Crock Pot

[freemonkey]

Originally Posted by Miss Shelby

right before you're ready to serve add the yellow shit that comes in the package. I have no idea what this stuff is, but it gives the chili a nice thick texture, and it tastes real good.

That would be masa.

I love chili, I think I'll make some tomorrow. I'd most definitely put the hot shit in it.

[viscousmemories]

Another weird thing about the chili I made is that the ground beef is kind of... gritty tasting. Do you think that's because it was cheap hamburger and not ground sirloin or something? (I can't actually remember what it was, but I got it at Sam's Club so it probably wasn't choice.)

[freemonkey]

BBQ pulled pork sammiches!

3-ish pound hunk of boneless pork (I think it was a leg or something, had a string around it). I cooked it on high for about 4 hours.

Took out, pulled it to shreds with 2 forks. Removed the pork juice from the crock, returned the meat to the crock and stirred in a bottle of BBQ sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's Hot & Spicy ). I'm cooking another half hour or so on low so the sauce can sink in. Then its kaiser rolls under the broiler for a minute or two to get nice & toasty, and yay! sammiches! It smells delicious, can't wait to eat.

[viscousmemories]

Damn that sounds good.

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

Originally Posted by freemonkey

BBQ pulled pork sammiches!

3-ish pound hunk of boneless pork (I think it was a leg or something, had a string around it). I cooked it on high for about 4 hours.

Took out, pulled it to shreds with 2 forks. Removed the pork juice from the crock, returned the meat to the crock and stirred in a bottle of BBQ sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's Hot & Spicy ). I'm cooking another half hour or so on low so the sauce can sink in. Then its kaiser rolls under the broiler for a minute or two to get nice & toasty, and yay! sammiches! It smells delicious, can't wait to eat.

[Miss Shelby]

Originally Posted by freemonkey

That would be masa.

ah thank ya kindly freemonkey.

Michelle

[viscousmemories]

I bastardized a recipe from Betty Crocker to make pot roast today.

I chopped up 3 potatoes, an onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery and some mushrooms and threw it all in the crock pot with a few cloves of garlic. Then I sprinkled it all with a tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp each pepper and thyme. I added 1 1/3 cups of water. Then I seared the roast on all three sides (it was triangular, oddly) and tossed it in on top.

Cooked for about 6-7 hours, removed the meat and veggies and added a bunch of flour to the juice in the cooker, turned it on high and whisked that into gravy.

I was pleased overall. The only thing I'd probably do differently is hold the mushrooms back and add them to the gravy at the end instead of cooking them with the veggies.

[Leesifer]

Mmm that sounds good, vm. Made me hungry just reading that.

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

I bastardized a recipe from Betty Crocker to make pot roast today.

I chopped up 3 potatoes, an onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery and some mushrooms and threw it all in the crock pot with a few cloves of garlic. Then I sprinkled it all with a tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp each pepper and thyme. I added 1 1/3 cups of water. Then I seared the roast on all three sides (it was triangular, oddly) and tossed it in on top.

Cooked for about 6-7 hours, removed the meat and veggies and added a bunch of flour to the juice in the cooker, turned it on high and whisked that into gravy.

I was pleased overall. The only thing I'd probably do differently is hold the mushrooms back and add them to the gravy at the end instead of cooking them with the veggies.

Sounds lovely.

[viscousmemories]

It was pretty good, but the meat was a bit dry. I might've cooked it too long.

I'll probably try it again in a week or two with minor changes.

[TomJoe]

It's freezing here today, so I'm making this for dinner tonight:

* 2 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 carrots, cut in 1-inch slices
* 2 ribs celery, cut in 1/2-inch slices
* 2 medium potatoes, cut in 1-inch cubes
* 1 cup beer
* 1 cup beef broth, or use all beer
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1 teaspoon oregano
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 3 tablespoons melted butter
* 1/3 cup flour

PREPARATION:
Place all ingredients, except butter and flour in the Crock Pot; mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Mix melted butter with flour; add to the stew. Taste and adjust seasonings. Turn to high and cook until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Serves 6.

[Beth]

I've always just tossed stuff into the pot and cooked. Sometimes I pour packaged, powered gravy on the roast before I start slow-cooking it. It makes the roast more tender. I stopped using the crock pot for a while there because clean up is a pin in the neck since I am afraid to toss it into the dishwasher. (Is the crock dishwasher safe?) But now there are these really nifty liners for lazy saps like myself.

