Sorry, but I cull deer and boar herds with my father-in-law all year round…Game meat is very tricky…especially in a crock-pot. Game meat tends to be leaner, so if you cook it for longer periods, you will get shoe leather. Only use leg meat when crock-potting game meat. I tried to make a venison stew and it was inedible. The further from the spine, the longer you can cook- this is a general, good, rule of thumb with any meat. If someone gives you the backstrap (tenderloin, chateaubriand), DO NOT OVERCOOK IT!
In fact, folks, since we are talking about a crock pot, don’t use ‘good’ meat with one. This is not a fancy French-school-of-cooking utensil. If you use good cuts, you will be disappointed…you’ll ruin the texture and flavour, and then think it was something wrong with the meat- it isn’t. Crock-pots are for cheaper cuts that allow the muscle sheaths to become gelatinized during the prolonged heat, thus making easily chewed pieces.
As I type I have an Indian chicken dish cooking in my crock-pot. Chicken thighs marinated in yogurt, ginger and garlic quickly sauteed in butter then added to the pot. Pour liquified (blender) tomatoes over them (4-5 cans of 'em or a bunch of fresh) and add Indian spices- curry, cumin, tumeric, mint, salt, hot peppers, bay leaf. Add yogurt, butter, cream and roux (depending on personal taste and waist-line) at the end and serve over rice.
Add in this order:
some olive oil
some cut-up potatoes
some cut-up carrots
a quartered onion
some garlic
some cut-up boneless chicken
some fresh marjoram
some ground black pepper
some salt
some chicken broth + some red wine or sweet sherry (enough to fill the crock pot to the recommended level)
Easy to throw together the night before, refrigerate, and plug in in the morning.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours.
Turn to HIGH and cook with lid off for about 30 minutes to burn off any remaining alcohol.
Adjust seasoning.
Meatballs! I’m lame and buy a big bag pre-made at Gordon Food Service, but then I add thick gravy or a sweet and spicy sauce and let simmer. Goes great with rice or noodles.
I’ve found that the crock-pot is the best thing ever for cooking dry beans. I don’t soak them. I just rinse them, throw them in the pot, cover them with a generous amount of water, and cook. (High for about 4 hours for black beans) They come out creamy and perfect, and ready to use in whatever recipe.
I also use it for applesauce. I put in cut-up apples and spices, and cook on high until the apples get “foamy”–about 2 hours.
Probably not for me, since my favorite part of Mac&Cheese is the crusty top. I ensure plenty of same by making my Mac&Cheese in a wide, rather than deep, pan.
I love it because when I am in office, we do not get home until about 6pm. By the time I get cooking, we’re looking at eating dinner around 730/8pm (if it’s something like meatloaf). The crockpot has been our savior.
Roast is fabulous. I take a 2-3# roast, cream of fungus soup, a small can of tomato sauce, carrots, taters, and pearl onions. Left on low for the day, the roast is wonderful.
I do MANY hotdishes (casseroles, for you non-Minnesotans, lol) in there as well. I have a lasagne one where you do not cook the noodles, you just toss everything in and leave it. I’m sure it’s on the copious websites others have noted above.
OK, there really wasn’t a point to this post. But I’m hungry now.
