebutter the other day

it was fucking killer

11/10/2010 11:16:10 AM

^^I don't agree with the first thing because it is "safer" than actual smoking some meat if you want to get into carcinogens and things like that. Your second argument is valid, and I will accept

^I've never even heard of that before

did a little research... apparently it was very popular in colonial america. And seeing as how I like apple sauce, I might need to give this a try (I'd rather try someone elses though instead of cooking up a whole batch and discovering I don't like it)



[Edited on November 10, 2010 at 11:29 AM. Reason : clarification]

11/10/2010 11:21:26 AM

Go to the farmers market and get a jar of apple butter there first to try it out. Those ladies make some bangin' apple butter and pumpkin butter

11/10/2010 11:43:21 AM

Fruit butter in the crockpot is so easy, and pretty damn good. I've made apple, pear+quince, and seen recipes for peach and berry butters too.

11/10/2010 1:06:54 PM

I am going to try pumpkin butter sometime this fall.

11/10/2010 1:10:21 PM

cranberry apple butter on sweet potato biscuits is the jam

nah, its better than jam

11/10/2010 1:22:56 PM

Yesterday I made chili. Used unsoaked dried black beans and cranberry beans, some veggies and two links of raw chorizo. Cooked for 18 hrs, could have used probably 12-16. Added a can of kidney beans at the end, to balance out the mushy beans with less mushy beans.

It's frickin good. My roommate ate it with turmeric rice today and was raving.

I love my slow cooker.

11/16/2010 12:39:22 AM

I got a triple crock pot for Christmas from Fareako. Three attached 3-quart pots. I know it's mostly intended for entertaining situations with various dips or other appetizers, but I'm pretty excited to be able to cook multiple parts of a meal together. (And yes, I know this could be accomplished with separate crock pots; don't rain on my parade.)

I'm thinking I could do combos like chili, cornbread and stewed apples for dessert. Or soup, chicken and an app or side. I am looking forward to trying it out. Any good three-part meal ideas?

12/26/2010 1:14:46 PM

Got a crock pot for Christmas. Can't wait to try some recipes

12/26/2010 5:31:25 PM

i have the Honeybaked Ham bone, a bunch of veggies and some Great Northern beans going in the crock pot right now

lunch for 2 weeks

12/26/2010 5:32:37 PM

same here, now i can cook all the little critters I want and create some more healthy and delicious meals instead of cookout every night.

12/26/2010 5:33:10 PM

I think I'm going to try the crock pot for the first time tomorrow. I'm thinking maybe a bean soup.

12/27/2010 9:35:00 AM

Quote :

"she has no problem with me shooting deer, just not in the front yard"

Why not? Makes it easier to transport home : beatup:

12/31/2010 10:42:42 AM

I am making 2 crockpot things today

Crockpot Chili Cranberry Meatballs

and a cheese dip

12/31/2010 10:44:27 AM

I love crockpot chili

12/31/2010 10:45:22 AM

Easy Cheesy Slow Cooker Chicken


Ingredients:

* 6 boneless chicken breast halves, without skin
* salt and pepper, to taste
* garlic powder, to taste
* 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup

Preparation:
Rinse chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix undiluted soup and pour over chicken in a Crock Pot. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.
Serves 6.

I will cook it on high for 3-4 hours with the same results, I prefer it over rice than the noodles. I also shred the chicken with a fork

[Edited on December 31, 2010 at 11:28 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on December 31, 2010 at 11:30 AM. Reason : .]

12/31/2010 11:28:20 AM

I am excited. I got some lamb riblets, beef tongue, and trotters from the farmers market today. Going to make lots of yummy crock pot things with them.

12/31/2010 2:35:55 PM

thats right, I have a crock pot now


and ^^that sounds awesome, maybe I'll make it tomorrow

12/31/2010 2:36:54 PM

Cooking some lamb in the crock pot right now and it smells so freaking good.

1/2/2011 5:31:06 PM

Riblets are done and looking good! Should I eat them over rice, noodles, or with some sourdough bread?

[Edited on January 2, 2011 at 6:25 PM. Reason : stupid phone]

1/2/2011 6:24:27 PM

beer + chicken nuggets.

1/3/2011 4:19:22 AM

omg do want http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001842447

1/3/2011 6:03:22 PM

1 roast
2 cans of

A packet of crock pot pot roast gravy

8 hours.

Serve over rice.

I cheated. with the veg-all and the gravy packet. It was a last minute decision to make while I was at the grocery store so I went the easy route. Its going to be damn good though. I just tasted some of the gravy

[Edited on January 3, 2011 at 6:34 PM. Reason : r]

1/3/2011 6:24:07 PM

I'm putting together the beef tips recipie tonight, stick it in the fridge then putting it on in the morning to let it cook all day.

1/5/2011 6:58:42 PM

I did a variation of beef shanks "Peposo notturno" yesterday with veal shanks and white wine and rosemary.

4 1" slices of veal shank
1-2 tbsp pepper- as much as you can stand
1/2 bottle of white wine
10-15 cloves of garlic
3 tsp olive oil
2 4" sprigs of rosemary

Place rosemary sprigs in the bottom of a clean, dry Crockpot with at least 5qt capacity. Heavily pepper and brown veal shank slices. transfer to crockpot and deglace pan with wine. top with garlic cloves. pour in enough wine to cover the meat, then top with the olive oil. season with additional pepper, then cover and heat on low for 8-10 hours. you can do it on "high" for the first hour to speed it up a bit.

1/5/2011 8:07:38 PM

Just to clarify I made the zippy beef tips from page one. Added an extra can of cream of mushroom. Left out the cream cheese. Cooked on low for 12 hours. Served over bowtie pasta. And it is fucking GOOD.

1/6/2011 7:58:01 PM

This is DELICIOUS

Chicken Cacciatore:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into halves or thirds
24-28 oz marinara sauce
6 oz tomato paste4
1 Tbsn Garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine (or white)
6 oz can of olives, sliced
1 Onion, diced
8 oz Mushrooms, chopped or sliced
2 tsn dried oregano
1 tsn dried basil
1 tsn Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
olive oil

Optional:
more olives
artichoke hearts
sun dried tomatoes, julienned
bell peppers, julienned


Directions:
Start by lightly browning the cut pieces of chicken in a little bit of olive oil

Toss the chopped onions into the pan with the chicken (I think that the idea here is to evaporate some of the water in the onions so that it doesn't end up in the crock pot)

Mix all of the spices and sauces into the crockpot and mix.

Toss the mushrooms, olives, chicken, onions, and any other optional ingredients in and stir so everything is covered in sauce

8 hours on low or 4 on high

Serve over pasta

3/1/2011 11:20:57 AM

I made Hawaiian meatballs in the crockpot the other week. They were good but the sauce didn't come out thick enough.

3/1/2011 11:22:29 AM

Easy way to thicken sauce is make a simple slurry of some corn starch and warm water...incoroporate separately into a paste then add to your sauce. Stir and keep warm until dissolved/thickened.

3/1/2011 11:56:04 AM

That was the weird thing. It was thickened with cornstarch but the later became runny again. I think I let it cook too long.

3/1/2011 12:21:44 PM

Going to make cue in the crock pot tomorrow. Can't wait

3/23/2011 10:54:57 PM

Making tebichi in the crock pot today.


Nom nom nom

4/4/2011 10:26:45 AM

i aint eaten no pigs feet

4/4/2011 10:40:43 AM

You don't know what you're missing

4/4/2011 10:42:44 AM