Crock Pot Cooking

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

If your gonna go crock pot, what about using a cheaper cut of meat, like pork butt or picnic?

[Goober McTuber]

Get yourself a 3-4 lb chuck roast, and a packet of Louie’s Italian beef seasoning:

http://www.louieseasoning.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I believe the crockpot instructions are on the package. Outstanding.

[Atomic Punk]

You don't need to add broth if you use pork butt (which is the shoulder). When you cook on low heat which I think is around 160 degrees, it won't burn as the juices come out of the meat with no help as a broth. 10 hrs is about right on low.

I have one of those Rival 6.5 qt oval crock pots and have recently made pulled pork for a class pot luck. You might want to add a bit of hickory flavored "liquid smoke" as a cheat to enhance the flavor in the crock pot since you're not using a smoker. My last batch I added Brent's Hot BBQ sauce to it. KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce works well also if you want to go that route. I didn't think it was that big of a deal as it took no effort but it was very much liked.

I know guys that do the same as above to pork ribs. Never tried it as I always use a smoker with hickory chunks for pork ribs.

[smackaholic]

pretty damn near anything tastes good in the crock, but pulled pork/beef/chicken/horse is my favorite.

and for you impatient fukkers i recomend a pressure cooker. it is basically a crock pot on meth.

[battery chucka' one]

and for you impatient fukkers i recomend a pressure cooker. it is basically a crock pot on meth.

Yeah, but if you use one, make absolutely sure you know what you're doing. Not something to learn as you go with. Little things like cooking peas can really ruin your day.

[Goober McTuber]

There's two dishes that stick out in my mind that the Moms would cook in a crock pot.

Baked beans- sort of like the Texas baked beans one gets at any decent BBQ place.

And spare ribs cooked with fruit- mainly peaches.


The saliva glands are definitely in overdrive at this moment just thinking of Mom's cooter.

FTFY.

[ppanther]

I'm currently making a slow-cooked chicken recipe from Everyday Mexican by Rick Bayless. It's built in layers, as follows:

1 med. onion sliced into rounds 1/4" thick
4 med. red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, sliced 1/4" thick
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/4" thick
6 (recipe calls for 8, the pack I bought had 6) skinless chicken thighs, boneless or bone-in
1 cup loosely-packed cilantro (or I believe epazote is preferred, but I got the ingredients at a store with no shot of having epazote in stock, so I'm using cilantro)
1 1/4 lbs. tomatillos, husked, rinsed, sliced 1/4" thick
1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapenos, plus 2 tbsp. pickling juice from jar

Season each layer with salt as you add it in, slow-cook on high for 6 hours (hold on the warm setting for up to 4 hours more).

It smells delicious and took very little time to prepare. I'm not sure what we'll be having with it yet. I'll report back about how it tastes at some point, but I'm guessing it's going to be pretty good, because seriously? Rick Bayless. It practically has no choice but to be fantastic!

[bbqjones]

rick bayless and bob ryan and pretty much everybody on espn are douchebags. i wouldnt eat anything they recommended, unless it was your post-partem-punnani

[Goober McTuber]

Here’s a tip for you to try for even moister pork. Next time take the slow cooker in the bathtub with you.

[Cicatrix]

^^

I lafffed.

[Goober McTuber]

Nothing like a decent tasting home cooked meal as good as anything Mom made...

Hair pie?

[socal]

Italian sausage, saute onion, clove of garlic, couple jars of marinara sauce on for 6-8 hours. Serve over pasta. Easy as pie.

[JMak]

RACK the crock pot! And I'm not sure why I'd spend 6-8 hours cooking pasta sauce in one, though.

[indyfrisco]

In cooking the water out of the sauce, the pasta sauce gets more concentrated. Less water. More flavor.

socal's suggestion was more for like a set it and forget it and go to work and come home to a great sauce. Hell, even better, when I would get home to that, I would dump a load of penne into the crock and let it simmer that off for another half hour cooking the pasta. Dish it out and load up on freshly grated parm. One pot meal with little to no effort. Sounds good to me.

[socal]

In cooking the water out of the sauce, the pasta sauce gets more concentrated. Less water. More flavor.

socal's suggestion was more for like a set it and forget it and go to work and come home to a great sauce. Hell, even better, when I would get home to that, I would dump a load of penne into the crock and let it simmer that off for another half hour cooking the pasta. Dish it out and load up on freshly grated parm. One pot meal with little to no effort. Sounds good to me.

Yeppers!

[Mikey]

Well, that's one way to ruin a bunch of perfectly decent ribs.

