on Feb 1st, 2008Slow cookers
For decades foodies turned their noses up at the slow cooker, one of the most popular countertop appliances in America. Some of the disdain was justified, when so many recipes were nothing more than a hunk of protein topped by a couple cans of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup — or both. I still see that type of recipe on message boards, followed by the requisite, “OMG that sounds sooooo good.” Well, OMG it does not. In fact, it sounds ghastly.
Eventually, serious cooks discovered slow cookers do a fine job with things that require slow cooking, such as braises, and a few years ago Mark Bittman devoted a column to exactly that, saying, “Go ahead and sneer. I love my slow cooker…even food snobs like me are realizing their potential, albeit a little later than the more than perhaps 100 million Americans who already own one.”
Slow cookers have come a long way since their introduction in 1971 by Rival, under the trademarked name Crock Pot. Some have timers or stovetop-safe removable crockery inserts that make it possible to brown meat first without dirtying a pan. And some have price tags that would have been unthinkable a couple years ago, as high as $250 for a deluxe version by All-Clad. Cook’s Illustrated recently tested slow cookers, concluding it’s not necessary to spend that much, although their favorite model, by the same maker, came in at $150.
My slow cooker was about $20. It’s small, four quarts, and was one of the first things I bought when I moved to New England and had the storage space for one. It has only two settings, low and high, and doesn’t shift to “keep warm” or have a timer but it gets the job done. And it does it well.
One of my favorite things to make in my slow cooker is pulled pork and beef for sandwiches, perfect for big gatherings. If you’ve never made this type of sandwich without using a bottle or two of prepared barbeque sauce, be ready to discover what it really tastes like without high fructose corn syrup and an overdose of sodium. It’s scrumptious.
No slow cooker? No problem. I got the recipe from an online friend long before I had a slow cooker, so I devised an oven and stovetop method, also included.
Beef and Pork Barbeque
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
1 1/2 pounds pork loin roast, cut into bite size pieces
–OR–
3 pounds chuck, cut into stew-size chunks
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped green pepper
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, light or dark as preferred
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 TB chili powder
1/4 cup white or cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
In a slow cooker:Â combine all ingredients. Cook 1 hour on high. Reduce heat to low and cook for 7 to 9 hours until meat is tender. Shred meat by pulling it apart with two forks and serve on buns.
Without a slow cooker: Make sure beef is also in bite-size pieces for this method. Combine ingredients in a 5-quart or larger Dutch oven. Cook, covered, at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then gently simmer on the stovetop for 2 - 2 1/2 hours until meat is fork tender. Shred and serve on buns. (You could also turn the oven down to 325 after the first half-hour and give it another 3 - 4 hours.)
Makes 12 sandwiches, using a 1/4 cup scoop to measure out the filling
For Bittman’s recipes, follow the above link to his column and go to Page 3. For several recipes from epicurious, go here.
Related in From Scratch: Ella’s Lazy Day Brisket
Ella’s tip: Put your slow cooker to work in cold weather and let it make breakfast for you. Just combine appropriate amounts of regular oatmeal, water or milk and a little salt and set the slow cooker on low when you go to bed. Wake up to hot oatmeal that’s waiting for you instead of the other way around.
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This recipe sounds delicious! It is good to know you can achieve the same results with an inexpensive model Slow Cooker. That just leaves the issue of where the heck to store this big pot when it’s not in use!
Hi, good to see you! Oh, the storage issue. I empathize; in Manhattan it was out of the question. The same for a pressure cooker, which I absolutely love to bits.
I like your site. As for slow cookers I love them, especially the idea of one that can be used on stove top for browning meat etc. that would make using a crock pot really.. ONE pot cooking.
One thought about the protein/soup concoctions. I agree that most recipes are nothing more than plop one can of soup over “said” meat add water and cook for 10 hours. I prefer to use soups such as that as foundations for seasonings and other additions that allow the soup to be one of the players in a crock pot dish, not play center stage. Used with care and creative thought they offer a lot to a crock pot recipe. But, add some pizzaz please.. .
~mimz
Hi, mimz…fellow slow cooker fan! I agree about the concept of the stovetop-safe liner but CI found they didn’t brown meat very well and didn’t get the job done. However, they felt timers with automatic shifts to keep-warm were essential.
As for cream soups — a chacun son gout. They’re full of sodium and fat and, to my palate, wholly unpalatable. They have no place in my pantry, ever.
I don’t cook with any processed foods. Everything is from scratch.
Good to see you again!
I love my slow cooker - how can you not love something that creates the most flavorful meals and meat that melts when you put it into your mouth. I’m also a huge fan of our pressure cooker… we have a few recipes on our site for pressure cookers. They are like what you turn to if you don’t have time to slow cook. This recipe looks delish - it’s like a little reminder that summer is on it’s way and we could do BBQ on the grill again soon. I haven’t been to your blog in ages… it looks great! Amy @ click on her name for her blogsite!
Hi, Amy. I’ll have to hop over to your blog right now to check out those pressure cooker recipes. I’m overdue for a pressure cooker meal.
This recipe really is delish. I’ve never known anyone who doesn’t like it and that’s rare.
Thanks for coming back!
Slow cookers are so cool. You can set them up, spend the whole day working and when you get home you have a delicious melt-in-your-mouth meal. They make great gifts too.
That is such a good reminder about gifts. Doesn’t matter the size. I know people who have 3 slow cookers, all different sizes, and just basic Kmart models like mine. And they’d never give them up.
I do use mine for oatmeal when we have a Nor’easter or blizzard in the forecast…
Well, I’m a few days late and dollars short but I must say - this looks like a fabu recipe and I am all over it.
Furthermore, I could not agree more about the total and profound lack of redeeming qualities of canned soup in recipes. There are so many fabulous herbs and seasonings, fresh ingredients (including dairy if you so choose), that there is no reason whatsoever to use those terribly un-nutritious canned soups in any recipe.
Cooking is fun and creative! Smell those herbs and seasonings. Experiment with those which are pleasing to your nose and palate. Leave the processed ‘food’ products in the store. You will be so happy when you have created a wonderful dish with REAL ingredients!
This article is so timely as I have lasagne cooking in my slow cooker for dinner. Matter of fact, I have three meals on my menu this week that call for the slow cooker. All three of the meals including the lasagne are vegetarian and from scratch! I think my slow cooker is one of the most versatile kitchen appliance I own and use!
chickenbutt - Well said. I can’t add a syllable to that.
I will, however, add a note that this recipe freezes beautifully. I always make a full recipe then freeze smaller portions.
Melinda - Hello again! I’d love to hear more about your veggie lasangna in a slow cooker, especially whether you par-cook the noodles. Maybe you’ll post about it on your blog? I hope…