So for our wedding two years ago we got a slow cooker, and it’s been one of our most-used implements. Certainly makes life easier.
I discovered about a year ago the joys of slow-cooked brisket; a huge chunk of cheap, inedible meat, cooked until it’s damn well edible, dangnamit.
I just tried this recipe, which was delicious, if a bit spicy (yeah yeah, I’m a wimp), but has anyone got their own recommendations, recipes or mutual drooling about brisket, or anything else they think I could have fun making in our slow cooker?
One trick I did discover was a substitute for liquid smoke - which is very rare in the UK and expensive; instead I put in two teabags of lampsang souchong two hours before the brisket is done. It makes it all smokey!
You can use the same recipe for pork or beef ribs or a pork roast. (Or you can be extremely lazy, like me, and just dump the meat in the pot, pour on a bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce, and go to sleep for a few hours while it cooks. That was a favorite at my house when I worked overnight - I could get everyone off to school and work, throw ribs in the slow cooker, and sleep; then have dinner ready at a decent hour after everyone got home.)
A friend of mine - who is a damned fine cook, and whose judgment I trust - recently sent me this recipe for slow cooker lasagna. I haven’t tried it yet, but Kathy swears it’s delicious.
I’m not a fan of liquid smoke, but every once in awhile I want to make a slow cooked brisket and not light up a fire and do all that business. So, I go for this Jewish style brisket recipe. It’s simple and absolutely amazing. And none of this oddball jelly and Lipton onion soup stuff. I daresay, sometimes I want it instead of proper smoked brisket. I never ever thought I would say that until discovering this recipe a couple years ago. You can adapt it to a slow cooker, although you will not have the same browning, of course.
I’d suggest trying “pulled” pork, using pork shoulder - a google search for “slow cooker pulled pork” should turn up plenty of recipes to get you started.
Definition of proper barbecue would have to be relegated to Great Debates. It could rage endlessly.
As for crock pot favorites…
I make my refried beans in a Crock Pot. Soak dry beans overnight. In the morning plug in the Crock Pot on low. Add a bit of salt and a touch of oil and let it simmer. Mash up the beans for dip, burritos, or as a side. So easy.
MMMMMMM, pintos made with jalapeños. Eat them with cornbread the first day, then refry them the next day in bacon fat for breakfast, topped with some cheese. You’ll still eat canned beans and refried beans after that, but it won’t be the same.
I like to do **pork **with a rub made from 2T cumin, 2T thyme, 2T chilli powder, 1T salt, 1T pepper. I line the bottom of the crockpot with sliced onions, spoon over some minced/crushed garlic, then add the rubbed meat and cook for 8 hours. I add water if I think it’s going to be too dry, tends to depend on the cut of the meat. I actually find it’s better when the meat isn’t too fatty, even though you want some fat to render.
I will quite often do a slab of **beef **with a pre-maid taco seasoning (the powdery stuff that comes in a packet). So I’ll rub the seasoning in the night before, cover with gladwrap then foil, stick in the fridge. The next morning, add to the crockpot, then pour over a jar of salsa, then the equivalent in water.
My point was that if you really wanted to, you could even in an apartment, assuming you have a balcony (or a rooftop) and are permitted to cook on it. You could also look at small propane grills vice charcoal/wood smokers which I know isn’t true BBQ either but you can still slow cook an amazing array of foods with it. That rub recipe should work wonderfully in a slow cooker as well, and I heartily second pulled pork as it is delicious and leftovers can be made into nachos and other tasty items.
Brisket is all about timing. If you don’t cook it long enough, it comes out tough and chewy. If you cook it too long, it’s tender but stringy.
Last time my mother was over I cooked a brisket. A couple of weeks later, she emailed me asking for the recipe. I told her: What recipe? I just seasoned it with seasoning salt and wrapped it tightly with aluminum foil. Then I stuck it in the oven at 250 for 6 to 7 hours. That’s it!
Not necessarily - that would depend on local fire codes and the OP’s lease. Here in Georgia, USA, local fire code specifically bans using a grill or smoker on balconies or rooftops of multiple-occupancy buildings like apartments or hotels here in my town. London may have a similar code, or the lease or owner’s association/condo board/whatever may ban grilling.
I can’t help you with set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker style stuff. Sorry.