# Any great crock-pot recipes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 11, 2007, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575 "2007-04-11T00:50:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GuyNblueJeans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GuyNblueJeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyNblueJeans)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/1 "2007-04-11T00:50:48Z")
Hi there! I’m a simple man that likes things that are easy, so might any of you know of some GREAT meals one can make using a crock-pot? 🙂 All I ever do with the humble crock-pot is chicken and pot roast, the latter being a more daring adventure for me due to how my efforts too often tend to result with the meat being way too dry. (I look fondly back at the days when I was a little kid, and how the women of the house could make a roast so tasty that it would almost come apart just by looking at it! They were way more capable than me … and did things in the kitchen using the oven, not with a crock-pot, though it probably doesn’t really matter.) I’m a little on the lazy side, but I feel I should at least be able to come up with something besides throwing in a can of Cambell’s mushroom soup and a few carrots, as there certainly must be other dinners that are simple and taste GREAT using 'em, right? (At present time I’m using an indoor grill to cook chicken breasts, YUMMY! 🙂 And should it be that any of you are in the market for a great grill … you’ll find it at, of all places, Wal-Mart! It’s the Durabrand “Healthy Indoor 2-in-1 Grill,” model TSK 2742G. It’s an off brand name but looks and works great and only costs around $30, as I recall.) Soooo, Dopers, any S-I-M-P-L-E recipes you know of off the top of your heads will be much appreciated by this simple guy (and his simple plan)! So let’s have 'em!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/2 "2007-04-11T01:09:10Z")
Place a pork shoulder in crock pot. Add 1 chopped onion, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 3 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes, 3 cans warm beer and 1 bottle BBQ sauce. Cook on high for as long as you can withstand the smell, usually 12 hours or so. Remove the succulent pork from the pot and pull apart with 2 forks. Serve on white hamburger buns with cole slaw. ---
**Author:** ![GuyNblueJeans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GuyNblueJeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyNblueJeans)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/3 "2007-04-11T01:15:03Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Place a pork shoulder in crock pot. Add 1 chopped onion, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 3 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes, 3 cans warm beer and 1 bottle BBQ sauce. Cook on high for as long as you can withstand the smell, usually 12 hours or so. Remove the succulent pork from the pot and pull apart with 2 forks. Serve on white hamburger buns with cole slaw. [/QUOTE] Thanks, silenus! It sounds great and I LOVE pork! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/4 "2007-04-11T01:16:42Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society. And taking notes. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/5 "2007-04-11T01:25:54Z")
[I made this last week.](http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooked-German-Short-Ribs/Detail.aspx) And Sam’s Club sells big honkin’ packs of short ribs for less than $2 a pound. Use half now, save half for another time. One thing, though–if you buy the thin cut (Korean style), cut 1-2 hours off the cook time. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/6 "2007-04-11T01:42:50Z")
Did anyone else read this as “Any great crack/pot recipes”? ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/7 "2007-04-11T01:57:37Z")
Pulled Pork: -Buy a cheap hunk o’pork- a butt, shoulder, maybe some of those ‘country ribs’ that have no bone in them -coat the pork with a layer of brown sugar on all sides. Maybe throw some cumin in on that -plop in crockpot -pour in a bottle of worcestshire sauce, or enough to come up the sides of the pork about 3/4 of an inch. I do a half and half worcestshite/liquid smoke mix -turn it on low and bugger off 6-8 hours. When the pork is falling apart in shreds, it’s done. Pull the pork apart with two forks and mix it up with the sauce and adjust for seasoning if you want ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/8 "2007-04-11T02:11:04Z")
This probably sounds silly, but what if you started with a can of really chunky soup…added a splash of wine and… nah. I’ve got nothin’. Heck, next I’d have you eating it on chips with slices of Jarlsberg… ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/9 "2007-04-11T02:20:01Z")
