What's in Your Crock Pot

[Danno]

looking for a good pork roast recipe. needs to be fairly easy. was looking at this one: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/...ork-roast.html and the picture looks great, and by the ingredients it looks like it could be really good or really weird. The comments say it is good. Hmmmm....

[sidewall]

Came out pretty damn good even though I dumped the whole thing on the floor while I was trying to shred it.

Haha. I like these simple ones, keep em coming.

[Pegleg]

looking for a good pork roast recipe. needs to be fairly easy. was looking at this one: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/...ork-roast.html and the picture looks great, and by the ingredients it looks like it could be really good or really weird. The comments say it is good. Hmmmm....

What makes you think that it could be really weird? Parm and soy are both huge umami bombs, so combine those with the fattiness of the pork, the sweetness of the honey and the tang of the herbs and garlic and it sounds like a winner to me. (Soy sauce is a stealth ingredient in a lot of things where you want to bring more savoriness, gravies especially.)

Also, you probably know this already, but make sure to use a pork roast of some kind (shoulder FTW) and not tenderloins, which will dry out and get tough in a slow cooker. (I mention it because I just had a conversation with someone about a slow cooker meal, and it transpired that they were intending to use Costco pork tenderloins, which seems like a really bad idea for something to be cooked low and slow.)

[Pegleg]

Anyone tried making a pho in the crockpot?

This person has. Sounds like it came out great, I'm definitely gonna try this one. A lot of ingredients and some pre-prep, so this isn't a quick meal to prepare in the morning and have ready after work; the crockpot is instead used to allow the broth to simmer for a long time and pick up all the great flavors and textures, not really for cutting down on work. But man, I bet it's good.

[Danno]

What makes you think that it could be really weird? Parm and soy are both huge umami bombs, so combine those with the fattiness of the pork, the sweetness of the honey and the tang of the herbs and garlic and it sounds like a winner to me. (Soy sauce is a stealth ingredient in a lot of things where you want to bring more savoriness, gravies especially.)

Well, soy and parm are not usually flavors I associate together. The thought of them together sounds weird, but that's probably more based on the dishes I associate with each of them. I'm going to try it tonight, we'll see.

Also, you probably know this already, but make sure to use a pork roast of some kind (shoulder FTW) and not tenderloins, which will dry out and get tough in a slow cooker. (I mention it because I just had a conversation with someone about a slow cooker meal, and it transpired that they were intending to use Costco pork tenderloins, which seems like a really bad idea for something to be cooked low and slow.)

Come on, what do you take me for? This ain't my first rodeo.

[sidewall]

Anyone do a flatiron steak?

[Pegleg]

Come on, what do you take me for? This ain't my first rodeo.

Not really meant for you, more for those who might read your post and follow the recipe. Seems like a lot of folks equate "pork" with "pork tenderloin," as those are so widely available (and cheap) at supermarkets. And hell, didn't someone on Top Chef try to slow-cook a ribeye steak this season, resulting in meat that was described as tasting like "bigfoot"? Even the pros fuck up sometimes...

[bigt]

Best thing I have made in my crock pot lately is Caribou sauerbraten. 4 days of marinade in redwine vinager and a day of crock pot and bam. melt in your mouth goodness.

[Danno]

Next up after tonight is a beef bourguignon and then a cassoulet.

[Pegleg]

Next up after tonight is a beef bourguignon and then a cassoulet.

Funny, I decided last night that I'm going to make a cassoulet in my pressure cooker this weekend. Kind of the opposite of a slow cooker - gets the job done in an hour, instead of simmering all day.

[stuckathuntermtn]

So I've got this little pork roast what been in my freezer.
Was thinking something simple with potatoes carrots and onions.
What do I throw in there, tomato sauce? BBQ sauce?

Anyone got any good/simple ideas for me?

Oh, I think I still have some asparagus in the fridge, so that'll have to go in there.

[Dantheman]

Funny, I decided last night that I'm going to make a cassoulet in my pressure cooker this weekend. Kind of the opposite of a slow cooker - gets the job done in an hour, instead of simmering all day.

Way back in this thread I stated that pressure cooker>crockpot. I stand by that statement.

[Spats]

Way back in this thread I stated that pressure cooker>crockpot. I stand by that statement.

Which pressure cooker do you prefer? Stovetop or electric? Which brand?

[Danno]

looking for a good pork roast recipe. needs to be fairly easy. was looking at this one: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/...ork-roast.html and the picture looks great, and by the ingredients it looks like it could be really good or really weird. The comments say it is good. Hmmmm....

FWIW, I wasn't impressed with the final product. It wasn't terrible or anything, and it was super super easy, but there are so many great crock recipes for pork, why make one that's just ok?

[Pegleg]

FWIW, I wasn't impressed with the final product. It wasn't terrible or anything, and it was super super easy, but there are so many great crock recipes for pork, why make one that's just ok?

Too bad, it sounded like it had potential. That's the problem with a lot of crockpot recipes, IMHO; if you just toss a bunch of ingredients in a pot and simmer it all day, they tend to come out tasting dull and similar (maybe because long cooking tends to dull flavors, since there's no added flavor from searing or roasting - a crockpot basically steams everything). The best recipes usually seem to require some pre-prep like browning/caramelizing meats and aromatics and toasting spices, then punching it up at the very end with something acidic to brighten things (like lemon juice or vinegar, or maybe fresh herbs). But then it's not as simple, so you lose some of the appeal of the crockpot.

