Slow cooker recipe ideas...

[adycav]

...because I've just been given one (a slow cooker that is).

So who's got some recipes or hints/tips for me?

[Mobile Chicane]

Any casserole / soup / stew recipe will work. Just stick the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, come home to tasty food in the evening.

Personal successes include bolognese sauce, chilli con carne, ham, salt beef, goulasch, Burgundy beef, and rabbit stew - all succulent and delicious.

I think the slow cooker has to be the most cost-effective investment I've ever made - £11.97 from Asda. Even better if you've been given one.

[juice]

Pulled Pork

[adycav]

juice said:

Pulled Pork

I suggested this to the wife but I think she got the, er, wrong end of the stick...

How do you make this?

[OllieWinchester]

This is the thread I've been waiting for, I've started using mine again and love it. I made this in my slow cooker, did it on low for 18hrs more by accident than forward planning, and it was bloody superb.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Found out the hard way that chicken is not good this way, and neither are certain vegatables....

[juice]

adycav said:

juice said:

Pulled Pork

I suggested this to the wife but I think she got the, er, wrong end of the stick...

How do you make this?

Pork Shoulder about 3lbs

Make a rub of 1tsp chilli, paprika, mustard powder, cumin, 1 tbsp brown sugar, some S+P and slap that on the pork for about 30 mins.

Then add some ketchup (3/4 cup), apple juice (1/2 cup), dash worcestershire sauce, water( 3/4 cup), 1 small onion (chopped fine), 1 clove garlic (crushed)into cooker, add the pork and cook for about 8-10 hours - should be falling apart at that point. Shred pork and serve on Buns topped with homemade coleslaw. Nom Nom Nom

[OllieWinchester]

That pork sounds lovely, only thing is I've never cooked anything other than casseroly type things in my slow cooker, doesn't sound like a great deal of liquid in that recipe so how does it work?

[juice]

OllieWinchester said:

That pork sounds lovely, only thing is I've never cooked anything other than casseroly type things in my slow cooker, doesn't sound like a great deal of liquid in that recipe so how does it work?

Contraction of collagen and ultimately the release of water in the meat (with the liquids in the ketchup, apple juice and water) means its wet enough. Its not a sloppy type result, that's why you go for the addition of the coleslaw for the buns..

Edited by juice on Sunday 19th April 14:36

[OllieWinchester]

So, just to clarify, the shoulder of pork will cook while sat in an inch or so of liquid?

Just can't see how if there is no contact apart from the bottom bit that is in the liquid? I'm probably just being stupid, but I can't imagine there is that much residual heat inside the slow cooker, its not like an oven or anything is it?

[Shaw Tarse]

Mobile Chicane said:

Any casserole / soup / stew recipe will work. Just stick the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, come home to tasty food in the evening.

Personal successes include bolognese sauce, chilli con carne, ham, salt beef, goulasch, Burgundy beef, and rabbit stew - all succulent and delicious.

All good.
I once cooked a chicken in the slow cooker, didn't look that good & fell apart when I tried to serve it but tasted great & really juicy

[adycav]

juice said:

adycav said:

juice said:

Pulled Pork

I suggested this to the wife but I think she got the, er, wrong end of the stick...

How do you make this?

Pork Shoulder about 3lbs

Make a rub of 1tsp chilli, paprika, mustard powder, cumin, 1 tbsp brown sugar, some S+P and slap that on the pork for about 30 mins.

Then add some ketchup (3/4 cup), apple juice (1/2 cup), dash worcestershire sauce, water( 3/4 cup), 1 small onion (chopped fine), 1 clove garlic (crushed)into cooker, add the pork and cook for about 8-10 hours - should be falling apart at that point. Shred pork and serve on Buns topped with homemade coleslaw. Nom Nom Nom

Thanks, gonna try this later this week.

[deviant]

OllieWinchester said:

So, just to clarify, the shoulder of pork will cook while sat in an inch or so of liquid?

Just can't see how if there is no contact apart from the bottom bit that is in the liquid? I'm probably just being stupid, but I can't imagine there is that much residual heat inside the slow cooker, its not like an oven or anything is it?

It just does!! Magic!!