You might find some recipes you’d like in [this previous crock pot recipe thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=339332). Of course I recommend the 2 that I posted; stuffed peppers and pork chops with apple sauce. 😉 I also do a mean brisket in the crock pot. The original recipe is my step-mother’s, but she bakes hers in the oven and has to watch over it for hours, constantly adding water to the baking dish so it doesn’t dry out. I adapted it to the crock pot to avoid that hassle, and it comes out exactly the same, and mouth-wateringly delicious. Mmm, mmm, good! **Carla’s Brisket** **Ingredients** 5 - 6 quart oval crock pot 3 - 5 pound flat cut brisket 1 bottle [Kitchen Bouquet Browning & Seasoning Sauce](http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Bouquet-Browning-Seasoning-Sauce/dp/B0004LZOY2) Garlic Powder Kosher Salt Fresh Ground Pepper Either: 2 packets Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix, or dehydrated chopped onions and [Better Than Bouillon Beef Base](http://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Bouillon-Beef-Organic/dp/B000N83K4W) Diced Fresh Mushrooms **Directions** Put about 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the crock pot Rinse brisket and pat dry with paper towels Season the non-fat side first, by rubbing in the garlic powder, salt and pepper Season the fat side next, then place the brisket in the crock pot with the fat side up. (It’s ok if it seems a bit large for the pot and comes up along the sides, so long as the lid can be fully placed on the crock. As it cooks down, it will shrink to fit nicely into the pot.) Either sprinkle on the Lipton Soup Mix, or smear the surface with the Better Than Bouillon in a thin layer, then sprinkle with the dehydrated chopped onion flakes. Toss in the diced mushrooms Pour in from 1/2 bottle to the full bottle of the Kitchen Bouquet, depending on the size of the brisket Put the lid on and cook on the low setting; 4-5 hours for a 3 to 4 lb brisket, 6 to 7 hours for a 5 to 6 lb brisket. For best results, chill in the refrigerator and slice cold, against the grain. (And don’t forget to save the yummy gravy!) ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/10 "2007-04-11T02:41:19Z")
Does anyone have any tips on how to make chicken in the slow cooker without it sucking horribly? I’ve yet to be successful at making any chicken recipe. I haven’t tried other meats, but it’s always vile when I try chicken. The texture is stringy and “squeaky” and it’s oddly moist-dry, and the flavor never penetrates the meat. I’ve tried breasts and thighs, and once a whole chicken, as I’d once read that the higher fat content of thighs make them work better. Nope. Vile. Every chicken dish I’ve ever made in a slow cooker is VILE. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/11 "2007-04-11T03:09:48Z")
An edited-to-fit-this-thread version of my post from [our last crock-pot thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=410007): Hal’s Universal Crock Pot Recipe: \*\*One (1) crapload of meat Three (3) bottles of BBQ sauce One (1) handful of brown sugar Toss it all in the pot, cook all damn day.\*\* I’ve yet to find anything that doesn’t turn out delicious using this method. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/12 "2007-04-11T05:10:46Z")
I cant remember if I have posted this one. Chiporken sandwiches. 1.5 pounds pork bonless 1.5 pounds chicken (I prefer dark) bonless 1 12 oz can Spicy hot V8 1 12 oz jar of franks redhot buffalo wing sauce 1 onion chopped, 1 bell pepper chopped (I use red or orange but use whatever you want) a couple stalks of celery chopped jalapenos or habaneros I ususally add a few of one or the other but to be honest I think you would be better off with canned than fresh. fresh you have to chop, which means you have to get that damn oil that burns like mad on stuff possibly including you. AND the heat doesnt survive 8 + hours in a slowcooker add some salt (not to much) and for heat that does survive the crockpot I use crushed red peppers. mix up the veggies and juice and hot sauce in a bowl, add meat and the mix to the crockpot the night before, then in the morning pop on the heat and go to work. (low heat) mash up/shred the meat (at this point it should fall apart if not turn up the heat and cook a bit longer) drain the extra sauce and keep (freeze it in zip locks and use for stock when making soup) put on buns of your choice, for some extra heat I like pepper jack cheese on mine. (note this works just fine with chicken or pork alone and would probably work just fine with beef as well) Beef Stew. 3 pounds stew beef (its just prechopped beef you can get at the store) potatoes ( about 2 pounds I would guess,) just use cheap ones for this recipe carrots 2-3 celery stalks 2-3 onion one big one or a couple small ones Garlic 1-2 bulbs (the whole bulb not a little clove) Brocoli a couple small heads or maybe just one big one bell pepper of your choice thaw out a bag of stock from the chiporken recipe chop everything up and dump into crock pot, add salt, other spices as you wish but hold off on the pepper, Alton Brown claims pepper can turn bitter in soup if added at the begining so add at the end. I use some basil and Crushed red peppers (what? I like spicy food) after everything is in the pot you will probably need to add liquid, I use water until its even with the top of the food but beer (American crap beer is good for this, dont use a dark beer or one with alot of flavor) is a workable substitute. let sit over night or even 2 nights and cook for 8-10 hours on low, at 8 hours check carrots and taters to see if they are done, if not you can turn up the heat. this is the same basic recipie I use for chicken stew as well with chicken I use some chicken powder stuff that makes a decent broth. Also with chicken I use bonless skinless thighs and put them in whole, by the time the stew is done the meat will fall apart so you just have to poke it around to get it down to bite size instead of handling raw chicken. one thing to keep in mind, if you let stuff marinade in the fridge you will want to give the pot a good stir or 3 in the first hour or 2 because all that cold food can take awhile to heat up all the way through. also I have a 6 quart crock pot so you milage may vary ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/13 "2007-04-11T05:18:18Z")
I must make this again soon: > [@Central Market newsletter](#): > > Crock-Pot Italian Pot Roast > > 1 (4 to 4 1/2 pound) chuck or rump roast > 2 tablespoons olive oil > 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with basil > 1 tablespoon minced garlic > 1 tablespoon fresh thyme > 1 tablespoon fresh oregano > 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram > 1 teaspoon salt > 1 pound pearl onions, or 1 (16-ounce) jar pearl onions, drained > 1 (6-ounce) jar salad olives, drained (I didn’t know what these were, but they are random bits of broken pimento-stuffed olives, sold in a jar) > 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce > 1/4 cup chili sauce > 12 small new potatoes, scrubbed > > Brown the roast on all sides in the olive oil in a large skillet. Place in a slow cooker. Add the tomatoes with basil, garlic, thyme, oregano, marjoram, salt, onions, olives, Worcestershire sauce and chili sauce. Cook on High for 1 hour. Add the potatoes. Cook on Medium for 5 hours or until the roast is tender and cooked through. Serves 6 to 8. > > Suggested menu: > Crock-Pot Italian Pot Roast > Mixed field greens with parmesan walnut Caesar dressing > Crusty Italian bread for dipping into the pan sauce > Amaretto cookies or chocolate biscotti with Spumoni ice cream > > My observations (by Oslo Ostragoth): > > 1. This is terrific. > 2. Do not even attempt this recipe as written unless you have a super-jumbo crock-pot. I used half the meat specified because I had a standard crock-pot, and the ingredients still barely fit. > 3. Unless your family looks like Fred Flintstone, the meat/veg ratio is way off, to my taste at least. As I said, I used half the meat, and the vegs could have been bumped up another 25-50%. > 4. A _lot_ of pan juice is produced, and it is delicious. You could serve it in soup bowls and give everybody half a loaf of bread apiece for dipping. > 5. I was worried that the olive flavor would be too strong, because I used Manzanilla olives stuffed with pimientos, because that’s what I had. The long slow cooking gave the olives themselves a very mild, mellow flavor. The sauce and other ingredients got a very subtle infusion of olive flavor. > 6. I modified the technique somewhat. After browning and removing the meat, I hit the pan with a splash of red wine\*, scraped a bit, added the tomatoes, herbs and seasonings, and let it heat up. Meanwhile, I put the meat, onions and olives into the crock-pot and cranked it up. After a couple of minutes of simmer time, I added the tomatoes to the pot and proceeded. > 7. I used Yukon Gold-type potatoes, because that’s what I had, and they worked fine. Same with the herbs: dried, but half the amount specified, because that’s what I had. > 8. To repeat, this is terrific. > > \*As advised by AB and Shirley Corriher: some of the flavors in tomatoes can only be released by alcohol. I might add that replacing the potatoes with mushrooms seems like a good alteration of this recipe. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/14 "2007-04-11T05:20:05Z")