Even doing those pre- and post-cooking steps, I've made chili (both red and green) and matzoh ball soup in my crockpot using the exact same recipes that I make on the stove, and the stovetop version is invariably better. Something to do with the long, slow covered process, versus a slightly hotter and less-long, partially uncovered process perhaps. Crockpot is awesome for convenience, but I guess there's a reason why you don't see a lot of great restaurants using them.

[Tye 1on]

So I've got this little pork roast what been in my freezer.
Was thinking something simple with potatoes carrots and onions.
What do I throw in there, tomato sauce? BBQ sauce?

Anyone got any good/simple ideas for me?

Oh, I think I still have some asparagus in the fridge, so that'll have to go in there.

Can of PBR and a half to full can of chipotles depending on your heat tolerance.

[Dantheman]

Which pressure cooker do you prefer? Stovetop or electric? Which brand?

This is the one that I have

http://www.amazon.com/Manttra-Quarts.../dp/B0006B3UB4


If I had to buy one again I would go for an 8-quart model. 6 is a little small sometimes since you can only fill a pressure cooker about 2/3 full. It's the only one I have used so I have no comment on other models or electric vs. stovetop. For stovetop models, standard pot-buying rules apply: it should feel heavy, beefy and solid.


edit: One definite advantage of a stovetop model is that it can double as a a regular pot if needed.

[Pegleg]

I have this pressure cooker. No problems with it so far, though I don't use it that often.

Nice thing about a 10 qt is that it's big enough to fit 4 quart jars, so you can do pressure canning in it as well which vastly opens up the universe of stuff you can can. (Regular hot-water canning only allows you to can acidic stuff; pressure canning lets you do pretty much anything.) And it's big enough to do short ribs for a crowd as well.

[Danno]

Too bad, it sounded like it had potential. That's the problem with a lot of crockpot recipes, IMHO; if you just toss a bunch of ingredients in a pot and simmer it all day, they tend to come out tasting dull and similar (maybe because long cooking tends to dull flavors, since there's no added flavor from searing or roasting - a crockpot basically steams everything). The best recipes usually seem to require some pre-prep like browning/caramelizing meats and aromatics and toasting spices, then punching it up at the very end with something acidic to brighten things (like lemon juice or vinegar, or maybe fresh herbs). But then it's not as simple, so you lose some of the appeal of the crockpot.

Even doing those pre- and post-cooking steps, I've made chili (both red and green) and matzoh ball soup in my crockpot using the exact same recipes that I make on the stove, and the stovetop version is invariably better. Something to do with the long, slow covered process, versus a slightly hotter and less-long, partially uncovered process perhaps. Crockpot is awesome for convenience, but I guess there's a reason why you don't see a lot of great restaurants using them.

Yeah, and I usually sear meat and then deglaze the pan regardless of recipe, so I suppose I should have here. In part, I was just lazy, but also would have had to revise the recipe a bit (it didn't have a good deglazing liquid in it, for ex), and I was curious how it would turn out on its own.

And I have no doubt that one could make most crockpot recipes better without the crockpot, but as noted, part of the appeal is the simplicity. And I would not feel as comfortable walking out of my house for hours with the stove set on low, whereas I am fine leaving with the crock on. That's a big bonus, IMO.

But I agree, the very best crock recipes require some cooking/prep, and I will generally stick to those.

[GeezerSteve]

We use the crock pot an average of 2X per month, most recently to start my chicken+wild rice+mushroom soup I've been making for 25 years.

I made osso buco for the babe for Valentines Day. Did not use the crock pot for that. Came out great.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Can of PBR and a half to full can of chipotles depending on your heat tolerance.

Is that in addition to the tomato sauce?

[stuckathuntermtn]

So I put it in the little crock pot (still frozen) with the following:
Half a jar of decent tomato sauce
can of stewed tomatoes
little BBQ sauce
half a bag of dried split pies
a bottle of New Belgium Snow Day
an entire bunch of dill
sprigs of rosemary
dried oregano, "Italian seasoning," tarragon.
Montreal Steak seasoning
some red pepper flakes and Chalula
chopped carrots, asparagus, mushrooms (possible too many, hopefully they cook down to nothing like they usually do), and onions.
Little olive oil and butter over the mushroom
the last of some garlic I found.

I couldn't find the Vigo yellow rice at Orange St Beer Farm, but Zadarands has some (blegh) or just Near East Rice Pilaf. We'll see. Probably won't be ready till tomorrow. I'll leave it on low over night.
Oh and I noticed the Pork Roast has a little bone still in it, so that oughtta add some flavor.

[Danno]

I think you went a little overboard on the different flavors, but I'm sure it will be good.

[Alaskan Rover]

Next up after tonight is a beef bourguignon and then a cassoulet.

Dang nabit...this thread always makes me so DAMN HUNGRY !!!

Stop that !!!!



EDIT: Best crock pot meal I've had in a while was moose stew and dumplings. Moose, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, basil, a pinch of rosemary, italian seasoning, pepper, salt, dumplings added to rise on top. Delish !

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[stuckathuntermtn]

I think you went a little overboard on the different flavors, but I'm sure it will be good.

I pretty much dump every seasoning I can into something. The idea was to cook the pork roast in it, but take it out for later. Have some kind of veggie sludge, or something to serve with it over rice.
It's still in there. Added the rest of the bag of split peas because it's too thin. They'll soak up the water that the crockpot can't boil off. Gonna leave it on low overnight, or turn it off if I wake up for some reason.