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by Beth

(Is the crock dishwasher safe?)

I have this one, which has a removable dishwasher-safe ceramic bowl.

[Beth]

Mine is old, but has the removable crock. I just don't know if it can washed in the washer.

[viscousmemories]

Wow, this thread is old! I guess I haven't used the crock pot in a long time.

Until now!

Yesterday I opened a can of Cream of Chicken soup by accident (I thought it was chicken noodle) so I put it in the fridge overnight, and today threw it in the crock pot with a whole chicken and some diced carrots and onions. (That's all that would fit!)

It smells good...

[livius drusus]

Cool! Or is it... Does the crockpot having been on for 12 hours make the kitchen hot at all?

[viscousmemories]

Well it's only been on since noon-thirty actually, and I had it on low until I got home at 5:00, then bumped it up to high. I'm still trying to figure out what that means for the cooking time. Anyway I don't think it's made the house noticeably hotter, but then my AC is kicking so maybe I wouldn't notice anyway.

I should've read this thread before doing this. I forgot to skin the chicken.

[livius drusus]

I accomplished a great thing today with my slow cooker, so I had to bump this thread to share the good news.

I was going for a chicken and rice vibe, but I didn't have any recipe and was just sorting throwing things together I suspected would taste good: cream of mushroom soup, chicken stock, white wine, chopped onions, a half-dozen cloves of garlic, a freshly snipped bouquet garni, dried maitake mushrooms, a scraping or two of lemon zest.

I fully expected the rice to fail -- brown rice can be persnickety -- but I figured the chicken would be good nomatter what, so I cut the breasts just in half in case I had to pick it out.

After 3 hours I noticed it was bubbling pretty actively (I had it set on medium-low; my slower cooker has a temperature slide sort of thing) and I caught a glimpse of some veeeery soft looking rice, so I took of the lid and gave it a stir.

I immediately realized that I had in fact blown the rice. A thin layer of it was stuck to the bottom. I then realized that it wasn't all that blown, really, because I was able to stir up the stuck rice quite easily. Then I realized it was blown a little because the rice was soft, but I also realized that it would have been perfect if I had turned off the cooker 20 minutes or so earlier, so easy fix for next time.

Then I tasted it.

It's risotto. Brown rice, throw it all in a cooker and walk away risotto. This is a revolution. I have destroyed more dinners than I can remember trying to make risotto out of brown rice. The husk makes that creamy risotto texture basically impossible. One time I added chicken stock for an hour straight, and it still didn't break.

Turns out, a couple of hours in the slow cooker is all those husks needed. Add the cream of mushroom to counterfeit up the natural creaminess of arborio rice, the wine and stock for that classic risotto tang, a bunch of parmesan grated in and stirred once it's off the heat, and you have a one pot, no work, whole grain frikking risotto.

The Ides of March takes on a whole new meaning for me from this day.

[livius drusus]

I will not be deterred from bumping this thread just 'cause y'all don't care.

Remember the discussion we had about Bolognese sauce and having to cook it all day and everything? Well, do the veggie, meat, milk and wine bits on the stove, then throw it in to the slow cooker with the 'maters. Cook it on low for 8 hours and voila!

[curses]

Awwwww..we care, we're just all in awe at your culinary prowess

[inland wave]

After spending all of my hard earned money at the grocery store and put groceries away it is now time to fire up the crockpot and make a roast to die for......
I bought a package of those crockpot bags that you can use to keep from having such a mess in the crock when it is time to clean up. Has anyone tried them?

[viscousmemories]

I haven't tried the bags, but I do need to get that crockpot going again.

[livius drusus]

Bamping to report that today I am attempting to roast a whole turkey bewb in my slow cooker. I kept the skin on so I could shove herbed (fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic butter, salt, pepper) butter underneath it. I shoved a quartered onion and half a lemon in the cavity then poured a couple of cups of white wine over the whole thing. I intend to brown it under the broiler once it's done (my slow cooker vessel is oven safe) to make the skin palatable.

My aim here is not so much to have Thanksgiving in June, but rather to have the week after Thanksgiving in June: ie, sliced roast turkey for sammiches.

[LadyShea]

I floured and browned some stew meat this morning, and threw it, some carrots and potatoes, and a Lipton soup package in the crockpot this morning. Should be a decent beef stew by tonight.

I hate cooking so, so, so much. Stews and soups are my go to for hardiness and ease.

[LadyShea]

BTW I look forward to hearing the results of your turkey baking.