[smackaholic]

Todd, you really do have an appetizing way of describing food measurements. You should get a show on the food network.

[smackaholic]

we all know what scoring meat is, silly. it's what iowa meth addicts do to pass the time.

[mvscal]

In cooking the water out of the sauce, the pasta sauce gets more concentrated. Less water. More flavor.

Yeah, but that doesn't happen in a crock pot which is tightly covered during the cooking process.

[smackaholic]

it happens, verrrrrrrrryyyyy slowly, but it happens.

[mvscal]

Uh, no. It doesn't unless you take the lid off. That's the whole freaking point of the thing. It seals in the mosture so your shit doesn't dry out during the ten hours it takes to cook.

If you are trying to reduce a sauce in a crock pot, you're a dumbass. It's like trying to hammer a nail with an icepick.

[smackaholic]

A little heads up: baking a cake in a crock pot kicks major ass. So far I've tried a carrot cake and a streusel in it and it's been outstanding each time. Plus the clean up can hardly be easier.

Try this. It's simple.

Steusel Pound Cake

Makes 6 to 8 Servings

Cook Time: 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours (HIGH)

1 Package (16 ounces) pound cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix per box
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup chopped nuts {I used walnuts}
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Coat Crock Pot slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.{I used PAM Baking- made with real flour}
Prepare cake mix according to package directions
Stir in brown sugar, flour, nuts, and cinnamon.
Pour batter into Crock Pot slow cooker.
Cover; cook on HIGH 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

It's that simple and it comes out perfect. Falls right out of the ceramic crock and cleans up easily.

never really thought of a crock pot as a baking instrument. i think i'll see if i can find a good carrot cake recipe for one or maybe just make some shit up.

good carrot cake, the type with a specific gravity somewhere near granite's is one of my favorite desserts.

[mvscal]

Just made one last night, Smack. Dunkin Hines on a sale this week at Stop & Shop for a buck a box. Mixed it right to directions on the box and poured it into the crock that had been sprayed lightly with Pam Baking spray. Cover and cook for exactly 2 hours on High. Used Dunkin Hines cream cheese frosting.

A fukken cakewalk. Grandma would be jealous.

Sounds like excellent stoned munchy fare. I'll have to try that.

[Dinsdale]

Maybe you should try cooking hash brownies then?

I've been doing so much weed cooking lately, it's mind-boggling.


Brownies, cookies, shortbread -- anything that takes a whole bunch of butter in the recipe.

[smackaholic]

gotta try me some hash brownies one of these days....after i retire from the navy reserve. i get piss tested about every other drill weekend. it is mind boggling how much jack the military spends harassing reservists. i guess they figure it has some return on the dollar since baggnig some dude with 17 years in is gonna save them a nice penny in retirement bennies not paid.

[smackaholic]

I've no need to send myself into an anxiety attack. My dope smoking days are gone for good. I wasted a good portion of my life to pot. I already know what it's like and I have no desire to ever smoke again. Sometimes I feel just as high through, say, travelling to areas of the country I've never been to before than I recall ever feeling when I had to always be high.


But...do what you must.

I suggest waiting until your mind is slipping so bad that you're already a demented vegetable.


But until then, try this recipe. {Which you're probably already familiar with}

Cranberry Bread
2 1/2 to 3 hours

This is a Cape Cod speciality. In the restaurants there, a basket of sliced cranberry bread is served with each meal. It's best buttered and eaten fresh. But leftovers- toasted and buttered- make a wonderful breakfast food. Cranberry bread freezes well and keeps fresh for many days in the refridgerator if well wrapped in plastic.

2 cups (1/2 lb.) fresh cranberries
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


To Cook: A quarter cup at a time, chop the cranberries in a blender on low. DON'T puree them, which is what will happen if you blend them too long. In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. With two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like a coarse meal. Combine the egg, orange peel, orange juice and stir into the flour mixure until well blended. Fold cranberries and walnuts in. Turn into a greased 2-quart mold. Cover with a loosely fitting plate. Place the mold on a rack or trivet in the slow cooker. Cover the cooker, but prop the lid open a fraction with a toothpick or a twist of foil to let excess steam escape. Cook on High 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the bread on a rack for 10 minutes, then unmold. Serve warm. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

This sounds about how Mom would make it. A good olde Yankee Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without cranberry bread.

i can count on one hand the number of times i've smoked dope. wasn't that big a deal really. pretty much made me feel lazy and stupid. got high/drunk once. that was enough. only time i've ever felt more or less out of control. can't get that bad just on alcohol as my stomach shuts the party down before it gets too ugly.

may give that cranberry bread a shot on turkey day. thanks.

