Since other Orthodox Jewish dopers have chimed in about the essence of Chulent, my contribution to this thread will be the recipe, which I’ve been using since my yeshiva days (it comes from my mother, naturally). The amounts below apply to a chulent made for 4 people.
Equipment: West Bend Slow-cooker
Ingredients: 1 Onion, 1 clove garlic, 3 large Idaho potatoes, 1/4-1/2 lb. flanken (beef short rib), 1/3 c. barley, 1/4 cup chulent beans (a mix of kidney, cranberry and pinto beans - it’s available in some supermarkets as “chulent mix.”), oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, water.
Turn slow-cooker to highest setting. Heat up thin layer of oil on bottom of cooker. Slice onion and dice garlic and sautee in hot oil.
Place flanken onto sauteed onion and garlic. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Turn over, do same to other side. Brown spiced flanken on both sides.
Cut potatoes into bite-sized cubes. Place potatoes, barley and beans into pot. Stir. Cover the mixture with water until just above the top of the ingredients. Add 1 teaspoon each of salt, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika and a dash of pepper. Stir. Let sit until water begins bubbling, then turn down heat on slow-cooker to somewhere between 2 and 3.
Serve on Shabbos afternoon. Enjoy! ;j
Variations: Barbecue sauce or honey can be added either onto the flanken or into the water. Kishka is often heated up in and served with the chulent.