[QUOTE=BlueKangaroo] Does anyone have any tips on how to make chicken in the slow cooker without it sucking horribly? I’ve yet to be successful at making any chicken recipe. I haven’t tried other meats, but it’s always vile when I try chicken. Every chicken dish I’ve ever made in a slow cooker is VILE. [/QUOTE] what are you doing with it exactly? not enough moisture? high heat? those are both killers for chicken. all my crock pot foods have plenty of moisture, to the point of excess most of the time. but with food like chicken you can use the extra for stock in your next batch. also I have found that its pretty much essential to add salt at the begining of all my crock pot recipies, you dont have to add ALL the salt at the begining but be sure to add some, then later you can add to taste. I cant add anything else without knowing what you are trying to cook (as in the recipie) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/15 "2007-04-11T05:25:04Z")
For those SDMB readers outside North America, Crock-Pot® is a brand of **slow cooker**. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/16 "2007-04-11T06:57:09Z")
You want simple? Take about 3 pounds of boneless chuck, as lean as you can find it (chuck is pretty fatty, generally). Rinse and place gently in an oval slowcooker. Add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of red wine. Sprinkle with minced dried onions. Cover and cook until it’s all tender. Save the broth, it’s very flavorful and makes wonderful gravy. Package and freeze the leftovers, and you will be secure in the knowledge that you have some tasty entrees in the freezer, just waiting to be warmed up and served with mashed potatoes or over rice or noodles. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/17 "2007-04-11T11:16:43Z")
[QUOTE=Critical1] what are you doing with it exactly? not enough moisture? high heat? those are both killers for chicken. all my crock pot foods have plenty of moisture, to the point of excess most of the time. but with food like chicken you can use the extra for stock in your next batch. also I have found that its pretty much essential to add salt at the begining of all my crock pot recipies, you dont have to add ALL the salt at the begining but be sure to add some, then later you can add to taste. I cant add anything else without knowing what you are trying to cook (as in the recipie) [/QUOTE] I don’t think it’s too much heat, as I often cook it on low. It may be too little moisture, but I’m not sure. Honestly, it’s been so long since I even tried to make it I couldn’t say, because it’s always so god-awful. I’ll see if I can find one of the recipes I tried when I get home tonight, and I’ll post it here if I do. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/18 "2007-04-11T15:42:01Z")
Another pork one, carnitas–cheapass boneless pork chunks in crock pot, cover with fresh salsa. Add some chipotles, garlic cloves, extra onions, some cumin and some chili powder. Cook all day. Remove pork, and to make it really amazing, wipe it down with a little oil, sprinkle with garlic salt and bake it in the oven at maybe 325 degrees while you add some **cooked rice** , a drained can of pinto or black beans, some frozen or drained canned corn and dehydrated refried beans to the crock pot. Let the dehydrated beans and the rice soak up a lot of the liquid. Pull the pork into chunks and make burritos with the goop in the crockpot. Don’t forget the shredded sharp cheddar and/or pepper jack cheese, avocados and sour cream. This meal impresses the hell out of people. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/19 "2007-04-11T15:59:21Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] An edited-to-fit-this-thread version of my post from [our last crock-pot thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=410007): Hal’s Universal Crock Pot Recipe: \*\*One (1) crapload of meat Three (3) bottles of BBQ sauce One (1) handful of brown sugar Toss it all in the pot, cook all damn day.\*\* I’ve yet to find anything that doesn’t turn out delicious using this method. [/QUOTE] I usually make a variant of this. Four (4) cans of condensed soup instead of BBQ and brown sugar. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575/20 "2007-04-11T16:28:54Z")
I’ve made turkey soup (more of a stew, actually) with Christmas leftovers. The aforementioned 4 cans of soup (two French onion, two golden mushroom), baby carrots, cut up potatos that hadn’t been needed for the mash, bits of cooked turkey that had been in the freezer, leftover gravy that had also been in the freezer, and uncooked pasta. Don’t put uncooked pasta in until the last 10 minutes! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-great-crock-pot-recipes/399575.md?page=2)