[indyfrisco]

Todd,

You need to try out for the next food network star and go for the "Apartment With No Kitchen" angle. You'd never get a 30 Minute Meals type show, but you may be able to reach out to the college dorm student and shut-in (see Van) type crowd.

Smack aside...your dedication to crock-pot cooking has inspired me. To be honest, since I don't crock-pot cook at all hardly, you have brewed a challenge to me to create a crock-pot sensation. The hamster has started churning in Frisco's head. Hopefully, I can post a crock-pot delight here in the next couple months that kicks ass.

[Mikey]

LOL.

We have a crockpot in the back of one of our kitchen cupboards that my wife had before we were married. I don't think it's been out in, um, almost 24 years. May have to try one of these recipes someday before I die. That ham and potatoes thing is actually making me hungry as I contemplate leaving the office.

[trev]

Indy,

When your kids get really busy in school and activities, you might want to do some crock pot nights. It has its place. I have a few recipes I cook in the crock pot. I've never used the crock pot on a regular basis, but for a busy family it can come in handy.

[Screw_Michigan]

I'm a below average cook with a small kitchen and few utensils. I asked for a rice cooker for Christmas because I heard they are very versatile, much like a crock pot, and you can cook a lot of good shit in it. I would like to inherit or buy a used crock pot sometime for the same reasons.

[Screw_Michigan]

Tardd (or anyone who could offer advice), I am going to buy a 2-qt crock pot tomorrow. I am also going to buy some fresh polish sausage and some sauerkraut. If you have any suggestions for me, I'd appreciate it. I will probably also buy some carrots. I have been reading up on crock pot cooking, so I have a fair idea of what to do.

[Dinsdale]

Two uses:

marijuana butter

pulled pork... which might happen this afternoon. Might have to fire off the ECB just to thumb my nose on that bitch known as Mother Nature (as per usualm this time of year, and by "this time," it's always in the same very small window -- things turned nasty awfully quickly).

Just hope it doesn't gullywash when I try to light it, like last week.

[Mikey]

You have to light your crockpot?

They have electric ones now, you know.

[Screw_Michigan]

I figure it's probably beneath you, but just this time, lose your self esteem and hit up the local Walmart. That's where I bought mine. It's a "Rival" with a timer. A good model. It comes with complete directions and even a little cookbook that can get any klutz out there started.

I don't drive and there's no Wal-Marts inside the DC metro subway system. But your Rival recommendation will be heeded. I can get a small Crock Pot at Target for $20. I'm kicking myself for not having done this already.

I was asking for suggestions along the lines of cooking polish sausage and sauerkraut in a pot.

[Dinsdale]

Screwbitch, are there Goodwill stores in your realm?

Always have crockpots at the GeeDub.

If you're going to become a crockpot guy, I doubt you'll be happy with a 2-quart, is all.

[Screw_Michigan]

Screwbitch, are there Goodwill stores in your realm?

There's one in NE DC but it is out of the reach of reasonable mass transit access. I'll just go to Target and pick one up. They are cheaper new than what I thought.

[indyfrisco]

You'd be surprised how authentic the taste of pulled pork using Kraft hickory flavored barbeque sauce is. You'd swear that someone labored all day around a fire, turning a hog on a spit.

No. I wouldn't. At all.

[indyfrisco]

You have to light your crockpot?

They have electric ones now, you know.

Yeah, but this one kicks ass on a tailgate.



Rack my wife for this gift a couple years ago.

[Goober McTuber]

I'm a below average cook with a small kitchen and few utensils. I asked for a rice cooker for Christmas because I heard they are very versatile, much like a crock pot, and you can cook a lot of good shit in it. I would like to inherit or buy a used crock pot sometime for the same reasons.

Why would you buy a crock pot used? My God, they're $20-30 new. Yeah, it's not exactly haute cuisine, but when everyone has a full day with not a lot of time prepare dinner, these fuckers are money. Grab a cheap beef roast, brown it quickly in the morning if you have time but it's not necessary to brown it, throw it in the crock pot with a couple of cans of mushroom soup (beefy mushroom is even better), two or three cans of whole Irish potatoes, a pound of those small carrots and set that sucker on low for 8-9 hours. Pull everything out and thicken the gravy and you're set. I add a little bit of bullion along the way for a richer flavor.

[Mikey]

Have you tried it without peeling the potatoes?