Seriously its next to impossible to run anything cooked in a slow cooker. When I have done roasts in mine you only need a bit of liquid in the bottom but by the time its cooked the pot will be nearly full of liquid which always makes a briliant base for a sauce.

We always do lots of made up recipes in them...just chuck meat, veggies and some stock in there and let it sit all day. At the end add more 'stuff' to make it thicker and more gravy like.
The last thing we did was sausage spag boll which turned out brilliant.

Another fave of mine is minty lamb shanks.

4 lamb shanks
Cup of water
Cup of tomatoe ketchup
VERY generous dose of mint jelly

Let it sit for 5 hours or so and you will be able to just pull the bones out of the lamb and you are left with a tangy mint sauce to make gravy from.

[paulmurr]

Beef brisket is excellent when cooked for 8-10 hours A smokey glaze works well with it too

[OllieWinchester]

Thanks for that deviant, I wasn't doubting it worked but my brain was just struggling to compute it.

I'll be giving it a go soon!

Can anyone clarify what the score is with vegetables in the slow cooker, which ones are ok and which ones are not? Is it safe to assume all root veg is ok? Does size of the veg matter? I was going to add chantenay carrots to a beef casserole that I was planning on cooking long and slow, but I chickened out because I didn't want them mushing up and ruining the whole thing.

[Don]

OllieWinchester said:

Thanks for that deviant, I wasn't doubting it worked but my brain was just struggling to compute it.

I'll be giving it a go soon!

Can anyone clarify what the score is with vegetables in the slow cooker, which ones are ok and which ones are not? Is it safe to assume all root veg is ok? Does size of the veg matter? I was going to add chantenay carrots to a beef casserole that I was planning on cooking long and slow, but I chickened out because I didn't want them mushing up and ruining the whole thing.

I don't have a slow cooker myself - but I DO experiment with very long, slow and cool cooking in the oven.

Carrots will hold together perfectly well. As will chunks of swede, parsnips etc. As you say - root veg. Carrot may be a bit sweet though.

I wouldn't slow cook any greens at all, although red cabbage might be good with cloves, apple and cinnamon etc. I do that for at least two hours in the oven at 140 so it might turn out OK.

Onions. Hmmm. I like them well enough but they do go a bit limp...

The advantage of slow-cooking in the oven is that if you want to whack up the heat at the end to brown the outside of something it's easy to do. You'd need to take it out of the slow cooker and transfer it to the oven otherwise...But the slow cooker will be more energy efficient.

[OllieWinchester]

Don said:

Carrots will hold together perfectly well. As will chunks of swede, parsnips etc. As you say - root veg. Carrot may be a bit sweet though.

Excellent, that certainly allays my fears then, I'll know for next time!

Don said:

I wouldn't slow cook any greens at all,

I made this mistake the other week, putting mange touts in a chicken casserole I slow cooked. I should have known better and I sort of realised straight away it wasn't going to work but I was away from the cooker. Disgusting, pale and slimy. I threw the whole thing away in disgust.

Don said:

Onions. Hmmm. I like them well enough but they do go a bit limp...

I don't mind this at all, I love onion. The shallots in the beef stifado go all lovely and sweet when they are cooked for ages.

My mum gave me a massive book of slow cooker recipes, buts its all a bit 70's and weird.

Edited by OllieWinchester on Tuesday 21st April 19:16

[juice]

adycav said:

juice said:

adycav said:

juice said:

Pulled Pork

I suggested this to the wife but I think she got the, er, wrong end of the stick...

How do you make this?

Pork Shoulder about 3lbs

Make a rub of 1tsp chilli, paprika, mustard powder, cumin, 1 tbsp brown sugar, some S+P and slap that on the pork for about 30 mins.

Then add some ketchup (3/4 cup), apple juice (1/2 cup), dash worcestershire sauce, water( 3/4 cup), 1 small onion (chopped fine), 1 clove garlic (crushed)into cooker, add the pork and cook for about 8-10 hours - should be falling apart at that point. Shred pork and serve on Buns topped with homemade coleslaw. Nom Nom Nom

Thanks, gonna try this later this week.

Sorry - what wasn't apparent in the instructions - once you've shredded the pork, return it to the remaining liquid and coat everything in what should be a lovely BBQ sauce...